Collecting Antique Mirrors

There are two main aspects to mirrors and antique mirrors give you the best of both if you happen to like the look of antiques for your home or office. The glass in antique mirrors may often be somewhat irregular, but that is often part of their charm. If the mirror has a frame, then having an antique mirror gives you as a bonus an antique frame. But the most important aspect to the antique mirror in terms of reflection is the coating on the back of the glass. At one time there was diamond dust added to the paint which makes for a wonderful rich, deep and vivid reflection. Modern mirrors do not compare with the quality of some of the antique mirrors that have survived the years. And that makes some antique mirrors very valuable and sometimes, very rare.

Of course, truly old antique mirrors are a miracle as they have endured the years and use and have not broken. A French Trumeau mirror from the early eighteenth century is a good example of a rare antique mirror. These mirrors were place on the walls near windows and over a table or fireplace mantles where candles would be place in front of them so that during the day they would reflect outdoor light and in the evening they would reflect candle light. An antique mirror of this vintage is worth thousands and possibly tens of thousands of dollars.

Another style of antique mirror comes from American furniture history. It is a panel mirror and consists of any number of mirrored pieces fixed together on a backing and framed as a whole. Antique mirrors often have bevelled edges to the glass which is a great feature. There are hand held antique mirrors in addition to the wall and free-standing varieties. Often the antique hand mirrors are encased in sterling silver or silver plated, but a very rare and very old style of antique vanity mirror is one made of brass with a polished finish for reflection and doesn't contain any glass at all.

It is possible to put a new mirror and place it in an antique picture frame to get the effect of a great old antique mirror and this approach will have some authenticity to it as the glass in many real antique mirrors has been replaced anyway so why not get yourself the look of an antique mirror for the price of a frame and an inexpensive new mirror glass? Any way you come by your antique mirrors can be a good way since what you want may not be authentic antiques, but just the look of the antique mirror and creating your own might be just the way to go.

Antique Collecting News:

Bing: antique collecting site:msnbc.msn.com
Search results

Len Brown, former editor of the Courier Times, dies - Local News ...
His great passion was golf and particularly collecting antique golf clubs.? Brown was active in the Golf Collectors? Society. Besides traveling with his ...
Submerged in stuff, hoarders keep collecting - Health - Mental ...
For actress Delta Burke, it was antique furniture and porcelain dolls ? enough to fill 27 climate-controlled storage units. For Roger Gorman?s father ...
PhotoBlog - Antique tractor auction expected to draw crowd as ...
Antique tractor auction expected to draw crowd as family sells off late father ... and engines Culver's father dragged home one by one over 50 years of collecting.
Antique slides reveal obsession with science - Technology ...
Antique microscope slides reveal obsession with science Victorian era ... People not only bought pre-made slides, but made their own collecting trips to ...
Rarest of the rare - Entertainment - The Arts - TODAY.com
Every passion has its Holy Grail, and rare-book collecting is no exception. Ask a group of bibliophiles to identify the rarest of all rare books, and a majority ...

Newsfeed display by CaRP

Antiques_Roadshow

Antiques-hobbyist

Collecting_Antique_Books

Collecting_Antique_Cars

Collecting_Antique_Clocks

Collecting_Antique_Documents

Collecting_Antique_Dolls

Collecting_Antique_Furniture

Collecting_Antique_Guns

Collecting_Antique_Jewelry

Collecting_Antique_Lighting

Collecting_Antique_Mirrors

Collecting_Antique_Radios

Collecting_Antique_Toys

Collecting_Antique_bottles

Collecting_Antiques

Your_Family_Antiques

Buying_and_Selling_Antiques

How_to_Value_Your_Antiques

Preservation-and-Protection

Shopping_for_Antiques

Antiques_Restoration

Antiques_in_Home_Decorating

Collecting_Antique_Furniture