Terminology
by Laurie Winzer, December 2023
One of the jobs I have at Woody auction is to provide condition reports for potential bidders. During the process of learning how to examine an item and jot down any damage, flaws, or anomalies I find, I’ve discovered that antique collectors have their own jargon for describing various types of factory flaws or damage. I try as much as possible to use that same terminology in my condition reports so that I’m giving consistent reports to everyone. Sometimes, though, it is difficult to describe a particular condition occurrence to a newer collector because they don’t understand the term I’m using. They also don’t know whether I’m describing a factory flaw that is not considered damage or actual damage to the piece. I thought it might be helpful to provide a list of some of the terminology we use for identifying damage or factory flaws at Woody Auction.
DAMAGE (anything on the item that could negatively affect the value)
Flea Bites –pin-head size or smaller glass losses which can usually be detected with a fingernail or magnifying glass; these are generally not reported in our condition description. » Read more about: Blog Posts »