Antique Tiffany Lamps: Authentic Tiffany Lamp Buying - Some Tips

Buying an authentic Tiffany lamp can be fun, expensive and also challenging. There are many antique dealers, auction houses, estate sales and other places who sell or offer what they call "authentic Tiffany lamps." 

Most major, well established dealers and auction houses are honest in their efforts to be certain what they are selling is authentic, and to tell potential buyers if they are aware of any damages or restorations. There are some dealers, auction houses and private sellers however, who do not know if what they are selling is authentic or how to look for damage. This is where the buyer must be very careful.

I usually tell people if they themselves are not qualified to authenticate what they are buying or if they don't get a written, signed and dated money back guarantee from the seller, stating the Tiffany lamp is authentic or they will refund the money, they should not buy anything. There are too many good forgeries and "Tiffany style" lamps out there - signed and unsigned - to risk thousands of dollars on buying a lamp that is not "right."

Some dealers sell lamps which have had a great deal of restoration. That lowers the value, but they do not disclose that to the buyer. Some dealers sell lamps and do not have the skill to tell if what they are selling has had prior restoration. Some dealers and auctioneers sell lamps they feel are authentic which are not. They are doing the best they can, but they have not had an expert look at the lamp, so they sell it "as is" and hope for the best. 

A quality reproduction Tiffany lamp can have fake markings on it. If you buy it you could own it for 5-25 years or longer before discovering you spent thousands (or tens of thousands) on an outright forgery. Examples below show nice looking lamps that are not authentic, but were represented as such, some with the proper "Tiffany marks" on the shade and the base.

A good forged Tiffany lamp can have old glass in it, a well "aged" patina on the metal parts, and even have old (even authentic, original) Tiffany Studios sockets, "heat cap" and other parts. The table lamp example below is a good forgery, with the "proper markings" on the shade and base as well. 

The hanging shade below was sold to a collector for tens of thousands of dollars as an authentic Tiffany shade, and was determined to not have ever been anything Tiffany made.

To be as safe as possible these days, only buy from a well respected major auction house who has a Tiffany expert on hand and who will guarantee the lamp is authentic (unless the buyer brings in a qualified expert who can prove otherwise) or from a private dealer or broker who likewise makes the guarantee in writing - or your full money back. You can still have issues perhaps, but you are much better protected if you do not buy from an estate sale, "tag sale," an auction online which offers no guarantees, or from a private seller. 

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Dennis

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Antique Tiffany Lamp Value - The Colors Are Very Important

Over the years the value of authentic Tiffany lamps has generally gone up. It can flatten out or slow, due to economic reasons usually, such as the recent recession. Barring that kind of economic situation, where all kinds of  fine art and antiques lose value or stop appreciating in value, the prices of the better authentic, antique Tiffany lamps lamps always seem to appreciate better than the "lower end" and more common lamps however. It's interesting how one important factor - the colors in the shade - which is otherwise identical in pattern and size to another shade, can make it two or three times more valuable.

Here is a good example of how the value of authentic Tiffany lamps are affected by their shade glass color.

Below is a poppy lamp which recently sold at Sotheby's Auction House in New York for over $106,000.

It has a very plain base, but to most collectors, the colors in the shade are the best. They are rich and vibrant reds and magenta and orange in color, with deep colors even in the green leaves and background glass. 

The poppy lamp below, however, with a similarly unimpressive base, was sold at Skinner Auctions in 2012, and it sold for only about $51,000, which included the "buyer's premium" as did the top example. It had a few condition issues, but look at the differences in coloring in the shade. There is very little red, a green and yellow/gold background, and it is not remotely close to being as vibrant and rich in color as the above example.

All other things being equal as to condition, type of glass used, rarity, shade size, base type, and pattern, the colors in an authentic Tiffany lamp shade are the most important factor in the value at public or private sale. Certainly if one adds a fancy and rare base onto a rather bland shade it can increase the value greatly. But if you compare "apples to apples," the best colors in the shade will win out every time, as far as being the most desirable, expensive and valuable lamp.

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Authentic Tiffany Lamps - Many Good Forgeries Around!

Since the early 1960's when Tiffany lamps started to become more collectible and also more valuable, craftsmen began copying them in an attempt to fool the public and make money by deception. The good and talented forgers used and still use old glass, good "patination" techniques, old sockets and other parts and authentic looking stamp signatures or etched marks for leaded or non-leaded shades and bases. Forgeries can be bought from dealers - who either know or do not know what they have is a fake - or at estate sales, at "online auction sites," or at usually smaller auction houses who have no Tiffany lamp expert on staff.

Just to give you an example of how difficult it can be for all but the very educated and experienced to tell the difference, look at the three lamps below. Each is a nice looking floral authentic Tiffany Studios or "Tiffany style" table lamp. Can you tell which one, or two lamps are authentic Tiffany Studios lamps? In person it is easier, but each of the lamps below was "signed" and each even looked fairly good in person. With experience, looking at the glass, the interior soldering and the signature marks will enable an experienced collector to determine authenticity. If you are not sure, ask or pay an expert to help you, or pass it up unless the lamp comes with a 100% written money back guarantee of authenticity. Here are the photos to compare, below.

Nice looking...

Also nice looking...

Nice looking as well...

Which example (s) do you think are authentic? Numbers 1, 2, 3? Or more than one?

If you guessed that number one was an original Tiffany Studios lamp you would be incorrect. Not a bad copy, but not authentic. Number three is likewise not authentic, even though like the first example it has a "twisted vine" style base and vibrant colors and design. The authentic lamp is in the middle - number two. 

I see signed lamps daily in emails sent to me that are poor to good forgeries which people inherited or bought, thinking they were authentic. Some people paid a great deal of money and have no way to re-coup their losses. Other people were lucky and either inherited the lamp or bought it at a price where it is still a nice decorative lamp for their home.

So be cautious. Be very cautious. Generally, the more valuable the lamp model, the more likely it is to have been reproduced and passed off as the "real deal." 

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Antique Tiffany Lamps - Shade Shapes and Variations

There are so many variations to how an authentic, antique Tiffany lamp looks. The same pattern lamp can come in different shade sizes, shapes and colors. Of course all lamps with bases can have similar shade patterns but a different base. Here are just a few examples of photos of antique Tiffany Studios lamps, showing the variety in colors and shapes in their leaded shaded lamps.

Below is an authentic "Dragonfly" shade in the "Drophead" style

Below is another authentic Tiffany Dragonfly lamp in a different (cone) shape and color palette. They came in various shade shapes and color patterns, as did almost all of his other shades, whether they are floral, geometric or dragonfly designs.

 Tiffany basically made cone, globe and irregular border shaped shades. There are some exceptions to this, but these are the most common shapes he used in his leaded glass shades.

Below is a Daffodil pattern shade in the globe shape

Another Daffodil shade below has a different color palette and is a cone shape and design layout.

Below is a Clematis pattern hanging shade in a cone shape pictured below

Finally, below is a large hanging shade in a globe shape, geometric pattern. The colors of the geometric glass shades ranged from greens to gold, amber, blue and other more unusual colors.

Below is a plain geometric large dome shaped hanging shade.

 

There are a wide and lovely variety of shapes and colors in all antique Tiffany Studios shades. One has but to look in museums, books and at auctions and antique galleries to see the wide and vast choice of patterns, colors, and shapes that Tiffany produced over approximately thirty five years.

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Authentic Tiffany Lamps: How to Care For Them And Protect Them In The Home

Anyone who owns an authentic Tiffany lamp should want to protect it from damage and also care for it so that it stays attractive and clean and retains it's value. Here are some easy but vital steps to help keep your lamp (s) safe, clean and protected.

• Cleaning Your Lamp: A clean lamp will be more attractive and the colors and light will be enhanced if it has no dust, tobacco film or cobwebs on either the glass shade or the base. Clean with only a dry feather type duster the glass shade and the base. If you dust it weekly it should stay in good shape. If it is very dusty you can run room temperature water over the shade only, very gently and allow the dust or grime to soften. Never use any chemicals on the shade glass or base! 

• Be sure and put heavy towels in the sink or bathtub if you use water, so the shade will be protected as well as possible in case it should slip. Let it air dry or use a hair drier from at least 12 inches on the cool or warm (never hot) setting. The base should just be wiped gently with a soft cotton tee shirt type fabric that is non abrasive. Never use hard pressure and either damp or dry cloth. Dry immediately.

• Lighting Your Lamp: Never use high wattage bulbs. In fact, for all but very large hanging or floor lamps, 40 watt energy saving cool bulbs are the best thing to use. Heat from light bulbs that are too hot can crack glass over time. On larger shades over 22-24 inches, you can use up to 60 watts, in the new cooler bulbs, but I would not go over that. The lamp will usually look nicer color wise if you use less wattage. Below is an example of a nice tulip shade where the colors are washed out, due to the owner using bulbs that are too strong. It "washes out" the nice colors and it creates a glare.

If you need more light in your room, use modern ceiling, floor or table lamps for it, not your authentic, antique Tiffany lamp. Below is an example of a lamp with low wattage bulbs that make the shade look warm, still put out light, and protect the glass. 

•  Locating Your Lamp: To avoid fatal falls to the floor or bashed in shades from arms, balls, jumping animals or running children or pets, it is best to put your table lamp on a sturdy table in the corner of a room, or in an area that is not a "high traffic" area. It only takes one fall or one ball or one elbow to ruin a shade to the point of being more costly to repair properly than it might be worth.  When in any doubt, put the lamp in a room that is protected from pets and children, but where you can still enjoy it.

• Storing Your Lamp: If you ever need to store your antique Tiffany lamp, the worst places are the attic, the basement, the garage or a storage locker. If you must store it in any of these places, they should be climate controlled. Heat and cold from rooms will crack glass and moisture can corrode the metal on lamp shades and bases. If you need to store your lamp or travel with it, have it professionally packed with bubble wrap (separate box for the shade and base) and plenty of "peanuts." Label the box with "fragile" stickers  and mark in large letters on it what is inside. If it is going to be off your property, be sure and have homeowner's insurance to insure it against any and all perils.

If you follow these procedures, your lamp should stay in good condition for generations, barring acts of God and accidents which occur despite good protection. A clean, well lighted antique Tiffany lamp lamp is a thing of beauty for all to enjoy.

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Dennis

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