By Lee Bernstein

The following glossary is a list of general collectables terms. Since collectables have such a wide and varied domain, it's impossible to list all collectables-related terms here.

This glossary was compiled primarily with the aid of information contained in The Tuttle Dictionary of Antiques & Collectables Terms, by Don & Joan Bingham. Additional information was provided by the glossary in Discovering Antiques: A Guide to the World of Antiques and Collectables by Eric Knowles.

Accessories: Complementary decorative items used primarily for embellishment. Also, the parts originally included with an item.

Advertising: Anything that promotes, features, or imprints a product or service.

Americana: Antiques and collectables that reflect American history and culture.

Amish: Early Pennsylvania settlers whose primitive handiwork and crafts are collected and treasured.

Animation Cel (production cel): The drawings used to create cartoons.

Annoted Print: A numberd print, usually dated.

Antique: Many consider anything 50 years old or older an antique.

Antiquity: Artifact or object from the ancient world.

AOP: An abbreviation meaning "all over pattern" (a pattern which extends throughout a design).

Applied Decoration: Design added to an item after its made, usually by soldering, gluing, nailing, or painting.

Applied Handle: When a handle is made independently of the object and applied later.

Applied Stem: Same as an applied handle, but with a stem.

Appliqué: Small pieces of fabric which have been sewn onto other pieces of fabric.

Art Deco: The first truly modern style which made full use of mechanised production and new materials. The name derives from the first major exhibition of decorative arts held after the First World War.

Art Doll or Bear (or artist doll or bear): Usually a one-of-a-kind artist-signed and designed doll or bear.

Art Glass: Glass made for aesthetic purposes.

Art Nouveau: The new style, short-lived and excessive, which thrived between 1880 and 1914. Characterised by curving, swirling organic forms and, particularly, the whiplash motif, the name derives from a shop opened by Bing in Paris in 1895. Known in Italy as "stile Liberty," in Germany and Scandinavia as "Jugendstil," and in Austria as "Secession."

Art Pottery: Pottery made primarily for aesthetic purposes

Arts & Crafts: A 19th century movement, led by William Morris and his artist and designer companions in England, which sought to challenge increasing industrialisation by reintroducing the medieval concepts of craftsmanship.

As is (or As Found): Denotes that an item has some sort of damage and is being sold in the condition it was found.

Attributed to: Work like that of a famous artist. Often "attributed to" works are believed to be original to the artist in question, although there is no authenticity.

Avant-garde: Unconventional.

Badge: Identification medals customarily made of brass or nickel, as in a police officer's badge.

Bakelite: The trade name for an early plastic with a characteristic chemical smell (rub or run under hot water; if it smells like a laboratory, it's probably Bakelite). Used for jewellery, accessories, radios, buttons, and so on from the early 1900s until the 1940s.

Bisque: Unglazed porcelain.

Blacklight: Ultraviolet light. In collectables, blacklights are commonly used to detect fakes, reproductions, and repairs. They are also used to identify authentic vaseline glass, Burmese glass, and other collectable glassware which contains uranium. Since uranium glows under a blacklight, uranium based glass is easy to detect.

Bronze: An alloy made of tin and copper.

Candy Container: Candy holders. Usually for children and made in figural patterns: Santa, a bunny, lanterns, trucks, and so on. Candy containers were popular from the 1890s to the 1960s, and they are being made again today. It is the authentic earlier models collectors crave.

China: Generally, porcelain dishes. Also includes earthenware objects.

Circa (ca.): Approximate year. "Circa 1964"

Classic: An exemplary example of superior work where the design has become a standard by which others pattern similar work.

Collectable: Anything a collector feels is worth collecting. Twentieth century collectables are items desirable to collectors which are representative of 20th century history, culture and/or mass production. "Vintage collectables" means collectables "of a past year Most vintage collectables are also secondary market items. Contemporary collectables are items from the 1990s, even if the item is a secondary market item or has been discontinued or retired.

Collector's Mark: A mark, usually used on fine art, to pronounce ownership by a collector or museum.

Conditions of Sale (Terms of Sale): The rules by which an item is sold. A common auction term.

Conservator: An expert at restoration.

Copy: A reproduction of an earlier antique or collectable. If an item is a copy, it should always be noted as such, even if the quality is excellent (as is often the case). Selling a copy as an original is fraud.

Dated: A date mark added to a piece of art or decorative item. When selling, only use the word "dated" if the mark is authentic to the date it represents.

Dealer: In antiques and collectables, a retailer who seeks to profit from buying and reselling collectables and/or related items.

Decanter: A container for liquids, most commonly used to store wine or alcohol. A decanter often has a stopper and a long neck.

Depression: In American history, the depression marks the years 1929 (stock market crash) to 1940. A difficult economic time, marked with high unemployment.

Disneyana: A collector’s term for anything of, about, or from Walt Disney Productions or Disney Studios. Most collectors prefer Disney marked pieces.

Disparate Parts: Parts taken from various objects to form another. Common in lamps, clocks, and so on.

Earthenware: A porous piece of pottery made from clay, lightly fired, and still pervious to liquids. A glaze is needed to make it waterproof.

Estate Auction: An auction that sells the contents of a home.

Fake: A forgery of an authentic antique or collectable. Selling a fake as being an original is fraud.

Fantasy Item: An item made to look as though it might be an antique or vintage collectable, even though the item never existed. The difference between a fantasy item and a reproduction is that a reproduction mirrors an earlier item; a fantasy item did not exist in the time it represents. If a seller sells a fantasy item, it should be noted. Selling a fantasy item as being an earlier antique or collectable is fraud. Some fantasy items are indeed vintage since they were made during an earlier decade, but they are still fantasy items and should be noted as such.

Fine Art: Art with aesthetic rather than strictly decorative or utilitarian purposes.

Folk Art: Amateur art. Most popular are early 20th century examples and older. Also known as "primitives," folk art is characterised by an unsophisticated, simple look, often very rustic, untrained, and even unbalanced. "Quaint" is the primary buzzword here.

Forgery: A intentional fake. A counterfeit item or signature. Selling a forgery as being authentic is fraud.

Gilding: A thin layer of gold. Gilded ceramics have gold trim.

Glaze: The application of a thin, smooth, glassy coating to earthenware and porcelain, often to make a piece watertight. A glaze can be glossy or dull, clear, or with colour.

Hairline Crack: A fine line of damage, usually on ceramic pieces. Sometimes "hairlines" go all the way through the piece, other times they're on the inside or outside only. Hairlines are most easily detected by running a fingernail over the surface of a ceramic. When selling, a hairline should always be noted.

H.G.E.: An abbreviation for Hard Gold Electroplated. A thin layer of gold applied over metal.

Icon: Most commonly used to denote a religious or other graphical representation. A modern definition of this term is a popular celebrity who has become a cultural symbol as well, for example, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and so on.

Important: An item of great value, usually rare and typically an excellent example of fine workmanship or artistry. A common auction term.

Impression: An inward or reversed design pressed into an object.

Incised: An impressed design hand cut into an object. Incised can also mean engraved.

Inclusion: A factory flaw in glass.

Inlay: Carving or cutting a design into a surface, removing the shape, and replacing it with an identical shape made out of a different material or like material of different texture, colour, and so on (as in inlaid wood).

Inscribed: Signed (for example, autographed by author).

In The Style Of: Something that either looks like an original or is produced as a famous designer or artist might have done it. A piece "in the style of" is not a reproduction of an earlier piece. Rather, it is made to look as though it might have been done by someone well-known. "In the manner of" usually refers to an item that has been produced later but looks as though it was from an earlier time.

Issue: The series in which something is manufactured. An "original issue" is an item from the original run of manufacturing. A "later issue" or "reissue" is an item reintroduced or manufactured at a later date.

Limited Edition: Items with a limited manufacturing time or limited amount of items issued. Limited editions are often numbered and dated.

Maker's Mark: A goldsmith's signature or logo. General: Manufacturer's mark.

Margin: An outer border. If a rip is in the margin of a poster, this means it is outside the design and often framable without the damage showing.

Matte Glaze: An unreflective, dull glaze on ceramics.

Memorabilia: Items of nostalgia--pieces from an earlier time that make people remember the time. Most commonly used in advertising and entertainment, but applies to all areas of collecting.

Mint: Like new.

Motif: A repeated design. Also, a design representative of a time period, category, or style, as in "a Victorian motif," "a nautical motif," or "a southwestern motif."

Nippon: Japan. Japanese manufacturers of this time used "Nippon" to mark items of export from 1981-1921. Some modern items now say "Nippon" as well, but often, collectors want the originals.

NS: An abbreviation for nickel silver.

Occupied Japan: Export items manufactured in Japan from 1945-1951, during the time the United States occupied Japan.

On Your Own Knowledge: This common auction term means that an item is not guaranteed authentic, and all sales final. If a seller uses this term on eBay, the seller should not assume that a buyer knows what it means. Sellers should specifically state that an item is not guaranteed, and any other specific terms of sale.

Paste: Jewels made of glass.

Patent Number: The number identifying the date an item was patented. This does not mean the item was manufactured in that year. It only indicates the date the patent became issued.

Patina: Normal signs of age which change the appearance of the finish. Most commonly used for wood or metal. Patina generally refers to a desirable look of age. As wood ages, for example, it acquires a certain sheen or appearance, the richness of which comes only with time. Collectors find patina desirable.

Picker: Someone who buys antiques and collectables at low prices, typically at garage sales and small local auctions, and then resells them for profit.

Plush: Thick pile. Also, the soft, furry fabric used to create stuffed toys.

Pontil mark: When a rod is removed from a piece of glass during the hand-blowing process, it leaves a mark on the bottom. The mark is often left rough, so there's a scar or a raised area where the glass separated from the rod. Some artists make a pontil smooth.

Polychrome: The term used by dealers and experts to describe an object painted in a variety of colours.

Porcelain: Hard, fine white ceramic ware.

Pottery: Earthenware fired at low temperature.

Primitives: See Folk Art.

Print: A printed duplicate of an original artwork.

Provenance: The history of an object. This might include when, where, and by whom it was made, and its previous owners. Good provenance can add interest and value to a piece.

Rare: Very difficult to find-almost impossible. If an item is limited but can still be found with moderate capacity, the word to use is "scarce."

Recessed: Indented. An area set back from the main part.

Registry Marks: Primarily refers to the marks on antique English ceramics.

Repaired - Restored: Repaired is not the same as restored. Repaired means an item has been made "like new" by fixing what was broken using the original parts. Restored means the item has been refinished by using parts other than the original ones.

Reserve: a. The minimum price at which a seller agrees to sell an item. b. An area on pottery, porcelain, or textiles which is left free of colour, ready for painting, and free of the ground colour.

Restrike: A new item made from an original plate or mold.

Revival: An imitation of an earlier design style, commonly used in furniture.

School: Designates the style of an artist, architect, designer, or group; for example, "the prairie school."

Smalls: Originally an auction term, "smalls" refer to small collectables, usually shelf size or smaller, that are easily carried.

Stoneware: A hard, dense, non-porous pottery made from clay and feldspar which, although not translucent or white in appearance, is often compared with porcelain.

Style: The "look" of a design. Something in "the style of the 60s" has a 60s look to it, but it is not necessarily of the decade.

Tag Sale: A house or estate sale where the items are sold individually rather than auctioned.

Value (Market Value, Secondary Market Value): The amount at which a collectable is expected to sell.

The preceding material was written by Lee Bernstein. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.