Original condition more vital than look of item

When determining the value of antique furniture, condition is important.

The condition is also important when assessing the value of baseball cards, labeled boxes and bottles, toys and most other collectibles.

But decorators and casual collectors are more concerned about the look of something than about its original appearance. Labels have been soaked off jars, cardboard boxes discarded, furniture and tin toys painted, and labels stripped from trunks and boxes.

Styles have changed. The proper care of antiques in earlier times was to refinish, paint or remove labels to try to make the old look new. Even today, decorating and crafts magazines describe projects that destroy the original look of an antique.