“How do you know when it was made?” is the primary question anyone interested in antiques wants answered. Expert John Bly reveals how the professionals make their daily rapid assessment of items. By taking the reader through a simple and fascinating course of social history, the development of design, the introduction of materials, and the evolution of manufacture, he uncovers the methods of identifying when an item could or could not have been crafted. Spanning a period from 1550 to 1910, key antiques categories within each era are explored, including furniture, silver, glass, and porcelain. Significant shapes, styles, motifs, and influences from around the world are brought to light, and a picture is created of how antiques are a important part of history that can still be meaningful to us today.