How to Date Antique Brass: A Beginner's Guide

Brass is everywhere in the antique world — candlesticks, door handles, scientific instruments, buttons, boxes, bells. But how old is old? And how can you tell the difference between a genuinely antique piece and a modern reproduction?

Here are some things I’ve learned (mostly through getting it wrong).

1. Weight

Older brass tends to be heavier. Pre-20th century brass was typically cast rather than stamped from sheet metal, so it has a satisfying density. Pick it up. If it feels substantial for its size, that’s a good sign.

Modern decorative brass is often hollow, thin-walled, or even brass-plated steel (a magnet will tell you — brass is not magnetic).

2. Patina

Genuine old brass develops a rich, uneven patina over decades — darker in the recesses, warmer on the high points. This is extremely difficult to fake convincingly.

Be suspicious of brass that’s uniformly dark or has a patina that looks like it was applied with a cloth. Real patina builds up in the places you’d expect — where dust settles, where fingers don’t reach, in the crevices of decorative work.

3. Construction

Look at how the piece is put together:

• Cast brass (pre-1900): often has faint seam lines from the mould, a slightly grainy texture, and may show filing marks where the maker cleaned up the casting
• Spun or stamped brass (post-1850): thinner walls, more uniform, sometimes with visible spinning marks on the interior
• Machine-made joins: soldering and brazing techniques changed over time — earlier pieces tend to show more visible join marks

4. Maker’s Marks and Registration Marks

Many brass objects carry marks. A diamond-shaped registration mark is a reliable indicator of British manufacture between 1842 and 1883. Patent numbers, maker’s stamps, and city marks can all help date a piece.

When in doubt, photograph the marks and search online — there are excellent databases of British and European maker’s marks.

5. The Smell Test (Really)

Old brass has a particular smell when you rub it — a slightly sweet, metallic scent that’s different from new brass. This is entirely unscientific but surprisingly reliable once you’ve handled enough of both.

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Got a mystery brass object? Send me a photo via the contact page and I’ll do my best to help you figure out what it is.