Guide · Condition
Turn what you notice into a precise question. This guide helps you ask about visible wear, losses, repairs and completeness on non-book objects, and understand what a photograph or a written description can and cannot tell you.
Wear is the gradual marking that comes from use or handling, such as rubbed edges, softened detail or surface scratches. A loss is something that is missing, such as a chip, a broken-off part or a lid that is absent. A repair means something has been mended or replaced, and an alteration means the object has been changed from how it was first made.
Keeping these apart makes your questions clearer. “Is it in good condition?” invites a vague answer, while “Is the chip on the rim a loss, or has it been filled?” asks about one specific point. Completeness is a separate question again: does the object have all the parts it would originally have had?
Begin with overall views from the front, back, sides, top and underneath, so you can see the object as a whole. Then ask for close detail views of anything you want to understand better, such as an edge, a joint, a base or an inside surface. Mention what you want each image to show, so it is taken for the right reason.
A photograph has limits. Lighting, angle and screen settings change how a surface looks, and an image cannot reliably show whether a joint is stable, how heavy something is or exactly what it is made from. Treat photographs as a way to ask better questions, not as a replacement for them.
A written description usually reports what someone has observed, and sometimes information passed on from elsewhere. That is useful, but it is not the same as an assurance that nothing else is present. Phrases such as “some wear”, “age-related marks” or “in keeping with age” leave a lot of room for interpretation.
If a term is unclear, ask what it refers to. Where on the object is the mark, how noticeable is it, and was it seen directly or reported? Asking for the wording to be clarified is a normal part of buying by enquiry.
Pick wear, loss or repair to see the kind of photograph and wording that helps. The examples are hypothetical and are guidance only, not a report on any item.
Wear is usually a matter of degree and position. A hypothetical rubbed edge on a lid could be minor or could affect how the lid sits, so a clear, well-lit close-up helps you see how far it extends.
Could you send a close photograph of the rubbed edge, taken in raking light, and describe whether it can be felt by hand?
A loss may be a chip, a missing handle or an absent fitting. Ask whether the piece is complete as made, and where a part is missing, which part and where it would have been.
Is anything missing from this object, such as a lid, handle or fitting, and could you photograph the area where it would have been?
Repairs and alterations are sometimes hard to see in photographs. Ask directly whether anything has been mended, replaced or changed, and whether that is known from observation or only reported.
Are you aware of any repair, replacement part or alteration, and is that something you have seen yourself or been told?
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Vault & Vale / Correspondence
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Ask a condition question ↗ [email protected]