Hello! As a collector and occasional seller of antique and vintage carpets and rugs —*and more recently, modernist furniture — I'm excited to join the community.

What brings me here is (costly) misfortune. I recently bought a piece at auction from an established, well-respected national auction house. It was listed as a dated, authentic piece, but upon receipt, it does not match the technical specifications of any piece of the given era that I'm aware of.

To help in my self-education: Which books (if any) are useful aids for authentication and dating of furniture from the middle of the last century? I'm especially interested in van der Rohe and Eames designs. The ideal books would include images and/or text on each iteration of the classic designs, pointing to the small variations that differentiate one from the next.


Thanks for any help!