VETTING GUIDELINES

The Vetting Guidelines detailed herein, apply to all Antique Fairs conducted by the Australian Antique & Art Dealers Association (AAADA), catalogues, AAADA website and Social Media ie. Instagram and Facebook 

TICKETING OF STOCK / VETTING

There will be no formal vetting but spot checks in the background will be made before and during the fair so it is important that you still refer to the Vetting Guidelines following and your ticketing is accurate and adheres to the AAADA Code of Practice as below. Any items not ticketed or ticketed correctly will need to be removed from your stand. 

No third-party priced labels of any kind on other stationery will be permitted on your stand, unless the documents are relevant to the provenance of the item. 

CODE OF PRACTICE – EXTRACT RE TICKETING 

1a. All goods to be sold to the public by Association members shall have a label or ticket attached to or immediately adjacent to the item in question. 

1b. Such labels or tickets must give as much reasonable information as possible about the goods and this shall normally include such detail as: 

  • The full price 
  • A circa date of manufacture (or the actual year if hallmarked or dated) 
  • The material (eg. walnut, bronze, etc.) 
  • The maker’s mark or artist’s name if relevant/known 
  • Any major restoration or later additions 
  • If reproduction 

1c. Where this is undesirable or impractical for security or other grounds the full price shall be written on a price list or in a stock book, with a full description to identify the article, and is available at all times during business hours for inspection by the public on request. N.B. in the case of 1c, there shall be a prominent notice stating: Written prices of all goods offered for sale may be examined on request by members of the public. 

2. The member shall not attempt to confuse or mislead the customer or falsely describe any of the goods he/she offers for sale or seeks to purchase. He/she shall in all respects comply with the provisions of the Australian Trade Practices Act and/or any State legislation of a particular nature. 

3. Description details as indicated on the label and as offered verbally shall be written on a proper invoice which shall state the name, address and telephone number of the member and date of the transaction. 

4. Members shall accept responsibility for descriptions of items given to members of the public by their staff. Staff must be appraised of all the requirements of the Association’s Code of Practice. 

DEFINITIONS

The Vetting Committee at this fair shall consist of a Chairman and two (2) or more individuals appointed by the AAADA Board of Directors. The Vetting Committee may appoint other members on an ad-hoc basis as and when required. The Vetting Committee for each fair will be advised to exhibitors prior to the fair. All decisions taken by the Vetting Committee will be in the best interests of the Fair and the Australian Antique & Art Dealers Association. 

VETTING CATEGORIES

Groups of like items, vetted by the Vetting Committee are listed below.

ALLOWABLE ITEMS

1. The AAADA fair will be vetted to a very high standard. There is no dateline so the later the item the more rigorous the quality criteria. Please note that fair worthiness is paramount and items of no merit may be vetted off.’ 

  • Three dimensional, individual contemporary items of particular quality or merit. Such works should be original, professionally executed and demonstrate the skill of the maker. 
  • Paintings by recognised artists or art of high quality or subject by an unknown artist. 
  • South Sea’ pearls of high grade, where displayed in moderation. 
  • Refer to the item groups below for additional information on what is allowable. The quality of any item, on a member’s stand, including those items listed above must be consistent with that usually expected of AAADA members. 
  • Stock should be ‘fair worthy’. The vetting committee decides what is ‘fair worthy’ – i.e individual works that are rare and create interest. Judgement of whether an item is ‘fair worthy’ will always be subjective, regardless of the age of the item. 

2. “Change of function” items are permitted providing that: 

  • The overall integrity of the stand is not changed by the inclusion of some converted items 
  • The quantity of such items is limited to a small number on any one stand 
  • The original item is not destroyed in the transition from one function to another 
  • The displayed item is clearly labelled with a complete description of what has been added and/or altered. 
  • It is absolutely clear to members of the public that there is no intention to deceive. 

NON-ALLOWABLE ITEMS

Modern reproductions, fakes, ‘marriages’, heavily restored items, (no date line). Some antique reproductions are allowable e.g., Victorian period copies of Chippendale furniture. 

    DISPLAY ITEMS

    1. Where a member wishes to include items as ‘display only’, 
    2. They must first notify and obtain the approval of the Vetting Committee before such items may be incorporated into their stand. 
    3. Such notice must be received by the Vetting Committee in writing, at least 7 days prior to the opening of the fair. 
    4. The only exceptions to this rule are display cabinets and showcases.

      TICKETING OF “DISPLAY ONLY” ITEMS

      1. All display items must be clearly ticketed as follows; ‘Display Only – Not for Sale’. 
      2. Any items not ticketed as such will need to be removed from the exhibitors stand 

      TICKETING OF ITEMS FOR SALE

      All items displayed at the Fair must be ticketed to AAADA standards! 

      1. REFER MEMBERS CODE OF PRACTICE 1A, 1B, 1C (refer Page 1) 
      2. The only exceptions to this rule are items which are too small to bear a ticket. 
      3. In this case the exhibitor must prepare a printed list of such items, detailing the information as prescribed below and have this list at the ready for inspection by the Vetting Groups. 
      4. Any un-ticketed or unlisted items will be rejected & will need to be removed from the exhibitor’s stand. 
      5. The ticketing information for each item (except Display Items) must contain the following: 

      • Description of item (and background history and or provenance where possible) 
      • Material(s) employed 
      • Country of Origin (or a region, were possible) 
      • Date or “circa” date of manufacture 
      • The presence of any restoration (major), if any 
      • Price 

      REFER MEMBERS CODE OF PRACTICE 1A, 1B, 1C (refer Page 1) 

      THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA APPLIES

      TO ALL ITEMS PROVIDED BY MEMBERS

      WHEREVER THEY ARE DISPLAYED

      FURNITURE

      • The type of wood(s) of which an item is manufactured, must be stated on the ticket/description. 
      • Restoration is acceptable if it is sympathetic to the age, period and style of the item. 
      • Replacement parts such as legs, or feet are only acceptable up to a maximum of 15% of the original item and above this percentage must be mentioned in the description. 
      • Restoration which changes the original character of the item is not acceptable. Examples of this are veneering, lacquering, gilding or inlaying an item beyond that at the time of the manufacture of the item. 
      • Restoration which changes the purpose for which an item was originally designed is not acceptable. ‘Marriages’ such as bookcase top and base not matching, or sideboard back and base not matching, are not acceptable. 
      • Items which have been enhanced with a later addition of marquetry are not acceptable unless such marquetry is itself antique and then must be clearly indicated on the ticket. 
      • Replacement leaves in dining tables are acceptable provided they are clearly marked as such, but replacement tops are not acceptable. 
      • Seat furniture in which the seating has been altered (such as cane to upholstered) is acceptable provided it is clearly marked as such. Replacements of mirrors or castors are acceptable. 

      EUROPEAN AND ORIENTAL CERAMICS AND GLASS

      • Items must be from the stated period, and must not have been changed so that the character or original purpose is changed. 
      • The presence of restoration other than that of a small chip, later re-painting or gilding must be clearly indicated, as must be the presence of replacement parts. 
      • Items which have been outside painted (not original to the named maker or manufactory) or decorated in a later period are not acceptable unless of such a rare nature or quality so as to warrant their inclusion. 
      • Ground rims and feet and replaced stoppers must also be noted unless they comply under Point 2 of these rules relating to “change of function”. 

      RUGS, CARPETS & OTHER TEXTILES

      • Oriental factory produced carpets and textiles of 20th century production are not acceptable. 
      • The same general rule applies to European carpets, tapestries and textiles; however exceptions are made in the case of weavings which illustrate major European 19th and 20th century artistic movements. 
      • In all rugs, carpets and textiles, original construction is mandatory. 
      • Objects re-worked into other forms are not acceptable unless they comply under Point 2 of these rules relating to “change of function”. 

      ORIENTAL FURNITURE & WORKS OF ART

      • As a general rule, Oriental furniture and works of art should be prior to 1900. 
      • Restorations of furniture should be no more than 20%. 
      • Pieces with replacement of structural members and major decorative elements will not be admitted unless the importance of the piece can be demonstrated to warrant acceptance of the imperfections. 
      • Reconstructed and converted pieces will not be admitted unless they comply under Point 2 of these rules relating to “change of function”. 
      • Seat furniture in which the seating has been altered is acceptable provided it is clearly marked as such. 

      PAINTINGS, TRIBAL ART & PRINTS

      • Each ticket must clearly indicate where known, the name of the artist, the date and the medium/s employed. 
      • If the artist’s name is unknown, the school and approximate date must be shown. 
      • Paintings and drawings are not acceptable if they have been restored to exclude evidence of serious or extensive damage. 
      • Exhibitors may only exhibit works of art which are genuine. 
      • Items about which there are any doubts as to authenticity may be excluded by the Vetting Committee 
      • With Tribal Art, only genuine tribal sculptures and ritual objects of known tribal provenance and quality are acceptable. 
      • For prints, the date shown must be the date when the printing on that paper was executed. The process by which the print was produced should also be stated (e.g. engraving, mezzotint, photogravure etc.) 
      • General terminology in the description of prints is not acceptable 
      • Photography must be original and printed from the period the artist or studio during their lifetime or if produced later they must be done under as an authorised copyright holder to a highest quality exhibition standard. 
      • Modern copies or reproduction of historical photography for decoration are not acceptable. 

      CLOCKS, WATCHES, INSTRUMENTS OF SCIENCE MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS

      • All of the above category of items should contain their original movements or works, and the cases must be complete and original to the piece. 
      • Items which have replaced cases or where cases have been enhanced, e.g., by later addition of marquetry or inlays, lacquering, etc., are not acceptable unless such additions are of themselves antique and as such must be clearly marked on the ticket. 
      • Worn parts such as hands, cogs and bearings may be replaced, provided they match the piece for which they were originally made and that these replacements do not exceed 15% of the whole. 
      • Restoration of enamelling or paintwork to dials is acceptable provided it is sympathetic to, or conforms to the original finish or period of the item. 

      SILVER AND OTHER METALWORK

      • Items must be from the stated period, and must not have been changed so that the character or original purpose is changed. 
      • Any re-gilding or re-plating must be clearly indicated, as well as replacement parts and repairs. 
      • For marked pieces, the country of origin, Assay office, maker and date of manufacture must be shown on the ticket. 
      • Replacement or alteration of handles, lids, stoppers and other integral parts are not allowed. 
      • Engravings or decorations must be from the period, unless that decoration (as in Victorian era embossing of Georgian tankards) is of an antique nature in its own right. If a piece has had engravings removed, this must be stated on the ticket. 

      JEWELLERY

      • All items must be fair worthy. 
      • South Sea pearls may only be exhibited in very small quantities and if of exceptional quality. 
      • Marriages’ such as composed necklaces are not acceptable, nor are items where the original function has been changed, such as pendants into earrings. 
      • Replacement stones are acceptable provided they do not exceed 20% of the whole and are not intrinsic to the nature of the piece. 
      • Loose stones, minerals or pearls are not acceptable. 

      SCULPTURE

      • Modern copies or reproductions are not acceptable. 
      • Small losses or replacements are acceptable, provided they are mentioned on the ticket. 
      • For all sculptures the types of materials employed must be stated, e.g., bronze, spelter, marble or alabaster. 
      • Conversions are not acceptable, e.g., a figural group converted to a light. 
      • Signatures or foundry marks on an item must be detailed on the ticket, together with the circa date of manufacture. 

      CONCLUSION

      • All decisions of the Vetting Committee are taken in the interest of the Fair and the exhibitors 
      • In some matters as outlined above, the judgement of the Vetting Committee may of necessity, be subjective. 
      • The acceptance or refusal of all objects is entirely at the discretion of Vetting Committee and as a condition of participation in AAADA Antiques and Decorative Arts Fairs all exhibitors agree to be bound by the Committee’s decisions. 
      • The opinion of the Vetting Committee on an object is rendered solely for the purposes of information and assistance in connection with admission of the object to the Fair and may not be used or relied upon by any other person or for any other purpose whatsoever. 
      • The opinion is given to the best of the Vetting Committee’s knowledge and neither the Vetting Committee nor the AAADA accept any liability whatsoever for the validity of its opinions.  

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