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Everything we buy today has a label. The label contains the name of the product, manufacturer, origin, prize and care instructions among other information. But sad to say that antique pieces do not have labels specially furnitures. The McKinley Act of 1893 insures that anything imported into the United States be marked as to its country of origin. Not surprisingly, scholars and collectors have come to place a premium on documented examples. But again, how to appraise the validness of the antique’s documentation? There is the Flanigan’s Laws of Labels which states:

Law No.1
Labels or inscriptions directly attached to pieces are the most highly coveted form of documentation. The presence of a piece in a particular setting and time, pieces documented by photography, bills of sale, notations in wills for pieces that remain in the hands of descendants accompanied by written testimonials are under this heading.

Law No. 2
Labels required an engraver or die cutter to create the printing plate or stencil from which the label would be printed. This means that once the plate is made the labels would be produced in quantity. So even if only one or two remains, there had to be more to start.

Law No. 3
There is no connection between the quality of the label and the piece it is in.

Law No. 4
Not all labels tell the truth about the piece it is attached to. Remember, labels can be faked.

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