April 2026
Recognising an antique mirror
Mercury, bevel and back: three clues to date a looking glass in seconds.
Mercury glass, used until the mid nineteenth century, does not give a perfect reflection. It is slightly grey, a little deep, and often shows dark speckling near the edges.
The bevel, where present, is shallow and uneven: it was ground by hand. A wide, crisp, perfectly regular bevel is machine work from after 1880.
Finally, look at the back. Gapped boards, forged nails, old dust compacted in the corners: a very clean back on a heavily worn frame almost always means the glass has been replaced.