Recognition & risk
What is a "Frankenstein" piece in antiques?
A "Frankenstein" piece is an antique assembled from parts of different origins or periods to create a single object that appears unified but never existed as such originally. Common in furniture (legs from one table, top from another), lighting (chandelier bodies married to mismatched arms), and decorative arts. The result looks plausible but has no historical integrity — and the market punishes it accordingly.
The Method's take
The restoration line: conservative repair that preserves identity is acceptable; transformation that creates a new object is Frankenstein territory. The tells are in hierarchical logic — joints that don't match, patina breaks at assembly points, proportions slightly wrong, hardware from different eras. A piece's value lives in its originality; Frankenstein status collapses it to scrap or decorative-object pricing, regardless of how well the parts were joined.
The math
Buying a marriage piece at authentic-object pricing costs you €3,000–€50,000 depending on category — you paid for patrimony, you own parts. The 24-hour pass is €100. The mistake isn't missing one Frankenstein; it's not knowing how to recognize the pattern before the wire transfer clears. At year-round work, the annual pass at €3,800 saves the cost of half a mistake.
One question answered here saved you a mistake. The engine answers yours — the exact object, the exact number.
Ask the engine — 24h pass €100