I’m not always thrilled to find that something I’ve collected is made from something altogether different than what I thought it was — or what the tag said it was.

Two perfect examples of this have cropped up in my basket collection recently. I thought both of them were pine needle coil baskets. I and the folks who tagged them in the respective antique shops I bought them from were wrong. I’m not upset though. These are the kind of mistakes a collector can come to enjoy...

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What is the difference between wicker, oak, ash, reed?

There are hundreds of materials used around the world to make functional and decorative baskets. Some of them have been in use for thousands of years. So, how can you tell what your basket is made out of? The fastest way might be to take it to a basket maker near you, if you know one. If you don't have that luxury you can start with the internet (and if you are reading this blog that means you're already part way there).

I'll start with identifying reed baskets. These are fairly prevalent and reed has been in use

The Wikipedia entry for basket weaving is quite good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket-weaving

Tags: baskets, identification