The Field Kit
Vintage Furniture Inspection System
Run a repeatable inspection at the piece — what to check, photograph, measure and ask — and leave with evidence instead of a feeling.
- Buyers heading to an estate sale, a warehouse or a seller’s living room
- Anyone who has driven an hour and forgotten to check the one thing that mattered
- Marketplace buyers who need to know what to ask before they make the trip
- People who want a system, not a memory test
By the last page,you will be able to:
- 01The Quick Check — a five-to-eight-minute screen to decide whether a piece deserves the full inspection
- 02The Six Passes, in order: Listing, Room, Hands, Hidden, Evidence, Talk
- 03What to photograph as evidence, and a coverage review so nothing is missed
- 04What to measure, and why
- 05The seller questions worth asking — and how to separate what they say from what the piece shows
- 06Decide: Buy, Park, or Pass
Worked in order,ending in a decision.
Each pass builds on the one before it — starting with the listing, ending with Buy, Park or Pass. The Quick Check, a five-to-eight-minute screen, tells you whether a piece deserves the full inspection at all.
Listing
Capture the listing and the claims, in the seller's words, before you go.
Room
Stand back before you touch anything. Start your list.
Hands
Find out how it behaves. Gentle pressure, every drawer, every door.
Hidden
Look where the listing photos didn't — the back, the underside, inside the case.
Evidence
Edges, surfaces, hardware, labels and marks. Photograph what you find.
Talk
Ask what you still need to know, then decide.
The evidence supports the listing and the price.
Something still needs an answer. Photograph it, ask, come back.
The piece told you what the listing didn't.
What’s in it.
- Start Here
- A quick orientation to the method before your first visit.
- Phone Edition
- 88 screens designed for the moment you are actually at the piece — the primary edition, and the one in your Library reader.
- Print Edition
- The same system on 35 printable pages.
- Nine Field Sheets
- Reusable, fillable inspection sheets for recording what you find.
- After You Park
- What to do with the evidence once you have walked away.
In the field.
Run Pass 1 on the listing. Know what to ask for before you commit to the drive.
Work the passes in order. The Kit tells you what to do next, so nothing depends on remembering.
Buy, Park or Pass — with photographs, measurements and answers you can act on later.
- Phone Edition — 88 screens
- Print Edition — 35 pages
- Start Here orientation
- Nine fillable Field Sheets
- Protected downloads and the in-site reader, from My Library
$19
After you buy, sign in with the email you used at checkout and open My Library once. Then the Photo Check tab is yours to use.
See it. Inspect it. Understand it.
For $78 more than The Field Kit alone, you get the whole system: identify the material, inspect the piece, and work out what it really is.
- 01Step 1 · IdentifyThe Material Atlas
- 02Step 2 · InspectThe Field Kitthis guide
- 03Step 3 · InvestigateThe Mid-Century Detective
- Is this the same as The Mid-Century Detective?
- No. The Detective teaches identification, research and evaluation. The Field Kit is the system you use while inspecting the furniture in person.
- Can I use it on my phone?
- Yes. The primary edition is designed for phone use in the room.
- Can I print it?
- Yes. A separate print edition and nine Field Sheets are included.
- Do I need an account to buy it?
- No. Guest checkout works. A free LBD account using the same email adds the reader and saved progress.
10% off your first course, and a furniture lesson in your inbox now and then.