#Middlebury #Antiques
The furniture you select for your first house is usually furniture that is as old as the house. A new modern house probably has lots of windows, high ceilings, kitchens and bathrooms made with marble. Most rooms are painted with either a mixture of very bright colors or a monotone shade of white or beige. Furniture looks like the first modern designs – simple shapes, little carving or decoration, chairs made of bent wood and metal rods, and plain rectangular storage pieces and tables. Victorian furniture with dark wood, carved and gilt trims, and metal plaques, just doesn’t fit in.
Trends in clothing change quickly. Skirts are long and then short, business attire for men now includes sports shirts and no neckties. Large Victorian furniture is out of style and hard to sell. This top-quality cabinet didn’t sell even though it was estimated at less than half the price it cost 12 years ago.
When this 1870 American Renaissance-era cabinet was offered at auction (est. $8,000 to $12,000), there were few bidders. Moore, York, & Howell of Philadelphia, who exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, made it. A great example of American Renaissance furniture, over 5 feet high and just short of 5 feet wide, it is a good size for a Victorian room with an 8-foot-high ceiling and lots of wall space. So, while prices for early modern furniture have gone up, this cabinet, bought at a 2007 auction for $18,000, was featured in a well-advertised, well-run auction this year and didn’t sell.
Q: My mom had some paintings from her childhood and before I dispose of them, I’m trying to determine if they have any value. Where can I go to see if they are worth anything? These would be from the 1930s or ’40s.
A: If the paintings are signed, search the artist’s name on the internet to see if other paintings by that artist have sold. You can also contact dealers who sell paintings to see if they have heard of the artist. Prices for paintings by artists who aren’t well-known depend on the desirability of the subject and the skill of the artist. That said, some people buy paintings just because they like the colors and need something that size to fill space on a wall. If they are paintings, not copies (prints), they would have to be seen by a knowledgeable person to be appraised.
Current Prices
Vaseline glass pickle castor, silver plate frame, fans, C-scrolls, finial, marked Bersh, 11 inches, $180.
Game box, rosewood, S-scrolls, flip-top compartments, escutcheon, hinges, 7 x 17 inches, $240.
Sign, Maserati, logo, round, red, white, blue, porcelain, 12 inches, $345.
Tiffany & Co. cup, silver, marching children’s band, flute, tambourine, hand cart, trees, 3 1/2 x 4 inches, $510.
TIP: Never stop a music box in the middle of a tune. If the box is later moved, there is more likely to be damage to the spikes on the cylinder if it is not at the end of a song.
“Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide” – the all new 2021 edition – is now available in bookstores and online, or visit www.Kovels.com for a special offer.
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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