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News & Events Mid-America News Show Calendar State Event Calendars Regular Features The Antique Detective Antique Detective Q&A Common Sense Antiques Refurnished Thoughts Traveling with Ken Good Eye Books for Collectors Directories & Classifieds The Finder: Unique Shops Lodgings Directory Museum Directory Aviation Museums Wineries in the Heartland Classifieds Web Links Archived Features Antiquing in Colorado Dealer Profile Archive Editor's Notebook Heirloom Recipes Helpful Hints for Collectors Is This An Antique? Past Cover Features Reflecting History 2005 Best Of Winners *Destinations 2006*	Discover Mid-America — June 2004 The Perfect Union? Detecting 'married' pieces Tall bookcase secretaries are very impressive, not to mention expensive, especially if they are old and in great condition. The same goes for those wonderful old chests on chests with lots of drawers and a great provenance. But how can you tell if the piece is "right" and not assembled from various parts of different articles? In Colonial America and well into the 19th century, many large pieces of furniture such as these, as well as such items as armoires, were built in separate sections for ease of transportation and delivery. Since the lack of elevators and power lift gates on trucks required that individual parts fit into a wagon and be able to be lifted by human power alone, it is not surprising that some furniture components eventually found themselves without partners. And human nature being what it is, sooner or later someone will feel compelled to play matchmaker for any number of reasons, chief among them being the higher price a bookcase secretary commands compared to a drop front desk. Of course there are other reasons such as convenience in crowded quarters but most marriages are made for purposes of sale. Usually, if the marriage is revealed and the price reflects the union, it is not a problem. The difficulty arises when the marriage is not obvious, not revealed and not properly priced. Marriages basically come in two varieties, old-to-old and old-to-new. Old-to-new is of course much easier to detect but old-to-old can usually be unveiled by following a few simple guidelines. The main principle in looking for a marriage is consistency. Consistency of size and proportion, construction, style, wood, hardware and finish all have to be addressed. Size and Proportion - Step back and have an overall look at the piece. The top section should not overwhelm the bottom and vice versa. In most older tall bookcase secretaries for example, the top section is slightly narrower than the bottom, often with a molding covering the joint. The top should not be wider than the base and should not hang over the edge in front. Generally the top section should fit flush to the rear edge of the bottom piece without overlap or underlap but occasionally the top overlaps to accommodate a chair rail so this is not a guaranteed clue. Your best guide here is to let your eyes do the talking. Does it seem to fit together or is it a forced union? Construction - This can be the most telling clue. Compare the joinery of the drawers in the top and bottom. They should be the same, cut by the same hand with the same scribe marks and overcuts. The back panels should be assembled in the same manner whether flush fit or board and batten, even if the boards of the back on the base run horizontally and the boards of the back of the top are vertical. The same tools marks - chisel marks, saw patterns, scraper trails etc. should be exhibited on sections of the piece. Fasteners, nails and screws should be consistent throughout. Watch out for stamped mid-19th century nails in one section and round wire nails elsewhere where a repair is not obvious. Use your hands to feel the insides of drawers. All surfaces should feel the same, rough or smooth but the same. The same goes for the insides of cabinets. The texture should be the same top and bottom. Style - Are the two sections stylistically correct? Of course you must know something about the style and what deviations within the style are acceptable. For example, if the base has William and Mary bun feet you would not expect to see a Chippendale broken pediment on the top crown, at least not until the Colonial Revival when all such stylistic bets are off. Raised panel drawers on the base should not be accompanied by flat panel, blind doors on the top. And Chippendale acanthus carved cabriole legs don’t go with Victorian rococo molding on the top. Wood - Both the primary and secondary woods should be the same in all sections. Not only should the wood be the same kind it should be the same age, identified by consistency of color and grain patter. In reality the wood should show signs of being from the same tree or cut from the same board. Side panels of top and bottom sections should be the same thickness of the same wood and insect damage or water marks should be consistent throughout the piece. Boring worms don’t usually stop at board’s edge so an unmarked board may not be the same age as its neighbor. The wood should exhibit the patina on exposed surfaces and the same degree of oxidation or lack thereof inside. Hardware - Drawer pulls and door knobs should be consistent in style and material. Examine the insides of all drawers and doors for traces of hardware that used to be there. Mismatched hardware on the two sections may have been replaced with all identical pieces. Hinges should all be from the same period and of identical manufacture. Locks should all be the same type and age. Again look for signs of replacement for uniformity’s sake Finish - Examine the overall condition of the finish. Has one section been recoated or refinished but not the other? Or has the entire piece been refinished? Look for signs of stain drips and stripper tracks in both pieces to be sure. Is the finish the same sheen all over? Is it the same color in bright light? In short, just be a good detective and look for the inevitable inconsistencies that are apparent in all marriages. Fred and Gail Taylor’s video, “IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE” is available for $29.95 ($33.95 U.S. funds from Canada) from Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423-0215 or call (800) 387-6377. Comments, questions and suggestions for future “COMMON SENSE ANTIQUES” columns are gladly accepted at the same address, by email at FMTAYLOR@AOL.COM or by fax at (352) 563-2916. Fred's new book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for $18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423. > Common Sense Antiques Archive — past columns	{rightside ad cell}
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Discover Mid-America — June 2004

The Perfect Union? Detecting 'married' pieces

Tall bookcase secretaries are very impressive, not to mention expensive, especially if they are old and in great condition. The same goes for those wonderful old chests on chests with lots of drawers and a great provenance. But how can you tell if the piece is "right" and not assembled from various parts of different articles?

In Colonial America and well into the 19th century, many large pieces of furniture such as these, as well as such items as armoires, were built in separate sections for ease of transportation and delivery. Since the lack of elevators and power lift gates on trucks required that individual parts fit into a wagon and be able to be lifted by human power alone, it is not surprising that some furniture components eventually found themselves without partners. And human nature being what it is, sooner or later someone will feel compelled to play matchmaker for any number of reasons, chief among them being the higher price a bookcase secretary commands compared to a drop front desk. Of course there are other reasons such as convenience in crowded quarters but most marriages are made for purposes of sale. Usually, if the marriage is revealed and the price reflects the union, it is not a problem. The difficulty arises when the marriage is not obvious, not revealed and not properly priced.

Marriages basically come in two varieties, old-to-old and old-to-new. Old-to-new is of course much easier to detect but old-to-old can usually be unveiled by following a few simple guidelines.

The main principle in looking for a marriage is consistency. Consistency of size and proportion, construction, style, wood, hardware and finish all have to be addressed.

Size and Proportion - Step back and have an overall look at the piece. The top section should not overwhelm the bottom and vice versa. In most older tall bookcase secretaries for example, the top section is slightly narrower than the bottom, often with a molding covering the joint. The top should not be wider than the base and should not hang over the edge in front. Generally the top section should fit flush to the rear edge of the bottom piece without overlap or underlap but occasionally the top overlaps to accommodate a chair rail so this is not a guaranteed clue. Your best guide here is to let your eyes do the talking. Does it seem to fit together or is it a forced union?

Construction - This can be the most telling clue. Compare the joinery of the drawers in the top and bottom. They should be the same, cut by the same hand with the same scribe marks and overcuts. The back panels should be assembled in the same manner whether flush fit or board and batten, even if the boards of the back on the base run horizontally and the boards of the back of the top are vertical. The same tools marks - chisel marks, saw patterns, scraper trails etc. should be exhibited on sections of the piece. Fasteners, nails and screws should be consistent throughout. Watch out for stamped mid-19th century nails in one section and round wire nails elsewhere where a repair is not obvious. Use your hands to feel the insides of drawers. All surfaces should feel the same, rough or smooth but the same. The same goes for the insides of cabinets. The texture should be the same top and bottom.

Style - Are the two sections stylistically correct? Of course you must know something about the style and what deviations within the style are acceptable. For example, if the base has William and Mary bun feet you would not expect to see a Chippendale broken pediment on the top crown, at least not until the Colonial Revival when all such stylistic bets are off. Raised panel drawers on the base should not be accompanied by flat panel, blind doors on the top. And Chippendale acanthus carved cabriole legs don’t go with Victorian rococo molding on the top.

Wood - Both the primary and secondary woods should be the same in all sections. Not only should the wood be the same kind it should be the same age, identified by consistency of color and grain patter. In reality the wood should show signs of being from the same tree or cut from the same board. Side panels of top and bottom sections should be the same thickness of the same wood and insect damage or water marks should be consistent throughout the piece. Boring worms don’t usually stop at board’s edge so an unmarked board may not be the same age as its neighbor. The wood should exhibit the patina on exposed surfaces and the same degree of oxidation or lack thereof inside.

Hardware - Drawer pulls and door knobs should be consistent in style and material. Examine the insides of all drawers and doors for traces of hardware that used to be there. Mismatched hardware on the two sections may have been replaced with all identical pieces. Hinges should all be from the same period and of identical manufacture. Locks should all be the same type and age. Again look for signs of replacement for uniformity’s sake

Finish - Examine the overall condition of the finish. Has one section been recoated or refinished but not the other? Or has the entire piece been refinished? Look for signs of stain drips and stripper tracks in both pieces to be sure. Is the finish the same sheen all over? Is it the same color in bright light?

In short, just be a good detective and look for the inevitable inconsistencies that are apparent in all marriages.

Fred and Gail Taylor’s video, “IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE” is available for $29.95 ($33.95 U.S. funds from Canada) from Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423-0215 or call (800) 387-6377. Comments, questions and suggestions for future “COMMON SENSE ANTIQUES” columns are gladly accepted at the same address, by email at FMTAYLOR@AOL.COM or by fax at (352) 563-2916.

Fred's new book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for $18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

> Common Sense Antiques Archive — past columns

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