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Discover Mid-America — October 2006
Use the ‘old stuff’ and enjoy your treasure
Two of the more common comments I hear about antiques, especially with regard to furniture, are along the lines of "I don't want to do anything to destroy the value" and "I like antiques but you can't use them on a regular basis or they will wear out." As Col. Potter of the TV show M.A.S.H. would say - "Horse-hockey!"
Of course you don't want to do anything to "destroy the value" but is it really "valuable" in the monetary/market sense or is it just old, unusual and not being produced like that anymore?
If you attend antique furniture auctions on a regular basis you begin to get a little better understanding of the value ascribed to most of what is represented as "antique" these days. Of course, the definition of "antique" is a lot more flexible than it used to be — so much so that some people believe that if a piece of furniture was made before 1960 its an antique. No accounting for taste and I certainly will not try to change anyone's mind about their perception of antiques. But the real test is in the market. Is anyone willing to pay an "antique" price for a commonly mass produced chair from 1960? How about 1950? Any takers at 1940? How about 1840?
The key point here is not just how old a piece is or isn't, but does it have any value because of that age or in spite of it? If we are talking about an 18th century Windsor chair in pristine original finish then that is something to take note of because it does have value simply because of its age — and condition. Pristine 18th century Windsors are fairly rare and the market value of most of them reflects that.
What about a mid 19th century Windsor? It is way over 100 years old so it must be valuable too, right? Not necessarily. By the mid-19th century most chairs, including Windsors, were factory made and were in fact "mass produced". Are they valuable? If you like them they are and there are some unique examples that are highly prized in the market place but most of them have no real intrinsic value just because they are that old.
Are they rare? Not so rare as ones from the 18th century. How about one from the 1930's? Even from this more recent era, a part of the 20th century, it is still older than most of the population of the United States. Does it have value just because of that? Probably not. It has value as a chair — not as a collector's item and not as a museum piece, to be worshipped as a part of our past. Not to say that it shouldn't be respected but it should be respected by its continued use in its original function rather than as a hallowed icon.
And since it is a functioning chair with relatively no collector's value, what value are you going to destroy if you do something to it? Since its value is as a chair are you going to do something to make it "not" a chair? If it needs a new coat of finish, go for it. That won't make it less of a chair. If it needs refinishing go ahead and do it, and do it using materials that suit your situation. And don't listen to that old naysayer who says you should never refinish an antique but if you do it should only be finished in shellac. He may (or may not) be right about that but he also may not know an antique from a collectible from a chair. Besides, if you want to use that chair in the kitchen and you have three kids and a dog, shellac is just not the finish for you unless you have a lot of time for care and maintenance.
Too often collectors gets gun shy from all the advice they receive from so many "experts". After a period of trying to "do the right thing" by their older and antique furniture, they get tired of the aggravation and long for the ease of care associated with Formica tables and brass and glass stands. That is not good for any of us in the antiques industry, whether we are buyers or sellers or both.
The same kind of attitude should hold sway in the area of repairs. If that Depression era chair is loose and needs to be re-glued, how long will you wait to find a craftsman who will take the time to repair it with hide glue so that it can be reversed at a later date? Are you interested in reversing the fix? No. You are interested in getting it fixed and getting it back in use before it breaks apart and can't be fixed. Don't be shy about using modern glue and modern techniques to repair what amounts to a modern chair.
If you take the approach that your older and antique furniture is there for your use and enjoyment, and not solely there for the preservation of the past, you will be more inclined to use your "antiques" every day. You will enjoy them even more and will probably, in the long run, greatly prolong their useful life. Just make sure that you provide your treasures with care appropriate to the use such as regular cleaning and waxing, employing waterproof finishes on table tops and using modern upholstery materials and techniques to make your seating comfortable.
Use your antiques and take care of them and they will maintain their value in the process.
Visit Fred's new website www.furnituredetective.com. Fred Taylor'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.
Fred and Gail Taylor's video, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER &
ANTIQUE FURNITURE", ($29.95 includes S & H) is also
available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377,
fax (352) 563-2916, or e-mail fmtaylor@aol.com.
> Common Sense Antiques Archive — past columns