Antique Hunting

In Search of the Perfect Find!

From the Start
The start of any search is preparation. When preparing for the search of antique furniture, one must have a pocketknife tucked away to scrape off paint or finish in an unseen place of a potential purchase. The knife test will not diminish the value of the antique if done gingerly and properly used. A jar of soapy water is best but handy wipes (sanitizing wipes) do a great job in cleaning off dirt and revealing a finish. Both of these tools will allow you, hopefully to get an idea of the type of wood the furniture is made of.

It is a good idea to have the classified section of the local paper with the most promising garage or estate sale circled. Plan to be at your first sale early, most bargains are snapped up in the first hour of a sale. A map of the town will be helpful if you are making a day of it. Stick to the older sections of a town because history of families in the area proves to have some wonderful opportunities. Cash money is a real motivator to a seller and can mean instant discounts.

Know your Stuff
We all have favorite styles or periods of furniture and one or two woods that we like better than others. Know your favorite and be able to identify it. You can go to the library or use the Internet for more information. Don't buy a dark mahogany piece in hopes of refinishing and becoming a light golden oak. Refinishing can enhance the value and beauty of the wood but not the physical characteristics.

Hey look me over
The first thing one should do is look over, not overlook! Look under the piece and back of furniture this sometimes tells us more that the topside, is it the original top? Is it solid or veneer? Do not over look a piece because it is veneer, the Dutch invented veneering in the 1700's. It's primary purpose was to enhance an already quality wood. Many a piece we restore is solid oak with quarter sawn oak or flamed mahogany veneer.

Check the drawers for joinery, know a dovetail from a rabbet or butt joint, this can determine age and quality of a piece. Hand dovetail is the earlier than machine dove tail and spacing of the dovetail is important too. A hand dovetail with fewer joints space further apart indicates a master joiner made the piece simply.

Don't be fooled by the weight of piece, this is true that earlier Chippendale mahogany wood chairs were heavier because of the age and density of the wood. We had a gentleman bring us an armoire one time and said, " I know this is old as the hills because it is so blooming heavy" To his dismay I pointed out that it was so heavy because it was particle board, referred to beaver wood to us.

Happy Hunting!
Remember, the time to buy an antique is when you see it! And antiques have proven to have a appreciable factor to them and with economic times being what they are today, they could be better than your 401K.