Anyone here know anything about Antique Furnature ?

[Mikey]

Hi guys,
I got wrangled into selling this shelf on craigslist for my sister and bother in law.

I don't know anything about antique furnature and neither do they.

All I know about it is what my brother in law told me.

It was his aunt's and has been in his family as far back as he can remember (he's 60 years old)

The white dots on the photos are caused from the flash bulb -- they're not on the shelf

The beveled mirror and mirror frame is not connected to the shelf in the photos ... They are just resting on it for the pictures.
The do go with the shelf ... they're just not hooked to it right now.

I would appreciate any information you can give me on this shelf.

First, what is it called ? .. a shelf ?
What would you ask for it ? ...
What kind of wood is it ? ... etc ?

Thanks



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[saildog]

Mike, I think that would be called a dresser with mirror.

As far as the wood, I'm going to guess Oak and I'm willing to bet it's solid and not a veneer. Could be something else, but Oak, most likely.

What to ask for it, I haven't a clue. Just do some looking around for antique, solid Oak dresser w/mirror and see what folks are asking for those and see how they compare to what you have there.

It's a nice looking piece.

[EMCE Hammer]

Definitely not oak; probably mahogany veneer. Have them look on the back, underneath, and the drawer bottoms for manufacturer info.

My grandmother had an antiques business when I was a kid.

[saildog]

Definitely not oak; probably mahogany veneer. Have them look on the back, underneath, and the drawer bottoms for manufacturer info.

My grandmother had an antiques business when I was a kid.

I'd completely defer to your reckoning on it.

I've got two. The earlier one is solid oak and the one from the 40's(?) is a mahogany veneer. Don't know too much about them, except that the veneer is real easy to tell when you open a drawer. The solid is real easy to tell when you have to move them.

[Mikey]

Guys, does this help any ?

It's a shot of the inside of one of the drawers, and the outside corner of the same drawer.



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[jessica]

Did you find any markings on the undersides of the drawers, perhaps stamped or even hand-written?

[Mikey]

Did you find any markings on the undersides of the drawers, perhaps stamped or even hand-written?

Nothing at all.

I'll look again tonight, just to make sure

[saildog]

Guys, does this help any ?

It's a shot of the inside of one of the drawers, and the outside corner of the same drawer.

m

Definitely looks like veneer from that shot. Veneer is a thin layer of wood tacked onto a solid portion. I think I can make that out from the photo, but the other tell is the chipped wear on that lower right corner of the drawer face.

As for the wood, I don't know for sure, but it does look like mahogany veneer and since that's what Azrak thinks it is based on his knowledge, roll with that assumption. (Don't know about the other wood used in the construction.)

Compare the mahogany shot on this website to what you see. (scroll down and hover over the thumbnail and a larger view will pop up)
Antique Wood Types.

[Mikey]

So what would you guys ask for this shelf and expect to get ?

I don't need anything written in stone .. just an estimate of what YOU would ask for it

[EMCE Hammer]

I'd do some research first Mike. If there's nothing special about it, I'd say $200 or less. The veneer chips really hurt the value. The wildcard for me is the nice beveled mirror. Furniture in that style was made for a long time, and a lot of cheap pieces look really similar to high dollar ones. I'd hate to see it go for nothing and then you guys see one somewhere for a small fortune.

[jessica]

I think I paid about $250 for a similar one like that with no mirror at an antique shop in San Francisco. I can't really remember...it's been more than 18 years. The sad thing about it was it came with a desk but I didn't have the funds to buy the matching desk. Not that I have any funds now anyway...but I still think about that desk and wonder how it's doing, and how cool it would have been if I could have afforded it.

[Mikey]

If there's nothing special about it, I'd say $200 or less. The veneer chips really hurt the value.

Doesn't $200 seem kind of cheap considering brand new partical board ones cost more then that in the store today ?

[Adam West]

That is a nice piece of furniture that is made in an early colonial style.

My best guess is that it is early 20th century...probably 1920's. I can partially see one of the screws which doesn't date it earlier. Nice secondary woods that are solid. It also is a good style that is in demand.

Personally, I have seen pieces of furniture like this in auctions go for anywhere from $250-$350 even with the little bit of damage on the front.

I think I would ask $400 for it or best offer. Check all around for a maker stamp or label (usually on the back of the dresser or inside one of the drawers) which could significantly change the value of it.

[Mikey]

Thanks for all the info

I took a couple more photo's this morning ... by the way, it has no makers marks that I can detect other then the back scribble oin the photo below ....



The bottom side of the top looks strange because it appears to be stained... Is that unusual ?


Inside construction


the back and top


m

[Mikey]

BTW,

On a seperate note, I noticed they have another old shelf there.
It's pretty beat and painted over, but what struck me was the shelve front corner joints.
I've never seen a joint like this before.

Does this joint have an official name ?



m