By Spalding Nix
For the AJC
When you look at an old chair, what do you see? An artful work of extraordinary craftsmanship? A piece of living history? Character or a personality?
Or does the old chair just speak to you?
You may know that you love it (and that it is mahogany), but how do you know if it is worth its price?
The first step in becoming a savvy antiques buyer is to learn to determine value. A chaise or buffet may look 18th century but might be a 19th-century reproduction. You do not want to pay "period" prices for newer pieces.
Here are 10 ways to help you determine age as you shop for antiques.
1. Look and feel for patina: Patina is everything that happens to an object's finished wood surfaces over time. Called "mellowing," these changes can be the natural effects of sunlight, moisture and temperature, or man-made results of wax, polish, dust, dents or scratches. Patina adds value to an antique because it gives it character and authenticity.
Look for: Changes in color that have happened gently and subtly over the years. Feel for the effects of use and wear. It should smell like your grandmother's attic, not fresh varnish.
2. Exposure to air: Over time, air darkens — or oxidizes — all unfinished wood surfaces. There should be less oxidation where there is less exposure to air. Therefore, the inside of a drawer will show less oxidation than one on the exterior of a cabinet.
Look for: Changes in color of the unfinished wood that correlate to exposure.
3. Where is the wear and tear? Dents, dings, scratches, splotches, breaking down and repairs must relate to usage. Ask why and how did the wear get there? Do the stretchers, the piece of wood on the front of a chair or sofa that joins the sides together, show signs of "restless feet"? Many people use this piece of wood as a foot rest, so it may show some wear. Because we often drag chairs when we move them, and we often rock back in chairs, the back legs tend to be more worn down than the front legs.
Look for: Smoothness on the sides and bottoms of drawers, which will wiggle as these parts wear down.
4. Check for shrinkage: All wood shrinks across the grain, so an old round table should not be a perfect circle. Although it may not be apparent to the naked eye, the table should have shrunken to an oval shape. A 130-year-old 36-inch round table can shrink as much as much as three-quarters of an inch across the grain. In case furnishings such as armoires or china cabinets, the case shrinks front to back while the drawers shrink top to bottom, which causes them to become loose and wiggly.
Look for: Pegs that can protrude as wood contracts and expands. Expect splitting on old boards wider than 20 inches.
5. Find the soft spots: Old wood loses its crispness and softens over time. All exterior edges should be soft after about 100 years.
Look for: Soft or porous feet, because that is where rot starts. A crisp area that should have softened may indicate repairs or replacements.
6. Know the unfinished woods: Secondary woods are used on concealed areas such as the backs and bottoms of chests and everything but the front of a drawer. Because they aren't meant to be seen, secondary woods are usually chosen based on their low cost and easy availability. In England, oak was often used as a secondary wood for fancier pieces while knotty pine (sometimes called "Scots pine") was often used on provincial pieces. In America, clear white pine was preferred as a secondary wood in the North, while yellow pine was predominantly used in the South.
7. Find the marks of technology: Construction techniques and materials can help determine an antique's age. Saw marks are an easy indication because handsaws — used exclusively until the mid-18th century — left distinctive, straight and uneven marks on wood.
From about the mid-1700s until the mid-1800s, sawmills were powered by oxen, water and people. Sawmills left marks that are more uniform than the handsaw, but often left irregular marks as it jerked through the wood. Power tools evolved during mid-19th century and left marks that are less distinct. The circular saw was introduced between 1850 and 1880, and left marks that are curved or rounded. Power sawing, power sanding and planing machines smoothed away most traces of saw marks. If you see curved saw marks, then the piece cannot be older than 1850.
Look for: Wavy lines on the undersides of and on the backs of pieces indicate hand-sawn boards.
8. The fewer the dovetails, the older the piece: A dovetail joint is known for its resistance to being pulled apart. An early 18th-century drawer may be joined with one large dovetail. As furniture making matured, craftsmen generally used three to five small dovetails on a drawer. By the Victorian era, pieces were joined with machine-cut dovetails with eight or more dovetails per drawer.
Look for: Irregularities in size and spacing as well as scribe marks or pencil lines used to help the maker line up the dovetails will show that the antique was handmade. Machine-made dovetails will be the same size, evenly spaced with no variations.
9. Don't be too hard on hardware: Original and sometimes replacement hardware can also be used to determine an antique's age. Through the first half of the 18th century, brass plates for handles and pulls were thinly cast, hand-finished and rough on the back. By the second half of 18th century, brass plates were being stamped out by machines, making them thicker and smooth on the back. Replacement hardware is common and may not diminish value unless the hardware is significant to the piece.
Look for: Holes from the original hardware and a darkening of the wood around the screws and for natural corrosion of the metal.
10. Inspect the entire piece: Use as many of the preceding guidelines to confidently determine an antique's age. Do not dismiss a piece as a reproduction or fake because it does not pass one of the tests because it may have had repairs and restoration. Conversely, one cannot conclude that a piece is old based on it meeting only one of the guidelines. If an antique does not pass a test, consider that it may require further investigation or appraisal.
Spalding Nix is an appraiser who specializes in fine art, antiques and collectibles. He can be reached at Spalding Nix Fine Art & Antiques in Buckhead. 404-841-7777,
spalding.nix@spaldingnix
fineart.com.
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