Antique Trader magazine recently published an article by Fred Taylor, AKA the Furniture Detective, which would be of interest to anyone wanting to know the true value of their antique desk or Victorian balloon back dining chair .
Lancashire residents wanting to buy an antique chest-of-drawers or piece of antique marquetry furniture will find a wealth of information in the online pages of American magazine Antique Trader. On 12th July, Antique Trader published an article by antiques Restoration expert Fred Taylor which was as relevant to Victorian dining chairs in Cumbria as it was to Colonial bookcases in Connecticut.
According to Fred, who wrote the best-selling book “The Antiques Detective”, the true value of period furniture is determined by four things: condition, quality, rarity and public demand. Quality, the benchmark of excellence, is the most important, reflected in the level of craftsmanship, attention to detail and quality of the materials used. Condition, on the other hand, refers to how well the piece has survived since it was made. In general, a good quality antique desk in poor condition will be worth more than a poor quality desk showing little wear and tear.
Rarity, not to be confused with age, is another important factor. For example, a one-off antique bookcase made by Lancashire craftsman Robert Gillow will be far rarer than those made in the family workshops a century later. As a result, it will be worth far more.
Market demand is the most variable factor and it’s worth remembering that the dusty antique chest in a Preston antique dealer’s window, sporting a “heavily reduced” sticker, may be the height of popularity in a few years’ time.