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vanfurn

Identifying / Valuating this Dining Cabinet

vanfurn
12 years ago

Hi, I am pretty new to antiques but I am trying to make an educated guess about the origins and value of an item I have.

If anyone can offer any opinions from the attached photos, I would be grateful.

[IMG]http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/dinobot2000/Dining01eSm.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/dinobot2000/Dining01bSm.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/dinobot2000/Dining01cSm.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/dinobot2000/Dining01eSm.jpg[/IMG]

Comments (24)

  • chibimimi
    12 years ago

    Mahogany, art nouveau motifs. leaded glass -- probably ca. 1890, although it could be as late as 1920. It looks to me like British or European furniture. How large is it? Large enough to be a back bar? Do you have a better picture of the base?

  • lazy_gardens
    12 years ago

    Art Nouveau carvings on the doors ... looks English to me

    Can you find any markings?

  • dekeoboe
    12 years ago

    Here are your pictures:

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    Why do you think it's old? Without looking very closely at the way it's made, it looks to me to be a very nice retro style cupboard....maybe dating to 1950? Certainly possible to be a lot newer.

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    I think the glass has been replaced in this unit. It may have had bent glass in the doors at one time. I'm not trying to demean the piece, but this is not a professional leading job. I also suspect the design. Notice how narrow the panes are on the curve, and one would have to do that to swing the curve. Is the mirror beveled?

    If this is a repro, then it's a very high end one. I don't think it goes back to turn of the century either. I suspect late 30s or perhaps even later.

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the help so far everyone.

    As to the size, the dimensions are:

    65" wide
    83" tall
    24" deep

    As to why I think it's old, it was the information I received when it was passed on to me. I don't have any documentation.

    I couldn't find any markings. I will attempt to get better pictures of the base.

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes, the mirror is beveled.

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Base:
    [IMG]http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/dinobot2000/Dining21aSm.jpg[/IMG]

    Handles:
    [IMG]http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/dinobot2000/Dining23aSm.jpg[/IMG]

    I don't know how the kind person above got the photos to show in the post...

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

  • chibimimi
    12 years ago

    I don't think it's reproduction. Art Nouveau didn't really come back into style until the late '60s and this appears to predate that by a good bit. I'll move my age estimate slightly to 1910, but still believe it could be a little older or newer than that.

    Now that I can see the whole piece, I realize it could not be a backbar. It is a lovely cabinet and looks like "real" mahogany, rather than the Philippine mahogany that was used in the second half of the 20th century. The hardware and the general lines look very English. The leaded glass seems true to the period and is probably original.

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the insight Chibimimi.

    I know literally next to nothing about this field.

    Can anyone suggest a ballpark value?

  • chibimimi
    12 years ago

    Value is highly dependent on your area. A rule of thumb is that the antiques that are most popular in your area are the ones that were "modern" when the area was in its heyday. So this style will probably be most valuable in the Midwest and West. Where are you located?

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Vancouver, Canada. Just above Seattle.

    I am really so green here that I wouldn't even know how to go about finding buyers who would appreciate the value of these items...

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    This is why I asked the OP if the table was part of a set with the sideboard. I think the table is older than first appearances suggest, and this may also be true of the cabinet. I was thinking late 30s but wouldn't find twenties out of the question. I don't think it predates that era much. I also think this has been a higher end piece. The hardware is really nice. I'm still uneasy about the leaded glass. Digital pics can distort straight lines if they're enlarged too much, but the leading looks so clunky from the pics that it may be giving an unfair impression.

  • mfrog
    12 years ago

    Vanfurn, you may find you have a hard time selling this type of furniture in Vancouver right now. Mid century modern is what is popular, not C1920's mahogany. You could send pictures to Maynards & see what they give as a value & go from there or take pictures to Sugar Barrel antiques, Antique Warehouse etc... ask them to make an offer, you don't have to accept it, but as least you will have some idea of a wholesale value.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Maynards

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks Mr. Frog. Appreciate that advice as a starting point.

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    A closer look at the leading...

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    I think the Antique Warehouse (on Marine Drive near Manitoba) might consider this. It's a beautiful piece.

    Karin L

    Here is a link that might be useful: Antique Warehouse

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the tip, Karin. I will look into it.

  • vanfurn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    50% Commission on Consignment sales plus charging the seller for transportation to the store and restoration?

    Yikes, is that industry standard?

  • chibimimi
    12 years ago

    That's pretty close to the industry standard. On the other hand, they will usually get a much higher price for your antiques than you can get on the direct market, so it's not always a bad deal. Ask them to give you an idea of how much they feel it will sell for. Then you can try to sell it yourself for 75% of that ... but you might well only get 50%, plus having to go through a lot of work and hassle. Shops get the retail value for the piece; it's hard for a private seller to get nearly as much.

    However, if you are insuring it, use the retail value -- that's what you'd have to pay in a shop to replace it.

  • sheilajoyce_gw
    12 years ago

    I wonder if the doors once had curved glass in them, the glass broke, and so this leaded glass was the replacement. My grandmother had a curved glass vitrine/china cabinet and it was the glass in pristine condition that made it easy for her heirs to sell it.

  • chibimimi
    12 years ago

    Sheila, I don't think the glass is replaced. The leaded glass is consistent with the style, and the small panes actually balance well with the details in the lower half.

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    There were a lot of pieces with leaded glass, as well as curved panes. It's not at all atypical in a piece of this era. I am perhaps prejudiced because in our area, there are many existing homes where the curved panes on the old houses have been modified in just such ways when the original window panes were broken. It just sent up a red flag. That and the use of a smaller pane to swing a corner. I certainly haven't seen every piece in the world, just haven't seen the juxtaposition of pane size before.