Contact a major auction house, such as Sotheby’s or Christie’s, for value lookups on extremely rare or valuable antique furniture. Check websites such as Antique Trader where information of events offering free antique appraisal information is posted.

For most collectors, 18th and early 19th-century furniture is too costly. Not many can afford to pay five and six figures for fine early American pieces. But the antiques market still leans towards the high end. There are several reasons why the market for Victorian furniture has suffered.

Of all the pieces commonly associated with the Victorian period, Chests of Drawers are without a doubt one of the most easily spotted pieces of furniture. Most chests were either Bow fronted (out swept curving front) or were simple square fronted chests with rounded corners and edges.

Distinguishing characteristics:

1. Lighter wood, such as walnut and oak, was favoured.
2. Fluted legs imitating ancient greek columns by carving parallel grooves vertically into the legs.
3. Raised or inset burled panels.
4. Heavily carved finials.
5. Black and gold incising.
6. Tables have permanent and Inset marble tops with gate legs.

A Guide to Victorian Furniture Victorian furniture refers to the style of antique furniture that was made during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901). It is often revivalist in style, in that it adopts stylistic motifs from other periods, creating huge waves of revivals with nostalgic nods to the past.

Look carefully at the bottom, sides, and back of the drawer; if the wood shows nicks or cuts, it was probably cut with a plane, a spokeshave, or a drawknife. Straight saw marks also indicate an old piece. If the wood shows circular or arc-shaped marks, it was cut by a circular saw, not in use until about 1860.

A quick guide to Edwardian furniture history Though Edward was on the throne for the short period of 1901 – 1910, pieces today known as Edwardian tend to span from 1890 – 1910.

Art Deco flourished at the turn of the 1910s into the 1920s. While furniture of the late 1910s commonly used dark wood and focused on craftsmanship, designs from the 1920s featured sleek lines, geometric patterns, and new materials like chrome and mirrors that could be mass-produced.

Interior decorating associated with this era encompassed a wide variety of furniture styles, sometimes mixed in eclectic ways. However, there were three main furniture styles that dominated the 1920s: Art Deco, Arts & Crafts, and Early Modern.

12 Periods of American Furniture

• Early American (1640 to 1700)
• Pennsylvania Dutch (1720 to 1830)
• Federal (1780 to 1820)
• Sheraton (1780 to 1820)
• American Empire (1800 to 1840)
• Victorian (1840 to 1910)
• Art Nouveau (1890 to 1910)
• Traditional Revival (1920 to 1950)

Depression-era furniture is usually relatively affordable. Today’s consumers like the fact that Depression-Era furniture is often free of the flimsiness found in older antiques.

1930s Furniture Styles: Art Deco In the early 1930s, Art Deco was the most prominent furniture style. Art Deco started in France around 1925 and it celebrated the modern world through furniture, art, and architecture. Furniture featured veneers of mahogany and macassar ebony.

How to Determine the Age of Antique Furniture

1. Look Past the Style of a Piece.
2. Examine Bottoms, Insides, and Backs.
3. Check for Perfectly Matching Elements.
4. Try to Figure Out What Tools Were Used.
5. Look at the Wood and Upholstery Fabric.
6. Investigate the Screws and Other Hardware.

The wood used in antique wardrobes can determine dates and values. Generally, antique mahogany wardrobes or those made of chestnut are more valuable. Late 18th-C antique French wardrobes for sale in mahogany or chestnut value at around £2,000 to £3,000, whereas a poorer oak example goes for between £800 to £1,200.

Regardless of its shortcomings, tiger oak is still a very much sought-after wood in the furniture industry.

Hand-cut dovetailing was the default until 1860 when uniform machine-cut joints were introduced. But fine cabinetmakers persisted in fitting their joints by hand until the early 1900s, and cabinetmakers in Europe cut dovetails by hand well into the 1930s.

mortise and tenon joint

20 years old