Messages

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Is this just too crazy to consider?

« on: November 15, 2009, 09:54:35 pm »

Thanks KC.
We were thinking it was a music cabinet because the family had several other music cabinets, which all remain in the family. My great-grandfather was an opera singer and his father and siblings, when he was younger, worked the underground railroad as jubilee singers carrying messages for Douglass, Mott, Garrison, Still, etc. If it had been an original Louis XV, I assume it would have been given to him by one of the wealthy abolitionists.

More likely, it would have come from my great-grandmother's family, the Harres'. They were the wealthy side back in the 1800s - gentry of Philadelphia.

I may never know.

I believe the stories behind the antiques give them life. I'd much rather have a 200 yr old colorful life story on a piece of paper than a priceless antique which has lost it's story.

I do hope all of the dealers and collectors will try their best to keep the authentic stories attached to the pieces.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: American Radiator Bronze or Cast Iron Wall Plaque

« on: November 13, 2009, 06:33:58 pm »

How large is it?

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: collector plate by Rosenfield

« on: November 13, 2009, 06:32:11 pm »

Hi! Where does your photo reside? Is it on a photo sharing site?

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Is this just too crazy to consider?

« on: November 13, 2009, 06:21:56 pm »

Yep

And, to add insult to injury, this same GGGrandpop, Gephard Harres, who we expect brought the dolls for my GGrandmom, is the GGrandpop of a certain famous aviatrix who went missing over the pacific in 1937.

I couldnt make this up.

So, now, we have the fugitive slave, the aviatrix, and the lost cabinet....

(oh, and the "captive memoirs" that are another topic for another day)

See why i want my stuff back? LOL

Maybe if I can get a book deal, I can earn enough money to get the cabinet and the secretary back.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Is this just too crazy to consider?

« on: November 13, 2009, 03:14:18 pm »

Everyone, I really REALLY appreciate all of the encouragement. It might take me a lifetime and I may not succeed, but imagine the joy I can have whilst searching and the great learnings I'll acquire along the way.

I really wish you'd all have declared these items as worthless copies (smile). That would have given me relief and hope that if I were to find them, I'd be able to get them back. At minimum, I hope to learn what happened to them and perhaps follow their journey, even if in the care of another family.

My grandmother also had a collection of Handwerk dolls in a box in her basement. After I took posession of the house, I found them in a box in the basement. My great-great grandpop on that side had been from Germany and he traveled back and forth twice during the 1800s. He must have brought these over on one of those trips. Anyway, I pulled them out and sat them on my grandmother's chair by the fireplace. They had the original clothes, hair and all. I bought a book on Handwerk and became familiar. About a week later, I told my aunt what I'd found. Two days later I came home from work and the dolls were gone. She'd come in while I was at work, took the dolls and sold them for $500. As a collection, they were worth at least $5k. To me, they were priceless and I would never have sold them. I don't understand my aunt doing this as she was a relatively wealthy lady herself. Nobody in my family has ever struggled for money, so I just don't understand the selling of the family treasures. If you want to sell something, sell your own things, not what has been handed down through prior generations. After that, anything I found, I kept quiet about.


Anyway, thanks again! Will let you all know how its going and will definitely stick around and learn more from the forum.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Louis XV style bombe marquetry commode - a reproduction???

« on: November 13, 2009, 02:56:43 pm »

I'm a newby, like you, and don't know if it is original or not...but it is very pretty. Nice find!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: A few of my heirlooms - not to be sold - just curious

« on: November 13, 2009, 06:05:50 am »

Thanks for the replies.
KC, I recall checking into the basket several years ago and finding that it was very early in the range because of the "patent pending" on top. And, yes, there are two compartments. Thanks for the notice about the asbestos!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Good Deal of the Day!

« on: November 12, 2009, 03:35:43 pm »

Nice job! I've learned from your post and your experience with this.

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Antique Questions Forum / A few of my heirlooms - not to be sold - just curious

« on: November 12, 2009, 02:55:36 pm »

Hi gang,
A few of you are familiar with my heirloom furniture hunt story. I did manage to acquire a few of my family heirlooms (actually quite a bit of china, crystal and silver). Here are a few of the other items. Interested in any comments, dating, values, etc...

We are from Philadelphia and New York. Most of the items are more likely to be Philadelphia.

Chair - no marks that I can see. From my grandparents - see it in photos from 1940--1950. Might be older. No marks that I can see. A very pale yellow leather.










A half-moon shaped table with underneath marks for "Imperial Tables" and "Imperial Furniture Company" (you will see in the photo) and also a J.B. Sciver Co plate. I am confused about why two different furniture manufacturers are on the same piece.






My refrigerator basket (Note the "patents pending"). Its huge!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Rare book owned by famous abolitionists (strange development!)

« on: November 12, 2009, 02:21:19 pm »

Tales,
That is incredible and something of which to be incredibly proud! Was this prior to the Underground Railroad? My gr-gr Grandfather came through MA before landing in NY. This would have been circa 1845, later than your gr-gr-gr-great-grandfather's work in the late 1700s. I did read that much of New England was very sympathetic, which is what allowed the movement to thrive. I once read a quote that if the townpeople saw someone on the road in the middle of the night, they would say "well, its either a doctor, a drunk, or a fugitive slave"....none of which seemed to bother them.

Here is part of my g/g/grandpop's story about 55% down the page - Oliver Cromwell Gilbert. See where Boston is noted. If you read the "itinerary" paragraph, you'll see why I want the music cabinet back.

Ok, enough from since I don't want to hijack skinny's thread! I am feeling excited for him

http://seacoastnh.com/arts/please083101.html

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Is this just too crazy to consider?

« on: November 12, 2009, 01:24:01 pm »

KC,
thanks for the suggestion about the local ad. I live in Philadelphia (actually in the city proper), but in an old neighborhood section called Chestnut Hill. We do have a very small local paper and it is well read, so your suggestion is a good one.

Tales,
I will try the local business association route. Lots of old businesses are still in place and they'd probably remember who ran the mall.

Wendy and D&B, one of you called it a music cabinet and the other an etegere. Would those be interchangeable terms? Any idea on the age?

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Is this just too crazy to consider?

« on: November 12, 2009, 12:07:54 pm »

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, the dealer was part of a very short-lived, funky kind of antique "mall" in our local neighborhood. It closed less than a year after the sale of the items. I have gone to other local antique shops on that same street to see if anyone remembers and they say that they cant even recollect this mall being there.

What is the proper term for the roof-line of the secretary? I'd call it triangular shaped, but I am sure there is a more appropriate name. Is the piece in the center a cornice or a crest?

Does the cabinet look like a music cabinet, or something else?

My original photos look much better than these scans. I will visit the local photo shop and have them professionally enlarged.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Rare book owned by famous abolitionists (strange development!)

« on: November 12, 2009, 10:01:22 am »

I have no idea about rare book but want to congratulate you on your serendipity!
My great-grand uncle is named Charles Sumner Lewis, named after Charles Sumner.
My great-great grandpop was a fugitive slave who eventually became an abolitionist who helped and correspond with Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison. We have recently uncovered a collection of documents and more are on file in Boston. Seems that Boston and Philadelphia were quite central to the movement.

You have quite a treasure. You must be thrilled.

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Antique Questions Forum / Is this just too crazy to consider?

« on: November 12, 2009, 08:55:17 am »

Hello everyone,

This may sound crazy but you all seem so experienced so I am sure you've heard/seen crazier in the amazing antique world.

About 15 years ago, I purchased my deceased grandparents home in Philadelphia from my father and his sisters (my aunts). At the time, most of my grandparents larger furnishings were still in the home. The family members had already taken what they'd wanted. Two very emotionally significant pieces remained....but my family tends to hold onto lots of things and nobody had room for these pieces. They called a local antique dealer who was working (I think) out of a warehouse kind of shop on our neighborhood. She was to come and survey for value, but she wound up striking a deal to take everything and I watched her peel off what I thought was about 5 $100 bills. Then she loaded the items into a pick up truck and off she went. I was in my mid 20s at the time.

A few years ago, I became very involved in researching my family history and found much success in it. I linked up with a 70 yr old relative with similar interests. She began telling me the family history and the about the furniture in my grandparents home. She had no idea these items had been sold. She assumed they were still in the house that I'd purchased. She believed that the items that had been sold had previously been handed down to my grandparents from their parents...and potentially their grandparents.

Now, for several years, I have strongly longed to find these items and buy them back - and, yes, it is very emotional - and yes, I know I may have to pay through the nose now.

I am attaching photos of the items so that anyone here may help me in describing them to better allow me to search. I am not an antique expert, by any means. If you would please do your best to give me a description of the items and any hint about their origination, I'd really be so grateful. Unfortunately, these items were in the photos as mere backdrop, so I don't have any detailed shots and I never checked them for markings/labels. I really want to find these pieces. Is that impossible? Any suggestions on how to approach this?

The first is what my aunts always called a chiffonier, but my 70 yr old relative says it was my great grandfather's music cabinet. As you can see, it has a mirror on the back of the top and then another tier with a metal rail around it. I am reluctant to describe the inside because I can't really recall what it looked like. I know my grandparents kept their liquor and bar ware in it. It had a skeleton key which locked the cabinet. In the photo with the little boy, you can see the brass mounts and the detail on the feet:


Here is another shot if it in the background:



The other piece for which I am hunting is a secretary. This was a very tall piece. The home has very tall ceilings, so you can tell how tall the piece is. I recall one of the glass fronts on the bookcase door being cracked straight across. I have searched and searched the internet and cannot find one that looks similar to this. The family was from Philadelphia and New York, so it could have come from either of those.

For this one, I am sorry it is small. I was reluctant to blow it up for fear of distorting it, but I see that I may have to:


In this one, my grandmom covered the glass doors with christmas paper and also the top of the desk part. When the desk was folded up, it was straight, not slanted. It had a skeleton key lock on the drop down desk part and also on both sets of doors, top and bottom. There were drawers in the secretary desk part, once you opened the desk.