Early Southern Table with messed up feet

[KC]

Is this a "Buyer Beware"?   

So sorry that happened!

[jacon4]

Oh no, it's not a buyer beware kinda deal. Auction house in Philly screwed up BAD! simple as that and, they will have to fix this at their expense. Trucker said that he picked the table up friday afternoon, the guy who brought it out to loading dock was in a hurry, didn't wait while trucker wrapped a blanket/stretchy plastic stuff on it so it wouldn't get any damage, all of 5 mins, locked up warehouse and left before trucker even loaded it. Since auction is closed on weekend, guesses the auction guy was in a BIG hurry to get his weekend started.

Weird thing is, i have already paid for table/shipping and i have someone else's table here. Yeah, it's not a bad lookin table, it sold for 3 times more than mine did but it's just not what i was looking for or want. Never mind the guy/gal who bought this table, is pretty sure they won't be happy to see my southern table show up if it's in transit somewhere.

[KC]

Yepper.  Let us know how it works out!

[jacon4]

Yeah, I was all excited this Sat when i got the call that he was within an hour of my location, rushed home, waited till he arrived. He opened the door to truck and i see 4 feet sticking up, joined by a BOX stretcher and i say, wait a min. do you have another table in here? he says what? no, i don't have any more tables.......
Thus began the saga.....stay tuned.

[KC]

Hopefully you were able to get ahold of them today!  😣  😳

[jacon4]

Yes, was, they were very apologetic, said they would send a shipper at their expense with my table and pick up one that's here.

[mart]

Good for them !!  No one is perfect,, auctions make mistakes same as we do !! Good thing is they made it right !!

[jacon4]

Yeah, i guess. Kinda killed off my lil fantasy though, i had already gone to store and got a gallon each of stripper & alcohol ready to do battle with this table. What I know so far is, it has yellow pine in secondary drawer construction, it has a single large dovetail on drawer, the top is pinned, these factors all point to an early piece, say first quarter 18th century. What i do not know is the primary wood species, the description says "fruitwood". Now, when someone tells you fruitwood, what that really means is, they have no idea what kind of wood it is, it could be cherry, apple, pear, etc.

Now, according to my fantasy, the primary wood is cherry, which, according to the the latest research, was used in early Virginia furniture. This chair below, once thought to have been built in Charleston SC is now almost certainly proven to have been built in coastal Virginia. How did this researcher begin his quest to find out for sure? The cherry primary wood, it always bothered him that the attribution & date for Charleston was wrong because cherry was not used in early Charleston furniture. This turned cherry chair was built in the Chesapeake region Virginia, C 1640-1660 and is in fact the earliest known piece of southern furniture extant. Indeed, this chair could very well be the earliest known piece of American furniture ever.
http://www.mesdajournal.org/2015/provenance-profile-rediscovery-earliest-southern-chair/

[mart]

Mmmm,,, looks pretty good for that age,, has there been any restoration done on the chair ??

[KC]

Don't think it is sat in very much Mart so it looks that good!   

Well....maybe the anticipation and wonder will be well rewarded once you get your treasure!  Did the other person who got your table call them or do you know? 

Like Mart said, wonderful that they made it right.  Kudos to the auction house!

[jacon4]

I don't think there has been any structural restoration but i don't really know, i could check, it sold at Christies a few years ago when it was still a "Charleston" chair to the Houston Museum for what is now a real bargain, 288k. If the recent research is anywhere near correct & i think it is, this chair is now in the priceless category. The feet have lost a couple inches but that's "normal" for a piece this old. It's cherry which makes it look different i think in color photo, here is another pic of the same chair. I don't know if my table was shipped but it didn't sound like it was when talking to auction house, i think it's still in warehouse.

[jacon4]

It's here, FINALLY! came last night, Christmas Eve just before midnight .

I was fooled, i would have bet money, actually, i did bet money that the secondary wood on the drawer was yellow pine, it isn't, it's white pine. Has already got the top off and stripping it down, a few repairs, a new finish and place it somewhere, hopefully not in MISTAKE ROOM! The old woman had this table for 50 years, i think this is what they refer to as "container goods" shipped over from England by the boat load in the 1960s. It's old but it's NOT american and that makes all the difference.

[mart]

Oh no !!  Bummer about your table !!  I have mentioned those containers being shipped from the UK but don`t think many believed me !! Many are advertised as American by those that do not know the difference !! And I have known dealers (not good ones) that sold them as American !! 

[KC]

Sorry about your table but hope you like it anyway!  AND that it was worth what you paid! 

[jacon4]

Didn't believe you about container goods? how come i wonder, it was BIG BUSINESS once upon a time. Actually, i think it is still being done although probably not what it once was. There are many USA dealers who specialize in european antiques so there is still a market here for that type of old furniture.
Although disappointed table is not american (dang limeys!) for $300, how can you go wrong? It is mostly early 18th century william & mary and there is some good figure in the 2 board wood top, it should clean up nicely. Get some repro W & M brass pulls (you can see on back of drawer it originally had cotter pin pulls) to replace those hideous wood ones and it will look good. It's small so no worries about using as a lamp,side, etc type table.

This demonstrates why photo's alone can not be trusted when it comes to old furniture, even with all our technology there is still only one way to really authenticate old furniture, in person. There simply is no other way.