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We bought a superb Newport demi-lune games table at CRN Auctions last weekend. It was made in Newport, RI., and has a wonderful cabriole front leg with carved ball & claw foot and carving on the knee. The table dates to the 1760s and has the classic Newport style undercut carved talons on the Chippendale front foot and Queen Anne style feet in the rear. The semi-circular top flips open to reveal a storage well for the card-playing supplies of the day. The table came from a Newport family in the
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Acquisitions
Current Events
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I'm heading home from this year's furniture forum, which was terrific. The subject of the conference was the furniture of southeastern Pennsylvania. It was accompanied by a new book entitled Paint, Pattern & People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725-1850. The book and exhibit represent several years of research and hard work by Winterthur Senior Curator of Furniture, Wendy Cooper and her assistant, Lisa Minardi. For the exhibit, they assembled an amazing collection of 18th and early
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Categories:
Clocks
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I just received a gift in the mail from the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (N.A.W.C.C.). They sent a cute tie tac in the form of a bracket clock, for 30 years of membership. Where did 30 years go? Yikes! Those were the days. Excellent clocks used to turn up at the regional meetings and great things could be found at the National Convention each year. If only I had the knowledge and capitol to take advantage of those opportunities. “I could have been a contender!. I used to
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Categories:
Clocks
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We have just purchased a “$650.” highboy for $60 thousand! Although I wish the numbers were reversed, I’m thrilled with the discovery and acquisition. Situations like this are what make the antiques business so fascinating and have certainly helped to hold my interest through the years.What happened is this: In mid February I received a letter from a panicked beneficiary of a trust, who informed me that several antique objects from her stepmother’s estate had been under-valued by an appraiser
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Acquisitions
Current Events
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It seems as if all of the dealers that I speak to lately are pretty happy with the level of business that they’re doing lately. Sure, we all complain about the lack of available merchandise, but that will never change. The fact is, most of the active dealers that I know have noticed an uptick in their businesses this year. I say “active dealers” because there are plenty of dealers who don’t rely on this business for their actual income and are not aggressively beating the bushes every day to pay
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Current Events
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I'm on an airplane returning from my annual pilgrimage to The Philadelphia Antiques Show. As always, the dealers showcased a nice selection of early American decorative arts. Among my favorite pieces were a great William & Mary dressing table, circa 1730 from Rhode Island and a fantastic painted wall cupboard with a facade in the form of a Federal house, complete with elaborate doorway. Arthur Liverant had the dressing table and Courcier Wilkins was offering the wall cupboard. The preview party
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Current Events
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Matt and I attended a luncheon and lecture by designer Campion Platt at The Boston Design Center. His power-point lecture was terrific. Taking a photographic tour of some of the high end homes and apartments his firm has decorated was worth the trip. Most of his work has a contemporary flavor, but some of the homes are traditional, or have some antique pieces sprinkled in. If only I can convince him to use more early American antiques in his plans, the world will be a better place. More and
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Current Events
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My roll as appraiser on Antiques Roadshow will change slightly this season. As I have done since 2006, I will visit three new cities in search of treasures. I’ve been to several great places and met many wonderful people. I’ve even seen some great clocks along the way. I have always appraised strictly clocks on the show, occasionally helping out with furniture behind the scenes. This year, as per my own request, I’ll be appraising furniture at one of the venues, which should be an exciting new
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Categories:
Antiques Roadshow
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We were thrilled to purchase an exceptional clock at the March 6th Americana sale at Skinner Auctions. The circa 1822 dwarf clock, standing about four feet high is an exact miniature of a tall case (grandfather) clock. Early 19th century dwarf clocks from the Hingham/Hanover area, on the South Shore of Massachusetts, are highly prized by collectors. We purchased the clock for $189,600. on behalf of a private collector. Although not a record for a dwarf clock, this is one of the highest prices
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Categories:
Dwarf Clocks
Historically Significant
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“Antiques Week” in New York was once again the event of the year for antiques enthusiasts. We exhibited at T.A.A.S. (The American Antiques Show) and had a terrific show. Thank you to all of our friends and clients who came by to see our booth.Every January, hundreds of the country’s most serious dealers and collectors of early American antiques descend on Manhattan for “Antiques Week”. Both Christies and Sotheby’s auction houses hold their premier Americana sales as part of the event. Two of the
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Current Events