Antique Chairs

Antique Chairs

Antique chairs can take their place in nearly any room given the wide variety of styles and materials available In a contemporary room for example mission style chairs add the warmth of age while keeping to smooth lines or Asian rosewood chairs can lend richness of design and color Of course they also provide either the central focus or a finishing touch in a room that already uses antique furniture or oldfashioned styles Chairs were a very distinct status symbol during most of European history Chairs with backs were reserved solely for the elite through the late Renaissance as most people sat on stools or benches Because they were such a luxury item makers lavished work on these and so early antique chairs show a good deal of elaborate carving on the backs sides and feet antique,antique auctions,antique books,antique cars,antique china,antique clocks,antique dealer,antique dolls,antique furniture,antique jewelry,antique necklace,antique painting,antiques and collectibles,asian antiques,collectables,collectible,heirloom,oil painting,old books,vintage cars,vintage clothes,vintage dresses,vintage guitar,vintage t shirts It wasnt until the mid 1600s that chairs with backs were widely available due to the introduction of canework woven cane for both the backs and seats Armchairs made their first appearance during the late 16th century and most of the 17th century they too were reserved only for the highest levels of the aristocracy At the French court for example only princes and the reigning monarchs were allowed to sit in armchairs Most of this furniture has a very heavy substantial feel to it befitting its social status The designs are somewhat boxy and the arms tend to come right out to the end of the seat in contrast to most of todays chairs where it ends an inch or two before

Early carved wooden chairs like these tend to cost in the four and fivefigure range If you like the look but dont have the budget consider Victorianera imitations The carving is rarely as elaborate or masterly but they are a much more affordable usually in the hundreds or low thousands for the very finest examples way to possess this kind of antique chair. Queen Anne style is defined as beginning with her reign in 1702 but lasting past her 1714 death until about the middle of the century These antique chairs are typically slender with graceful curved lines and much less carving Where there is carving it tends to echo classical forms such as scrolls or Greek elements Some but not all had the upholstery built into the chair design rather than relying on cushions Walnut was the most popular wood during this time Wing chairs upholstered chairs designed for relaxation rather than work and with wings designed to protect the sitter from drafts first became popular during this period. Chippendale was perhaps the most famous furniture designer of all time His fusion style combining baroque rococo and Asian elements was an international hit and his design book Gentleman and Cabinet Makers Director is still used in design schools today This style lasted from about 1750 through the 1830s. His designs further simplified chair frames except for openback chairs which featured very elegant and light frameworks such as the famous lyre pattern The legs ended either in basic geometric shapes or in the form of an animals paw Sometimes the carving featured shapes from Chinese design such as pagodas Depending on quality these antique chairs typically begin around $1 500 and up to the high five figures for work by Chippendale his son or his workshops. Victorian antique chairs like the rest of Victorian furniture are typically massive and elaborate and incorporate various fashionable historic or international flavors Upholstery was more common than not usually in the rich reds the Victorians favored but also in needlepoint Gothicstyle chairs brought back carving particularly fruits flowers and mythical beasts while other pieces retained the simpler Queen Anne or Chippendale curving forms Many of these chairs feature rounded seats better to accommodate womens hoops and bustles

Prices range according to materials quality and condition but individual pieces are available for around $150. The Arts and Crafts style reintroduced bare wood and architectural shapes Frank Lloyd Wright even designed the chairs to best suit his houses with their emphasis on simplicity Le Corbusiers art deco designs were another furniture revolution emphasizing chairs that followed the shapes of the human body and using steel chrome and black leather. For early 20th century antique chairs like most vintage furniture the designer is a primary determiner of price as well as condition and quality. Single chairs are by far the most affordable while pairs or dining sets command premium prices because sets where each piece is in good condition are rarer Handmade pieces naturally are also more expensive. The older the antique chair the more signs of wear or patina it should display If the wood looks uniform on the entire piece it is likely a reproduction Ask whether upholstery is the original or a replacement If it is a recent replacement that lowers the value.

Antique Furniture

Wonderful eighteenth and nineteenth century antique furniture originated in such disparate locations as cosmopolitan Barcelona and rural communities of upstate New York A small museum in Antoni Gaudis Park Guell houses examples of this architects flowing Art Nouveau furniture while there are Shaker museums from New England to the American South that display this functional minimalist designs. Older styles of antique furniture from England and America include William and Mary Queene Anne Chippendale and Federal Empire furniture is associated with Napoleon Bonaparte other French antique furniture styles go by the names of several King Louises while Renaissance Baroque and Rococo are more continental furniture periods. Often architects such as the previously mentioned Antoni Gaudi or the American Frank Lloyd Wright design furniture too Decorative arts in addition to painting sculpture and architecture are influenced by broader trends For instance the discovery of Pompeii had a major impact on furniture style When Mt Vesuvius erupted in A D 79 it buried Pompeii and Herculaneum under many feet of ash freezing in time these Roman cities It was not until 1748 that theses cities were discovered The excavation of ancient Roman culture had a wideranging effect and the decorativeness of the ancient world was incorporated into furniture design Thomas Chippendale a British furniture maker was one of the many artists and designers influenced by this neoclassic style In 1754 Thomas Chippendale 17181779 published The Gentleman and CabinetMakers Director an extremely influential book about the various kinds of furniture He designed many pieces of neoclassic furniture for Harewood House an English country house built in the mideighteenth century This estate is located near Leeds England north of London and has large grounds with formal gardens and woods that are open to tours spectacular art and antiques collections in their state rooms and many examples of Chippendale furniture The Chippendale Collection a page of the Thomas Chippendale at Harewood House website features photographs and descriptions of period Chippendale decorative art You can click sections such as Chairs Stools Mirrors Lighting Beds Tables Desks and Cabinet Furniture to learn more Popularizers of antique furniture are the identical twins Leigh and Leslie Keno They become wellknown appraising antique furniture on PBS Antiques Roadshow and received the 2005 National Humanities Medal Leslie is a senior vice president for American furniture at Sothebys while Leigh is president of Leigh Keno American Antiques a gallery in New York City that he runs with Mitchell Keno their older brother They have also written an interesting book with Joan Barzilay Freund called Hidden Treasures


TIPS BUYING ANTIQUE FURNITURE

1 Buy antique furniture at a local auction house or auctions online this is where the profit is

2 Use your instincts Buy antique furniture that grabs your attention immediately that first impression is important for 2 reasons When you really love the piece doing research about the style origin and era will turn out to be fun and interesting And second this piece will most likely sell very easy

3 Do not act as an amateur even if you are You could receive a lot of unnecessary sales talk and it will be much more difficult to obtain a large discount

4 Know what you are buying Although it takes some experience to recognize them be aware of reproductions and fake antiques

5 Dont be afraid to ask for discounts most sellers include a 1030% margin to all there items

6 Inspect the item you are interested in pick it up turn it around make sure it has no hidden flaws Keep an eye on the sales person while doing that If they get nervous there might be a something lose or damaged Also ask the seller if the furniture has been restored at some point it affects the value of an antique

7 Look for shops who have an antique piece at display but who are not specialized in selling antique furniture Chances are this will be a great bargain When it doesnt fit the main philosophy of the store the owner is probably not an expert in the field and will be happy to sell it and move on

8 Do not offer cash money negotiate the best price possible for paying by cheque or credit card first Once you have your card or cheque book ready ask if there is an extra discount for paying with cash Almost every seller prefers cash so use every trick in the book


9 Always get a receipt especially from auctioneers or antique dealers Make sure it states the age style wood type value and if there was any damage or restoration This can be used as a guarantee when false or missing statements occur

10 Don’t make the mistake of buying more furniture than you can transport in one trip At most estate sales and auctions sold items must be picked up the same day of purchase Make sure to bring blankets and straps to pack and transport you antiques without damaging them

Rare and Used Book

Rare and Used Book

Lets say you have recently retired and finally have time to track down everything by your favorite science fiction author in rare and used book stores His names Theo G Nance and he published in the 40s and 50s during the Golden Age of science fiction but died in 1971 at a commune in Northern California under questionable circumstances.The chain book store at the mall has a long aisle of scifi and fantasy paperbacks although no older hardtofind titles and the small independent book shop with its more diverse stock cant help either Both inform you the book is out of print Going down the list of rare and used book stores in the telephone directory you find your book at a fancy rare book store in town only its the British hardcover that came out after the paperback original therefore it is the first hardcover edition but not the true first edition.The book barn somewhere off interstate exit 47 has not only rooms but stories full of old books but you drove out their once and know their books are mainly nonfiction and sets like The Harvard Classics so you skip this call.General Used Book Stores sell used rare and outofprint books hardcovers as well as paperbacks Youre sure its the place to find The Mad Screaming Brain From Asteroid X maybe a vintage paperback or a laterprinting hardcover in their science fiction section but youre disappointed again. A neighbor across the street found a part for his table saw on eBay so you try them next They have more books than you thought although you wouldnt mind seeing more like The Mad Screaming Brain From Asteroid X for instance You also learn that they arent all sold at auction either because many have a little.

A bidding war is going on for The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs the creator of Tarzan Theres a photo of the book in a dust jacket that looks pretty new The bidding is up to $900 so you decide to check in the next day to find out whos in the lead As usual Amazon has millions of great books Several new titles by Theo G Nash you never knew existed come up in a search along with a few outofprint ones too so you write them down for future reference In addition your daughter in Cincinnati has it in her head to send you selfhelp books about retirement from Amazon You prefer she diversify One used paperback copy of The Mad Screaming Brain From Asteroid X turns out to be available by a dealer for $150 and its only in good condition which couldnt be too good because other books are rated very good and like new Being a retired accountant you know all about supply and demand You also figure that since the books are sold on Amazon they get a cut so purchasing directly from the dealer is cheaper In the back of your grandsons Harry Potter magazine that he lost on his last visit is an ad for a rare and used book store in West Hollywood that specializes in science fiction fantasy and horror You cruise over to their website and it turns out they have nearly two dozen hardtofind books by Theo G Nance a regular cornucopia if you will including an advance reading copy whatever that is and a tradesize softcover of the one they made into a movie illustrated with film stills Of course your title is still missing so you break down and order a book club edition of its prequel in near fine condition for $10 This book club is an inexpensive hardcover just like you now decide youre after because its easier to get hold of than a paperback and the text is larger too After all youre getting along in years and your eye sight isnt what it used to be Its been a real learning experience though

Vintage collection

Vintage Cars

The time between World War One and the stock market crash of 1929 is considered by many to be the vintage car era During these years automobile manufacturers expanded on their technological breakthroughs from earlier in the century and sent cars down the road to pervasiveness The period began with soldiers coming home from overseas and was followed by the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment insuring women the right to vote The Roaring Twenties had arrived with flappers and bathtub gin and great changes in society The economy strengthened buying on credit started and consumerism increased with the automobile at the top of the list Expanding newspapers movies and radio burst like the corks on bottles of champagne Not only was the car radio invented and drivein restaurants opened by A W root beer but the first National Conference on Street and Highway Safety asked for standardized traffic laws throughout the country and the Secretary of the Treasury tried to have the Washington Monument relocated to make room for more parking lots The modern car culture of the automobile and the highway was upon us The Ford Motor Company is an example of what went on with the automobile companies that formed before World War One In 1908 Henry Ford made the first Model T and then in 1913 created a moving assembly line for mass producing automobiles which changed manufacturing and helped bring about the Industrial Revolution His Model T was the best selling car in the world but other automobile manufacturers began surpassing Ford producing cars with more features and in a variety of colors and stylesFord purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1925 therefore selling highend cars too. Not only could everyone now afford to purchase an automobile everyone did The vintage car era is known for Widespread use of fourwheel breaks electric lighting and starters as well as balloon tires. Fast cars with large engines Automobiles built for speed simply for the fun of it. In addition more expensive cars were produced for the wealthy The Antique Automobile Club of America and The Classic Car Club of America are two major organizations for automobile enthusiasts.

Vintage Dresses

Adding a vintage dress to your wardrobe will help you to express your unique style Whether youre looking to appear more vivacious and striking or conservative and professional theres a dress to fit your needs Purchasing vintage items for your wardrobe does not mean you have to completely change your style you are tweaking your wardrobe as a whole adding specific accents that can complement items you already own and wear Avoid crazy combinations Back in 76 a plaid dress might have looked great with a jacket in a different style of plaid but that doesnt mean it works today This is essential as most used clothing stores and flea markets do not offer you the opportunity to try clothing on and its impossible with an online auction site Just as you would with other dresses pick your vintage clothing with your body type in mind Be sure to envision yourself in the dress type or try it on before you purchase it If youre unsure ask an honest tactful friend who you would normally take shopping Locating the right dress can be the most daunting part of vintage clothes shopping Unlike contemporary stores and clothing stores that offer new items only vintage and second hand stores display a wide variety of items and styles This makes the selection process more difficult but also provides you with more options First you want to get comfortable with the various decades dress styles and determine your likes and dislikes Then scope out some of the following locations Online auction sites such as eBay are valuable in your search for a vintage dress Even if you do not find a dress there you will learn about vintage measurements the appropriate condition for such items and most importantly the going rate for the type of dress you want This is the easiest way to look at a variety of dresses and decide what style would work best for you Sellers usually provide measurements for clothing items The best price for the right gently used clothing item is of course free Older relatives often have clothing that they or their adult children wore They are usually delighted to give away items knowing they will be worn and loved Think about all of the decades that your parents and grandparents have lived through as well as the styles those decades represent You definitely do not have to stick to one style of dress but you will probably want to select a dress or dresses to fit one or more needs in your lifestyle Just like contemporary dresses vintage counterparts were made for a variety of events A flapper dress for example might be appropriate for a contemporary evening at the theatre A peasant dress from the Sixties would be perfect for a summer folk festival In the 1970s the womens liberation movement created a need for professional style dresses because women wanted to work Some of these dresses still work in the office today

Before you purchase vintage clothing make sure the size fits you Over the years size has changed and it also varies by location Even today one size produced in Europe sometimes differs from the same size produced in the United States Size also varies by clothing line and brand today and that applies to vintage clothing as well Gunne Sax for example made beautiful dresses in a peasant style but their sizes ran much smaller when compared to contemporary ones Also keep in mind that more people handmade clothing in the past so some dresses might be specifically tailored to one womans measurements.

Antique Tables

Antique Tables

Antique tables are available in a wide variety of styles materials and price ranges The most common are made from oak or mahogany but they are also available in other kinds of wood as well as stone or glass There are tremendous subtleties in styles between periods but as a rule of thumb tables from before 1700 are usually massive and sturdy with heavy carving tables from the 18th and early 19th century are more slender and elegant with relatively limited use of carving except to shape the curving legs Victorian tables are much more like pre1700 pieces and 20th century pieces are more architectural in shape Many antique dining tables have the same convenient features that we look for in contemporary furniture As far back as the mid 1600s the makers built tables with drop leaves ends that could be raised to add more room at the table or lowered for more intimate dining or to minimize the space the table takes up table leaves pieces that could be added or removed for the same purposes or tilt tops the entire top could go from vertical to horizontal to make more room Most of these tables have movable legs either gate legs which swing in or out like a gate or swing legs attached with hinges along the table railBefore the 1650s dining tables were commonly made of a single solid piece of wood over fixed legs Occasionally for larger tables the wood was made of multiple pieces but solidly joined These tables sometimes called stretcher or refectory tables usually have elaborately carved legs These are among the most expensive antique tables with prices usually starting in five figures If you like the look and want an antique but dont have the budget look for Victorianera reproductions Most antique dining tables were made of oak or mahogany with brass for any moving parts However you can also find walnut rosewood or pine While most 18th and early 19th century antique dining tables available today were built by artisans for the upper classes you can also find farm tables from the same periods These are more likely to be made from more common woods such as elm sycamore or pine and are much simpler in design and form with no moving parts or carving on the legs Dents or scratches that would be serious flaws in other pieces are much more acceptable in farm furniture though it should still show signs of care and polishing The older the antique dining tables the more expensive Georgian and Queen Anne pieces usually start around $10 000 with prices increasing based on quality materials and in some cases the makers name Farm tables of any period and Victorian pieces start around $3000. Small antique table and chairs is perfect for teaToday we tend to think of nonutilitarian tables as coming in two or three varieties dining tables side tables and coffee tables Not so for antique table makers who produced lamp tables tea tables writing tables side tables card tables library tables and more .Many of these smaller tables were painted inlaid or otherwise given more details than dining tables Tea tables for example which became popular in the 1700s when tea was a new and fashionable beverage in England were often painted with Chineseinspired designs to add to the then very exotic experience Card tables featured drawers which were sometimes made of a contrasting wood or an inlay A popular Russian style of the 18th and 19th centuries was a stone usually malachite top on a wooden table These smaller tables are a fairly more affordable way to bring antique furniture into your home as well as an option for those in small spaces that dont allow for a dining table An antique table with an antique lamp on it can add immediate period grace to a room Antique wooden tables regardless of period should have a warm rich veneer that comes from frequent polishing and use There shouldnt be any dents or scratches but signs of wear are a testament to a tables long life rather than flaws Be aware that many tables sold as antique tables are made from antique wood such as panels or floorboards but are not genuine antiques Look for unusual wear patterns or for marks of previous work such as nail holes. As with antique chairs most antique tables available today are from the 1650s or later Pieces from the 17th century until the Victorian period are typically the most expensive largely because fine furniture was a luxury for the upper classes during those times so they involved tremendous work and craftsmanship and are also rarer During the Victorian period when the middle classes or at least upper middle classes could also afford fine furniture manufacturers produced much more furniture and also cheaper pieces

Rare Baseball Cards

Rare Baseball Cards

Even novice collectors interested in rare baseball cards will quickly come across the name Honus Wagner Although Babe Ruth Mickey Mantle Joe DiMaggio Ted Williams and Hank Aaron are famous baseball players with collectible cards none come close to this ball player. Honus Wagner was an outstanding short stop and an early inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame but what makes him particularly noteworthy is that one of his baseball cards sold for over $2 million Wagners cards are scarce because he did not want them distributed with tobacco but this particularly famous and expensive card is in exceptionally fine condition The Library of Congress is an excellent starting place for those interested in rare baseball cards
American Memory Baseball Cards 18871914 Their Prints and Photographs Division has a collection of 100 vintage baseball cards donated by Carl Sandburg in 1954 Sandburg was given the cards by the daughter of a cigarettecard collector You can browse these cards by Player Team League City or Card Setmuch like they way one collects baseball cards Ty Cobbs gallery for instance has 13 cards A few are of Cobb alone while others are of him with early players such as Hugh Jennings George Moriarty Chas OLeary and Sam Crawford Clicking on a photograph will enlarge the image and show the statistics on its back
Baseball Card Bibliography The Library of Congress also has a list of books about baseball cards The top Negro Leagues played ball before 1947 the year Jackie Robinson was allowed into the Major League No baseball cards of these players were issued in the United States at the time although cards were later printed of players who signed with Major League teams Baseball Trading Cards of Negro League Players in Major Leagues The Center for Negro League Baseball Research lists many of these baseball cards
American Negro League Players in Cuban Baseball Cards Famous Negro league ball players also participated in the Cuban Baseball League Rare baseball cards from the Cuban League are also a source for collecting Latin American baseball player cards Peter C Bkarkman AwardWinning Author Cuban Baseball Historian The author of A History of Cuban Baseball 18642006 has an informative website. The Baseball Card Adventure series are childrens books by Dan Gutman involving magic baseball cards used to travel back in time They tell about baseball history such as Babe Ruth calling a hit the Black Sox Scandal and Jackie Robinson Honus Me Jackie Me Babe Me and Shoeless Joe Me are a few titles His books are perfect for kids interested in baseball or baseball card collecting