The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-05
OLD FURNITURE SELLING WELL.
Never were So Many Buyers OF Antiques
or Was Their Money So Freely Spent.

or Wts Their Money 30 Freely epcns'
Old furniture Of the best design, make
and material never sold so high as it does
| now.
IF could buy back the things ! sold
ten years ago at the prices then received
for them, said dealer in antiques the other
day, Il could make handsome profit
by selling them at present prices
Many books on the subject OF old furni-
ture have appeared In the last ten years.
and by the aid OF these books and an intelli-
gent study of the subject, more persons
than ever before have something like an
expert knowledge OF furniture. Then there
are more persons able to buy at good prices
than there have been at any other time
in the history of this country.
All this does not prevent the sale OF much
mere trash at high prices as antiques, but
who are seldom. il ever. deceived, and these
men pay the highest price for special erti-
cles. The late DR.: Grim OF Baltimore.
whose collection will soon be sold, bought
many OF his articles at a time when the
later craze for such things had not begun
to affect the market.
Collectors in this city and in New England
have lately been driving prices higher and
higher. The rage for Chippendale and
sheraton patterns OF The ner lines lines Is greater
ing prices. Even dealers are paying In some
cases as much as $50 for a single Chippen-
dale chair OF rare pattern. though 1t be out
Of repair. A collector In this city paid the
other day s,,s for ChPpendsls arm chair sdJ
every day for go, $50 and 500.
Another article much in demand Is the pie
crust table. These are small round tables
resting on carved tripods, and decorated
aIound the edges with scroih i- Carvings s,,,sg
OF the tabletop. A good pie-cr,lst table
OF ordinary pattern fetches from SIS to $50.
but those OF rare design and large size
may run up TO $3.50, or even more; the price
OF handsome antique sideooard.
These remarkable pricse are given FOR
table such az rarely come into the market.
The ordinary buyer would probably SEQ
In such q table nothing to make II worth
more than any good. small piece OF ma
hogany: only the expert can recognize it's
value, and he must be one who knows just
what the craze OF the moment may be.
Old-fashioned decorated mirrors are
hardly 80 much sought as they We ne a
few years a 20. though the price " still
high for those Of rare Ed design a,Eh1lly
priced for lighting up dark places in the
houfe.
Among the smaller antique household
articles that have special value, not so
much for their beauty, but rather as curios,
used a century ago In many households for
casting pewter spoons. Such spoons were
used In the old slave kitchens OF the South.
The molds were extremely we'll made,
smoothed within 70 that the spoon came
forth with fine surface, and fitted together
to a nicely. The spoons were cast by the
servants under the supervision Of master
or mistress These curious relics Of a
time when the household was an industrial
microcoem ara found occasionally in old
Southern and Border State homes, but are
rarely sold by the antique dealers Of New
York.
Perhaps even fewer OF the old candle
moulds, used In many households within
the memory OF men still compa ratively
young, are now to be found. partly because
thoee OF more recent date were commonly
made Of tin pla te and ", ne therefore perish
able. There would still be good economy
In using candle moulds to make over candle
ends in the houses where candles are largely
tHed