The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-12-29
FAKE ANTIQUES
COLLECTORS BANE
SOME OF THE REAL OLD FuRNl-
TURE IS NOT so EXPENSIVE
SOME $1,000 cHAIRs-MANY FUN
NY EXPERIENCES GIVEN OF THE
DEALERS.

i
sold for $1,000 last week in New York,
and this was by no means a fancy
price. Two hours afterward the dealer
had an offer of $1,000 for them and the
following day one for $4,000, which
goes to bear out his statement that
there is absolutely no market price for
certain pieces of antique furniture.
They cannot be duplicated. and as
time goes on they will, like the prints
of famous etchings whose plates are
broken, command any price the indi-
vtdual is willing to pay for them.
How much does it cost to furnish a.
house in antique furniture?" repeated
the dealer in Chippendale chairs. "Well
1t costs just twice as much TO buy an
tique furniture today as it did three
years ago. OF course 1t is still possible
to furnish an apartment or home in
good, though not rare, antiques for a
comparatively small sum.
For example, l just furnished a
pretty home up in Connecticut-fou
rooms were done in mahogany-fo
$500, no more than any person of mod
crate means would expend in buying
modern stuff. 1t was all good. genuine
antique furniture l put in, quaint. nice
stuff. One bedroom, for instance was
done entirely in curly maple. There
was pretty old four-post bedstead
with slender posts, nice bureau,
desk, two chairs, rocker and wash
stand
THE room was done in blue and
white, which contrasted delightfully."-
with the curly maple. Blue and white
chintz was used for the bed draperies
and for window hangings and a large
blue and white rag rug covered the
floor. 1t was most effective room and
every piece in it was genuine ANTIQUE.
"a second bedroom was furnished in
mahogany of the French period A fine
old Empire bed and an Empire bureau
with tall columns, washstand, sewing
table, two chairs and rocker complet-
ed the set. Yellow and white English
chintz that set off the mahogany to
perfection was used for bed draperies
and window curtains. 1t was one of.
the smartest rooms l ever want to
see.
I'm the parlor were a fine old Colo
NAL sofa, two fireside chairs of the
wing variety, big Colonial rocker, two
or three side chairs, a nice center table
secretary, bookcase and ottomans. A
stunning rag rug in soft fronze browns
and dark reds covered the floor, har-
monizing perfectly with the rich reds
of the old mahogany. Oh, yes, the fire.
place had stately antique andirons to
complete the picture.
$50 much for the furnishings of an
inexpensive home. Just recently, in
Boston, l furnished house that cost
$4,000 to build with antique stuff to
the extent of $4,000. But here, again,
the pieces were rare and consequently
more valuable. There were, for exam
pie, some very handsomely carved four
post beds, inIaid slope-top desks, a SER
pentine Hepplewhite bureau, and so on.
One slope-top desk, which was walnut
but genuine antique, had come to me
in the rough. Few persons would have
even looked at 1T, for the legs were
gone and it was in bad shape. But the |
buying it was versed in antiques
and saw it's possibilities. The top was
inlaid, and when done over
and put in good shape was beauty.
Buying antiques is a passion that
increases with knowledge of il. I'M
fortunately women. and men, too for
that matter, have to buy their expert |
ence very dearly sometimes. When you
that fully so per cent of all |
furniture offered as antique is spurious |
then you can see how difficult 1t is to |
tell the genuine from the fake
o
would only get good authentic books on /
the subject and study them up so that |
hey would be posted in measure, they /
would save themselves much disap-
oointment. 1t is far better to increase
one's library of information than to
pay too dearly for the experience. Per-
and I know others who are |
honest merchants, | should far rather
sell to those who are well informed |
han to those who are plainly ignorant
If the value of the stuff they are buy
ng.
And even experienced persons are
sometimes taken in by the bogus an
.ique faker, especially at auction sales,
where there is little opportunity for ex-
thinning the articles. One man have
n mind now, an old cabinet maker who
las been in the business in Philadel-
,hia for nearly twenty years, bought at
IN auction what he thought was a
genuine Chippendale chair with the
,all and claw feet and all the earmarks
Il the real. He did not find out until
le got it to his shop that he had been
ooled.
Good Chippendale chairs, pie crust
ables. block front bureaus, scroll top
lighboys. inlaid Hepplewhite side
boards are some of the things that are
are and expensive. Even If they seem
o be genuine you will have to get all
he proof possible as to their history
o make assurance doubly sure. In re-
ard to the Chippendale chairs I for
unately had their entire history. They
we're brought to this country by n
captain Green of Philadelphia on the
rst sailing vessel that sailed the neu-
raj seas after the revolution and have
.een In his family ever since.
"They were genuine Chippendale
With the ball and claw feet, the shell
arriving, and $1,000 was cheap for them.
knew it, too. / went for them with
he cash in my pocket and after / had
ought them / brought one away with
1e in the small carriage ! was driving
4 for fear the family would change
heir mind and want them back
They went to a young woman in
tlode Island who has d passion for
ntique furniture. She is not married
erself. but has filed up her mothers
ouse and that Of her grandmother as
yell as the barn with fine old genuine !