How can you tell?

6th

I've been looking at a nice piece on Adverts.ie here and was wondering how to know if its worth the price or where it might be made etc?

Also I asked and there are no keys, is it possible to source keys for this kind of thing?

Cheers

6th

looksee

I don't claim to know much about furniture, but I wouldn't pay 300 euros based on the photos provided. It appears to me that the veneer is damaged on the front, the side doesn't look great. The veneer on the top seems to be lifting in one place. The bottom drawer appears to be a different colour to the rest. What is it veneered on to. What are the drawers made of, what kind of joints do they have. I wonder if the seller understands the implications of saying it is 'antique', they haven't provided much information. I would hazard a guess that it is about 1940s.

This is an uninformed opinion, it would be interesting to hear an opinion from someone who actually knows something about furniture.

6th

See thats why I am glad I asked. They are things I may not have thought of.

Bernard Hopkins

Hi,... A large piece of furniture like this is kinda hard to sell, houses are getting smaller and antique furniture is not being appriciated like it should be !!!

the chest is Scottish, C. 1850 - 1870 .
Beautiful "flamed" mahogany , I mean this piece was only for the rich when it was made, it would have been terrible expensive at the time of production.

10 years ago you would have had to pay 600 - 800 for an example of this sort,... today dont go beyond 200 - 250.

now, just take down the measurments and envisage where it is going, because these chests are both tall and deep (i.e they can be a little bulky against the wall)

yes, the bottom drawer is a little off in colour, but that could be something you should be able to live with,...... I wouldnt have thought that the drawer was a mis-match for the chest, but more likely a new batch of veneer being used in the cabinetmaker's workshop.

the only thing i can see instantly, is that it has lost its feet.
generally the scotch chest is supported on shallow bun feet, and over time the feet get removed from the chest to take away it's height.
as i was saying earlier, they do tend to be quite tall, so during its 160 year life it has been housed in a place too small !!

also, have a look at the back, as cabinet makers tended to use cheap wood in places where the eye couldnt reach !!
it should not be chip board or plywood, but rather a thin(ish) old timber.

I would say haggle for it, but if you have to pay 250 then you arent going too far wrong.

Bernard Hopkins

something similar to this :

Degsy

There's a lot of damage to the piece,its extensively scratched at the side and there's chunks missing from the beading at the top.Also the legs are missing.YOu'd be mad to pay 300 quid for it.Go into Francis St and see what you can get for the same price.

Bernard Hopkins

dont know how much you would be charged for a chest in Francis St. ........

what would you reckon ?

Also note the price of factory produced stuff in places like arnotts !!!