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Somebody Got a Deal at $2,000
Just noticed that this Aesthetic cabinet that I was monitoring went for $2,000. I had actually opened the bidding window (it was live) to wait for the lot to come up but something distracted me and I never made it back.
Alexander Roux or Pottier & Stymus?
If you're new to Rare Victorian or you just missed the first-ever post, I'll mention again that this blog was initially created as a real-time journey as I educate myself in the niche of rare Victorian furniture. This bl
Early John Henry Belter Applied Crest Chair
This chair sold yesterday and I kinda wish I had bid on it. Those of you who have been in the Victorian Furniture world for longer than I may have run across this form before, but I have not. I believe that the seller co
The Next Rare Victorian Giveaway!
Time for the second Rare Victorian free giveaway! I have two of these, so I'm giving away a First Edition copy (1998) of Nadja Maril's, "Antique Lamp Buyer's Guide - Identifying Late 19th and Early 20th Century American
Best Place to Invest a Bonus - Victorian Furniture
I thought I'd pass on this article about where to spend your bonus - if you happen to be a banker. Although it's written in the UK and most of the Rare Victorian readers are in the US (and aren't bankers), I thought most
Common Misspellings of Victorian Cabinetmakers' Names
Is the name of the maker of the sofa above correctly spelled as Charles Boudoine, Badouine, Baudoine, Baudouin, or Boudouine? None of the above. The correct spelling is "Baudouine" (see image of his stamp below). I have
These Chairs Bother Me
It's like that annoying itch that you can't seem to get rid of. I've seen these chairs a hundred times and it seems that 1 out of 5 auction sales with decent Victorian items has at least one of them. They're on page 94 i
Questionable Antique Descriptions
I thought that I'd share a personal experience of an example of the problem with online antique descriptions. This scenario happens to involve a dealer, but I won't isolate dealers as the only individuals capable of misl
Road Trip!
I'm heading to Ohio for business meetings (for my day job) on Monday and Tuesday and I've decided to head there early for the weekend. I'm a University of Dayton grad and lived in Ohio for 7 years so I have friends to vi
Americans Have No History of Their Own
I ran across this Yorkshire Post newspaper article about the BBC and it's tendency to produce Victorian-era dramas (and scant more) on target with what I've always unconsciously felt. It seems that any time I channel sur
Hemingway Home Antique Furnishings
During my recent trip to Key West I toured the home of Ernest Hemingway, which was built in 1851 by Asa Tift. Tift was a salvage wrecker, meaning that he made a living recovering the crew, ships, and cargo when approachi
Alexander Roux Pietra Dure Table
Also commonly seen as Pietra Dura, Pietra Dure is the technique of using precision cut, highly polished rocks to create a painting in stone. I've never seen this technique used by the "big names" in Victorian furniture b
"In the Manner of" George Hunzinger
You will occasionally run across the phrase "In the manner of" within a furniture listing to denote a case where the seller is leaning (oftentimes strongly) against attributing a piece to a particular maker. Elements of
Back From Key West
I'm back from Key West and I had an eventful week including a good share of Victorian sightseeing while I was there. It's good to be back and I'm ready to get back into the Rare Victorian and digging into the minutiae of
70-Foot Christmas Trees and a Key West Christmas
We have not yet had a chance to host a family Christmas at "Pennyscroft" since the family rotation has taken us to Florida each of the past two Christmases that we've had since buying the home. Chrismas can be quite gran
Manly Man's Guide to Buying Victorian Antiques
It's funny to watch the faces of friends and coworkers as they take a tour of our house for the first time. When they learn that it was me and not my wife that selected all of the Victorian antiques that we own, you can
My Favorite Victorian Antique
I'm sure everyone has a favorite piece in their antique collection and picking out just one to be "the favorite" is like picking your favorite child, but for me it's a relatively easy choice... and I don't have children.
Modern Gothic Secretary/Dresser
This Modern Gothic dresser/secretary has a central drawer that pulls out and the front panel drops to expose a desk surface. The design elements of this piece are primarily Eastlake due to the shallow incisings, grooved
Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations are in order for Jason Flatt (you may have seen him as "1881Victorian" in the forum) who was the winner of the Century of Revivals giveaway. Thanks go out to all of you who registered to participate and I
Did George J. Henkels Make This Chair?
I am unsure as to whether this chair was produced by George Henkels as the seller prescribes. I have profiled this identical form of chair from another seller previously and now that I have seen a few of them, I'd like t
Hunzinger Rocker with Duplex Spring up for Bid
Just a quick note to point out that a Hunzinger rocker with the duplex spring popped up for sale in the San Francisco area (they're saying no shipping). It appears to be in good condition and has nice spiral turned frame
Pabst Poker/Tavern Table
Sometimes my auction searches by keyword bring up some interesting items such as this Pabst table ... Pabst Blue Ribbon table that is - yes, the beer company. My search is intended to identify antique Daniel Pabst items
J & JW Meeks "Duchesse" Dressing Table
I learn something new every day as I glean the Internet for memorable furniture. This form of dressing table can apparently be referred to as a "Duchesse" due to the curved back form. My initial research on the term Duch
Anthony Quervelle Sideboard
Technically this American Classical sideboard that is attributed to Anthony Quervelle is pre-Victorian, probably 1825-1835, but that is close enough for me to profile this beautiful piece in the Rare Victorian.Anthony Qu
Hidden Merklen Brothers Chair
This Merklen chair (my attribution) is buried under a "Gothic Revival" description with no mention of either Hunzinger or Merklen and is posted with an expected range of $250-$350. Considering the last nice Merklen chair
Stellar John Jelliff Pieces at Neal Auction
For Jelliff fans out there, it doesn't get much better than what is coming up for sale during the December 1st and 2nd Neal Auction sale. Two tables and a parlor set that have been attributed to Jelliff will go up for bi
Please Take this Quick Survey
I am considering developing an antique pricing research tool that will sift through historic auction data based on your search parameters (e.g. "Horner griffin partner's desk"). The tool would report back a few years wor
New "Auction Watch" Board
I've added a new board to VictorianForum.com: "Auction Watch"Please use this board to post about and read about good upcoming auctions with quality Victorian Furniture lots. Please read the board instructions before post
Meeks Stanton Hall Parlor Set
Coming up for sale is another historically unified parlor set being split into separate lots. This time it is a "Stanton Hall" parlor set from J & JW Meeks. I won't revisit the topic of splitting these historic sets
Herter Brothers Bookcase Find
You may remember Ralph and Pamela Krainik from the previous post on their monumental clock. They recently let me know that they purchased a Victorian bookcase and were able to identify it as a Herter Brothers piece due t
Taking Decorative Risks
This three-piece set of parlor furniture will certainly jump out at you when you enter the room. I still can't decide if I like it or not and I think the problem I'm having is due to the upholstery. I think if this were
Moorish Fretwork and Spindle Lattice-Work Identification
Paul Tucker has placed a request for identification help on the Rare Victorian community board here to get some ideas on who has produced these two pieces. The first is a Moorish fretwork umbrella stand marked as made by
Charles Rohlfs Chair - Sold $198,000
If you remember this chair from my previous post, I thought I'd update you on the recent sale results - $198,000. It took four minutes to sell and handily exceeded the pre-auction estimate of $30,000-$50,000. It's in exc
Rare Victorian Attire Available!
Ok, this might go down as the worlds worst attempt at humor but the idea hit me and I created a shirt for myself to wear to antique shows, auctions, etc. I've opened up a shop on CafeExpress so that that fans of Rare Vic
Alexander Roux Armchairs at Kamelot
One of my local auction houses, Kamelot Auctions is putting up for bid this pair of matching armchairs with unmatching upholstery. I believe that they are accurate with their tentative "Roux?" attribution. You can find t
Nineteenth Century Furniture - Innovation, Revival and Reform
I've set up a new Reference Book page on the Rare Victorian site and I will be adding more entries over time, one of which will be this book, "Nineteenth Century Furniture: Innovation, Revival and Reform". I point this o