Dutchess County

Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

 All Dutchess County Listings

 Dutchess County Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

world's best dealers, finest shops and most important galleries | Dutchess 1stdibs

  1stdibs, connecting the "world's best dealers, finest shops and most important galleries with individuals like you, the world's most sophisticated collectors, designers and curators. Starting with the few dealers that were hand-selected by our founder Michael Bruno at Paris's legendary antiques market, Marché Aux Puces, in 2001, we've become the global destination for those who must have 'first dibs' on treasures - from around the world - that would otherwise be inaccessible.

1stdibs IS THE WORLD'S LEADING ONLINE MARKETPLACE
FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS ON EARTH


Inspired by the Historic MARCHÉ AUX PUCES in Paris
1stdibs | Dutchess  website and more . . .
 All Hyde Park Listings

 Hyde Park Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12538, Antiques Cente, Hyde Park NY, mid-Hudson Valley, furniture store, antiques showcase, premier Antique Vendor Mall, antique dealers, authentic antiques and collectibles | Dutchess Hyde Park Antiques Center

845-229-8200?
  The Hyde Park Antiques Center is located at 4192 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park NY 12538, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley.

From Hyde Park Antiques Center: "There is history to more than just the antiques and collectibles offered at the Hyde Park Antiques Center. This sprawling facility of over 9,500 square feet of antique vendor area sits on a prominent site on Route 9 in the central corridor of Hyde Park, in Dutchess County, New York. The building is poised behind a pond on the main tourist route between two Hudson River landmarks maintained by the National Park Service - the historic Franklin D. Roosevelt Home/Presidential Library facility and the Vanderbilt Estate. Hyde Park Antiques Center | Dutchess  website and more . . .
 All Millbrook Village Listings

 Millbrook Village Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12545, Antiques Mall, MAM,  Antiques, fine Antiques Mall, 18th and 19th century European and American furniture and collectibles, antique shopping, restaurants in Dutchess County, Millbrook NY, Dutchess County, mid-Hudson Valley | Dutchess Millbrook Antiques Mall - MAM

845-677-9311
  Millbrook Antiques Mall, MAM, is located at 3301 Franklin Ave., Millbrook, NY 12545, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley.

From Millbrook Antiques: "Located in the heart of the Mid-Hudson Valley, and picturesque Dutchess Hunt Country, we offer the finest Antiques Mall in New York State with over 40 shops under one roof. We have been established for over 20 years and specialize in 18th and 19th century European and American furniture, collectibles and decorating accessories in addition to offering custom interior design services." Millbrook Antiques Mall - MAM | Dutchess  website and more . . .
 All Millerton Village Listings

 Millerton Village Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12546, Millerton Antique Center, Millerton NY 12546, mid-Hudson Valley, paintings, folk art, antique jewelry, pottery, textiles, Doodletown Farm items | Dutchess Doodletown Farm

518-329-7306
  Doodletown Farm is located at the Millerton Antique Center at 25 Main Street, Millerton NY 12546, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley or by appointment.

From Doodletown Farm: "It is our great pleasure to present an interesting mix of items you won't find anywhere else. We are continually on the lookout for the unusual: unusual in how they were made, why they were made or how they found their way to the Hudson River Valley. What we look for are not just objects from the past but objects with a past. And often, with a sense of humor. Doodletown Farm | Dutchess  more . . .

12546, antique store, Millerton NY, Dutchess County, Hudson Valley, American country,  industrial pieces, mid-century design classics, quirky folk art. | Dutchess Hunter Bee

518-789-2127
  Hunter Bee, an antique store, is located at 21 Main Street, Millerton NY 12546, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. Hunter Bee features American country and industrial pieces to mid-century design classics with quirky folk art.

From Hunter Bee: "A passion for antiques (and an apartment that was quickly filling up with them) led Kent Hunter and Jonathan Bee to open Hunter Bee, a quirky collection of industrial objects, mid-century modern furniture and American country pieces. Hunter Bee | Dutchess  more . . .

12546, Antiques, Used Furniture, Antique, Used Furniture New Furniture, Upholstery, Garden Center, Millerton NY, Dutchess County, Hudson Valley | Dutchess Johnson's Antiques & Used Furniture

518-789-3848
  Johnson's Antiques & Used Furniture is located at 5938 Route 22 North, Millerton NY 12546, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. Johnson's Antiques has over 12,000 square feet of showroom consisting of Antique and Used Furniture as well as New Furniture, Upholstery and a Garden Center. Johnson's Antiques & Used Furniture | Dutchess  more . . .

12546, Antique Center, Millerton NY, antique dealers and consignors, day of antique shopping, Hudson Valley restaurants | Dutchess Millerton Antique Center

518-789-6004
  Millerton Antique Center is located at 25 Main Street, Millerton NY 12546, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. Millerton offers 30 antique dealers and consignors.

After a day of antique shopping, select one of many excellent Hudson Valley restaurants. Millerton Antique Center | Dutchess  website and more . . .

12546, Antique Restorers, furniture restoration, Millerton, Furniture repair, antique restoration, repairing, reconditioning, refinishing furniture, on site restoration, polishing, touch up, waxing, antique dealers, family heirlooms, vintage furniture | Dutchess Rosini Antique Restorers

518-789-3582
  Rosini Antique Restorers is located at 6126 Route 22, Millerton NY 12546, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley.

From Rosini: "Furniture repair, antique restoration and personalized service is what we’re known for. Our excellence shows in all facets of our work in repairing, reconditioning and refinishing your furniture. We strive for perfection on every project and have generations of accumulated knowledge and expertise. Rosini Antique Restorers | Dutchess  more . . .
 All Pine Plains Listings

 Pine Plains Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12567, Antiquities, Interior Design, Pine Plains NY, Dutchess County, Hudson River Valley, renovated,town of Pine Plains, eclectic mix, European 18th, 19th, 20th century antique furnishings, antique accessories, antiques | Dutchess Balsamo Antiquités and Interior Design

518-398-9066
  Balsamo Antiquities and Interior Design is located at 3007 Church Street (Route 199), Pine Plains NY 12567, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley.

Housed in a renovated 1837 church in the bucolic town of Pine Plains, Balsamo offers an eclectic mix of European 18th, 19th, and 20th century antique furnishings and accessories for the home and garden. Balsamo Antiquités and Interior Design | Dutchess  more . . .

12567, Barn, Pine Plains NY, Dutchess County, Hudson Valley, furniture, lighting, antiques, kitchenware, rugs, bedding, kids toys, books | Dutchess Hammertown, Barn in Pine Plains

518-398-7075
  Hammertown Barn is located at 3201 Route 199, Pine Plains NY 12567, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. Hammertown features furniture as well as lighting, antiques, kitchenware, rugs, bedding, kids toys, books, and more. Hammertown, Barn in Pine Plains | Dutchess  more . . .

12567, Antique, Antique & Vintage Woods, Pine Plains NY 12567, Dutchess County, Hudson Valley, Antique & Vintage Woods of America (AVW), restoring and reselling reclaimed building materials, barns and buildings over 100 years old | Dutchess Hudson Company

845-848-3040
  The Hudson Company, a reclaimed wood supplier, is located at 2290 Route 199Pine Plains, NY 12567 in Dutchess County.

From Hudson Company: "While the manufacturing of most architectural surfaces has been exported overseas, The Hudson Company is proud to mill our reclaimed & select harvest flooring, paneling, and beam surfaces on seven acres among the natural beauty of New York’s Hudson River Valley. Our intention in making reclaimed and new sawn surfaces is not to be just another mill, but to be a mill that creates environments that foster meaningful conversation and experiences. Hudson Company | Dutchess  website and more . . .

12567, Hudson Valley, custom metalsmithing shop, art and furniture for designers, architects, homeowners, blacksmiths, recyclers, vintage parts, Pine Plains NY, Dutchess County | Dutchess Stissing Design

518-398-0100
  Stissing Design is located in Pine Plains NY 12567, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley.

From Stissing Design: "Owned and operated by Tim Jones, Stissing Design is a custom metalsmithing shop in Pine Plains. Tim Creates art and furniture for designers, architects, and homeowners. Stissing Design | Dutchess  more . . .
 All Red Hook Listings

 Red Hook Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12571, Antiques Center, Red Hook NY, Dutchess County, Hudson Valley | Dutchess Annex Antiques Center

845-758-2843
  Annex Antiques Center is located at 23 East Market Street, Red Hook NY 12571, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. Annex Antiques Center | Dutchess  more . . .
 All Rhinebeck Listings

 Rhinebeck Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12572, Antique Rhinebeck NY, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley, multi-dealer antique emporium | Dutchess Antique Market at Beekman Arms

845-876-3477
  Antique Market is located at 6387 Mill Street, Rhinebeck NY 12572, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley. The Antique Market, behind the Beekman Arms in a classic red barn, is a multi-dealer antique emporium. Antique Market at Beekman Arms | Dutchess  more . . .

12572, Antiques, imported antique furniture and accessories, antique lovers, period oak and Georgian mahogany, authentic reproductions, antiques and reproductions, Rhinebeck NY, Dutchess County, Hudson River Valley, historic Rhinebeck house | Dutchess Asher House At Home

845-876-1794
  Asher House Antiques is located at 6380 Mill Street, Route 9, Rhinebeck NY 12572, Dutchess County in the Hudson River Valley.

From Asher House: "Asher House Antiques is the Hudson Valley’s premier resource for imported antique furniture and accessories. Inside our historic Rhinebeck house, antique lovers can find period oak and Georgian mahogany pieces to early 20th century and, when the originals run scarce, expert and authentic reproductions. Asher House At Home | Dutchess  more . . .

12572, Antiques, historic Rhinebeck, antique decorative accessories, Black Forest carvings, inkwells, tea caddies, boxes, picture frames, 19th and 20th century fine art, Georgian and Victorian jewelry | Dutchess Portly Pug Antiques

845-876-6896
  Portly Pug Antiques is located at 11 West Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572, Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley.

From Portly Pug: Portly Pug, in the heart of historic Rhinebeck, offers antique decorative accessories, Black Forest carvings, inkwells, tea caddies, boxes and picture frames, 19th and 20th century fine art, Georgian and Victorian jewelry, and more. Portly Pug Antiques | Dutchess  more . . .
 All Staatsburg Listings

 Staatsburg Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12580, Antiques Emporium, Staatsburg, NY, Rhinebeck Antiques, interior designers, antique dealers, specialties, appraisals, available dealer space | Dutchess Rhinebeck Antiques Emporium

845-876-8168
  The Rhinebeck Antiques Emporium, offering auctioneer and appraisal services in addition to antiques, is located at 5229 Albany Post Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley.

From Rhinebeck Antiques Emporium: "As founder of the Rhinebeck Antique Emporium, I’m privileged to be part of a firm that champions integrity and service – while providing expertise in the wonderfully detailed world of antiques. Prominent collectors, estate executors and dealers trust us to deliver antique appraisals, antique values, liquidation, repair and shipping services. Our staff and fellow dealers are in turn available to guide clients through those services. Rhinebeck Antiques Emporium | Dutchess  more . . .
 All Stanfordville Listings

 Stanfordville Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12581, Antiques Centre, antique dealers, Stanfordville NY, Dutchess County, Hudson Valley | Dutchess Ole Carousel Antiques Centre

845-868-1586
  Ole Carousel Antiques Centre, with more than 30 in-house antique dealers in an 8500 square feet space, is located at 6208 Route 82, Stanfordville NY 12581, Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley.

From Ole Carousel: "With over 30 in-house dealers, we carry a wide-selection of antiques and collectibles with fresh merchandise arriving daily. Offering affordable pricing, the Ole Carousel is known to be the shopping destination for dealers, decorators, set designers - movie and theatre - window designers, real estate stagers and many others. If an item that you are searching for is not immediately available in our 8,500 sqft store, the staff will be happy to try to locate what you need through the vast number of dealers that we have established a network with." Ole Carousel Antiques Centre | Dutchess  website and more . . .
 All Wappingers Falls Listings

 Wappingers Falls Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals

12590, Wappingers Falls, NY, Dutchess County, antiques and collectibles, furniture reupholstery, historical restoration & preservation, specialties | Dutchess Finisher's Touch

845-298-8882
  Finisher's Touch is located at 783 Old Route 9N, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 in Dutchess County. Finisher's Touch offers antiques and collectibles, furniture reupholstery, historical restoration & preservation, and more specialties. Finisher's Touch | Dutchess  more . . .

 More Hudson Valley  Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Albany Albany County
      [15 listings over 4 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Columbia Columbia County
      [35 listings over 9 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Greene Greene County
      [5 listings over 4 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Orange Orange County
      [25 listings over 13 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Putnam Putnam County
      [16 listings over 3 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Rensselaer Rensselaer County
      [2 listings over 2 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Rockland Rockland County
      [2 listings over 2 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Saratoga Saratoga County
      [1 listing over 1 location]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Schenectady Schenectady County
      [1 listing over 1 location]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Ulster Ulster County
      [12 listings over 6 locations]


Antique Shops | Consignment | Appraisals | Westchester Westchester County
      [69 listings over 27 locations]



Antique Shops | Consignment |Appraisals
Collectibles | Auctions
Dutchess County
Hudson Valley

Up-to-date and comprehensive list of antique shops in the Hudson Valley of New YorkVisit antique shops and antique malls in the quaint towns and villages of Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester County.

Take a scenic drive from New York City to the towns and historic villages in the Hudson Valley. Plan a Manhattan Getaway antiquing in the Hudson River Valley. Visit the Hudson River Towns, see magnificent landscapes, mountain ranges, rivers, and quaint villages in the historic Hudson Valley.

Visit villages, hamlets, and towns in the Hudson Valley that offer places to purchase collectibles and antiques.

After a day of shopping the antique stores eat-out in a Restaurant in Nyack where you can enjoy dining in a bistro, organic café, of fine dining establishment.

Visit the Historic Hudson Valley where you'll find great places to get your antiques appraised while you shop for antiques and collectibles. If you need an appraisal for one of your prized antiques, there are many opportunities in the Hudson Valley where you can get a professional antique appraisal.

Find auctioneers and appraisal houses where you can have a painting, ceramic, or any other antique appraised, by reliable, knowledgeable, and experienced specialists that can give you a written appraisal of your item. Visit one or more auction galleries where you or an estate trustee can realize the value of your prized possessions. Fine art, antiques, and estate goods can be appraised in many locations in the Hudson Valley.

Antique Shopping in Westchester County
For the best antique shopping, be sure to visit Westchester antique shops and enjoy the thrill of hunting for that special collectible to bring home and add to your collection of fine antiques. Visit the charming villages of Southern Westchester where you can find many shops offering antiques and collectibles. Westchester antiquing is one of the best attractions in the villages along the Hudson River. Combine touring Westchester's River Towns with day trips that include shopping for antiques and fine dining in Westchester's River Towns. Before eating out browse through the After shopping the boutiques in Tarrytown be sure to eat-out in one of several excellent restaurants in Tarrytown-on-Hudson. You can also find several exceptional historic sites in Tarrytown and neighboring Sleepy Hollow.

If you're visiting the towns in Northern Westchester, visit
At the end of a full and wonderful day antiquing in Westchester NY, select a place-to-eat from the Westchester Restaurant Guide. You will find many excellent places to eat in Westchester.

Plan a weekend in Westchester. Spend the days in Westchester antique shops and touring historic sites in Westchester where you'll find the highest concentration of historic sites in the United States.

Antique Shopping in Putnam County
Plan a weekend visiting the River Towns of the Hudson Valley. Find the best places to stay and wonderful restaurants as you drive from village to village; viewing magnificent landscapes, beautiful mountains, lakes and the Hudson River. Be sure to stop in Cold Spring, New York.

Visit the Scenic Hudson Valley. Drive from Manhattan to the charming towns and historic villages scattered throughout the Hudson Valley. Drive through the Westchester River Towns offering one-of-a-kind shops, exceptional dining with waterfront views, and charming villages. Cross over to Putnam County where you'll find the historic village of Cold Spring on the Hudson. Find several unique stores and Antique shops in Cold Spring.

After a day of shopping the antique stores, eat-out in an excellent Hudson Valley Restaurant. Find the best places to eat, many offering Farm-To-Table cuisine supplied by local farms. Be sure to try some of the fabulous healthy and fresh foods along the Hudson River Valley.

Antique Shopping in Dutchess County
If you are planning to visit Dutchess, in the Hudson Valley of New York, be sure to visit the antique shops and antique malls in the small towns and villages of Dutchess County. Don't forget to bring that special antique that you've been waiting to have appraised. Visit When you're ready for a break from all the antique shopping, visit a tea tasting room, tea lounge, or coffee shop in Millerton.

The Rhinebeck Antiques Fair is an amazing antique venue offering many excellent antiques and crafts from dealers attending from all around the country. If you are looking for antiques or crafts, be sure to visit the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair, located on Route 9 at the Dutchess Valley County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck New York. This very popular Antiques and crafts show has been running for over 30 years and offers a summer and fall show. The antiques fair is held entirely indoors on the Dutchess County Fairgrounds at Rhinebeck Antiques Fair.

Browse the antique shops in the charming villages and towns in Dutchess County, New York. Enjoy the thrill of antique hunting and add antiquing in Dutchess County to your itinerary. Browse the antique stores in Millbrook, where you can stop for a cappuccino or fresh baked goods in Tazza Café. Check out the antiques shops in Red Hook or go antiquing in Stanfordville.

Take a scenic drive from New York City to the historic Village of Rhinebeck where you can visit the Antique Market at the Beekman Arms and other antique shops around this charming town. Be sure to plan a trip to the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair where a great selection of antiques and hand-made crafts are available.

Antique Shopping in Hudson
Find a wide range of antiques in the Hudson Valley in Hudson, New York. Hudson offers an amazing collection of antique stores in the antique district at Warren Street where you will discover more than 50 antique stores, dealers, and a wonderful collection of antiques covering decorative objects, furniture, lighting, and more dating from the 17th century. Feel the thrill of finding that special antique armoire, vase, chair, or lighting fixture offered by Hudson's antique dealers.

Plan a daytrip from Manhattan to Hudson in Columbia County, located in the upper Hudson Valley. Penn Station is only two hours from New York's major antique center on Warren Street where you can visit the historic city of Hudson, New York. Hudson is the Antique center of the Hudson Valley. Visit antique shops and more than 100 antique dealers on Warren Street and explore the antique markets in Hudson, New York. Hudson's antique dealers range from moderate to high-end shops with a wide range of antiques and collectibles.

Take a scenic drive or take Amtrak to the antique district in Hudson and other charming villages in Columbia County.

Antique Shopping in Nyack
For a fun day of antique shopping, visit Nyack in Rockland County, where you can go antiquing in the neighborhood of South Broadway and Main Street. Nyack is a village on the Hudson River offering several one-of-a-kind shops and places to find antiques, vintage clothes, and more collectibles.

Nyack also offers some of the finest restaurants in the Hudson Valley. After an afternoon of antiquing, visit one of several excellent Restaurants in Nyack, New York.

Antique Shopping in Albany
Are you spending time in Albany? Visit the Capital Region's Antique District and find antique stores, dealers, and a wide range of antiques covering decorative objects, furniture, lighting, and more from the 17th century to the 20th century. Enjoy searching for that one-of a kind antique armoire, vase, chair, or lighting fixture offered by the antique stores and antique dealers in Albany, New York.

Find shops offering vintage clothes and accessories. Find vintage clothing, vintage costume jewelry, furs, purses and vintage accessories. Find a great evening dress, smoking jacket, beaded sweater, or other unique vintage clothing item. Also, don't forget that special antique you've been waiting to have appraised at
Before buying that next piece of antique furniture, or getting an appraisal from an antique dealer in New York, read "What is an Antique". The more you learn and understand about antiques, the more fun you can have talking to antique dealers while searching the antique shops.

What is an Antique?
In 1930 the U.S. Government ruled that objects had to be at least one 100 years old to be classified as antiques, so they could be admitted duty free into the U.S. This was a legislative tax decision. Since then, antiques have often been defined as objects made before 1830.

In Europe, items as recent as that seem quite young. In contrast with a classic Roman head, an 18th-century chair is modern. Antique shops in European cities are often called "antiquities" shops. Except for Indian relics and a few Spanish buildings in the Southwest, the oldest American antiques are but 300 years old.

Americans experience the same contrast in their shops. To a New Englander who knows the pine furniture of Pilgrim days, a Victorian sofa doesn't seem antique. But in Nebraska or Oregon it does, because it represents the earliest furnishings in the region. The age of antiques seems to vary in relation to their environment. And so the perception of "What is antique?" changes from region to region and one part of the world to another.

Americans often count among their antiques items made by machine as well as those wrought by hand. Most of these are later than 1830. Circa 1830, may serve as a dividing line between the age of craftsmanship and the machine age.

A cup without a handle but with two saucers, a salt crock to hang on a kitchen wall, a cream pitcher in the form of a cow with luster spots over its white pottery body, an amber bottle shaped like a fish - all these were useful and probably treasured possessions in homes 85 to 150 years ago. Today, eyebrows would be raised if tea were served in a cup without a handle, and the salt crock would be considered unsanitary. Their value lies in their being antiques. As such, they are as genuine as the brass lantern with beveled glass sides that hangs in the hall of the Governor's Palace, restored to its eighteenth-century splendor, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Antiques command more attention today than they ever have. Nothing that was of personal or household use during the last 300 years is too minor for consideration in this century. Yet hundreds of simple everyday articles that once were indispensable now are left to gather dust or are unrecognized for what they are.

An antique, according to the dictionary, is "a piece of furniture, tableware or the like, made at a much earlier period than the present." It is not, however, necessarily out-of-date or old fashioned. A chair that was built soundly from good hardwood around 1820 and is comfortable to sit on is never out-of-date. How many years old must a chair, a plate, a trivet, a fan, or a clock be to warrant its being called an antique without anyone's arguing the point? Some people insist on a precise number of years, such as 80 or 100. The 80-year span is justified on the basis of two generations, each one covering 40 years. Yet a watch that is only 75 years old is likely to look old-fashioned, and so perhaps it also is an antique. Certainly anything that is 100 years old deserves the label.

An official definition of an antique is stated in the Tariff Act of 1930. According to Paragraph 1811 of that Act, antiques are "works of art (except rugs and carpets made after the year 1700), collections in illustration of the progress of the arts, works in bronze, marble, terra cotta, parian, pottery or porcelain, artistic antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value which shall have been produced prior to the year 1830."

This statement is clear in its application to imports and the payment of duty on them. But the year 1830 is more than an arbitrary date in the classification of American antiques. It was about this time that mass production and factory manufacture began to displace the making of individual pieces entirely by hand. Glass began to be pressed into forms by machine instead of being hand-blown. Chairs were the first piece of furniture to which assembly line methods were applied. Although the cabinetmaker, the glassblower, the blacksmith, and other craftsmen were not put out of business immediately, each succeeding decade brought an increase in mass manufacturing.

The fact that a chair or table was made by a cabinetmaker before 1830 does not necessarily make it a more valuable antique than one made thereafter. All the cabinetmakers in any period were not equally skillful; many of them turned out mediocre pieces. But in every craft that contributed to daily living, some workmen produced wares that made their names famous.

The painted side chair with stencil decoration and rush seat was produced in quantity and sold cheaply during the 1820's because Lambert Hitchcock turned his Connecticut workroom into a factory where the parts were cut and turned, assembled, and then decorated, so that many more chairs were completed in a day than if a workman had concentrated on one from start to finish. The Hitchcock chair now is as undeniably an antique as a mahogany fiddle-back Empire chair or a Chippendale ladder-back made many years earlier by cabinetmakers. So also are a steeple clock of the 1860's, a pressed glass lamp that burned whale oil during the 1840's or a brass student lamp that burned kerosene in the 1880's, and the cut glass wedding presents of the 1890's.

The quest for antiques can be as successful in one region of the country as another. In the Southwest, the oldest traditions and antiques are Spanish in origin, although people there share with the rest of the United States a rich Victorian background. Louisiana is one of several notable areas in the United States and Canada where the influence was primarily French. In the Northwest and in the north central states, descendants of Scandinavian settlers are proud of handsome carved bedsteads and equally handsome household linens.

Except for small districts where certain nationalities tended to settle during the nineteenth century, the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern states reflect in their antiques a predominantly English influence. Household and family goods brought to this country, imported during Colonial days, and later produced here in great quantity followed trends and living habits established in England. The Orient also placed its stamp on eastern towns that thrived as seaports in the late 1700's and much of the 1800's, just as it did on England. To such centers as Salem and New Bedford, Massachusetts, Baltimore, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virginia, came Canton tableware, Kashmir shawls, teakwood chests and tables.

Not a day goes by but that someone in the United States glances at some object and fails to recognize it as an antique.Many homely things are packed away in trunks, chests, and cupboards or are gathering dust in attics and cellars. Clearing out a house in which a family has lived for a long time or disposing of the possessions of an elderly relative is almost certain to be rewarded with the discovery of some antiques. Few of the articles may be of museum quality. Some will have greater sentimental or nostalgic than monetary value. However, not even the stacks of magazines, the scrapbooks put together 75 or more years ago, or the clutter of dusty bottles should be tossed aside for the trash collector. At the very least, publications and clippings represent valuable research material for people in many fields of work today. If there's time to go through them, you may find an issue of a magazine, a lithograph in a scrapbook, or a historical flask among the old canning jars and milk bottles that will bring hard cash in the antique market.

It is a fact that any antique you come across that has no appeal for you or suggests no use to you is likely to be a treasure to someone else, who will gladly pay for it. Ten to one, the person who buys is a collector. The really zealous collector is someone who specializes. Preferences range from such popular things as pressed glass, some type of pottery, clocks, lamps, coins, coin banks, bottles, souvenir spoons, and guns to oddments such as butter pats, hatpin-holders, mustache cups, cut glass knife rests, and toothpicks.

Many collectors, including those who buy relatively inexpensive items such as hatpin-holders, gradually assemble a group that becomes valuable in terms of money. In contrast, there are people who literally buy antiques as an investment which they expect to increase in value. Such things as authentic Queen Anne and Philadelphia Chippendale furniture made here during the 1700's, Meissen figurines, and Lowestoft china are currently expensive examples of sound investments. Less costly now, but almost certain to increase in value during the next twenty years, are furniture made between 1785 and 1820, eighteenth and early nineteenth century brass, early nineteenth century china, Tiffany glass, and probably - cut glass.

People with money to invest seldom buy without the advice of a reliable antique dealer. Collectors, both those who rely on an expert and those who do not, are bound eventually to learn a good deal about their field and most of them become shrewd buyers. In self-defense, therefore, a person who owns or finds antiques must learn something about them before offering them for sale. It is not enough to be halfway convinced that the iridescent, marigold-hued glass bowl that you've kept in the cupboard because it came from home, but have never liked or used, is carnival or taffeta glass. When you attempt to make certain that it is, you undoubtedly will hear that there is at present a brisk market for this glass, which is hardly old enough yet to be antique.

Carnival glass does not have the name of the manufacturer or the butcher who gave it away worked in with the design, nor does any pressed glass that was obtained as a premium. Many other things displaying the name of the manufacturer or merchant that were given away between 1850 and 1900 are worth money today. If you find any fans, spoons, calendars, paper dolls (printing on the backs), a bootjack, or tin containers emblazoned with firm or trade names, they need not be discarded as trash.

Anyone who is in a hurry to sell the antiques found in an old house is probably wise to ask a reliable dealer to come in and look them over. He may be willing to handle the sale of some or all of them on the usual commission basis. Or, for a small fee, he may merely advise on the value and salability of the entire lot. Remember, antique dealers have customers, whereas you must find an interested buyer before you can dispose of anything, however rare, odd, or valuable it may seem.

If selling is not urgent, there are several ways a person can learn to recognize and, eventually, evaluate an antique. Visits to antique shops and occasional attendance at an auction in a city gallery or on a rural green are means of learning what is being offered for sale, what people are buying, and what prices are being paid.

Visiting restorations show how people lived - they are full of everyday things. More than one restoration visitor has been reminded of a nineteenth-century duplicate consigned to a cupboard at home as too ordinary to be considered an antique but too good to throw away. Fully as enlightening are the specialized exhibits at the Clock Museum in Bristol, Connecticut, the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, New York, the Maritime Museum in San Francisco. California, and Henry Ford Museum and Dearborn Village in Dearborn, Michigan, to mention only a few.

Books are perhaps the easiest way to sharpen recognition and aid in the identification of antiques. There also are books on subjects as specific as milk glass, paperweights, and pewter.

Once an antique has been identified, its characteristics will have to be evaluated. Its approximate age, workmanship, the quality of the materials, present condition, and rarity all have a hearing on both its intrinsic and market values. Repair or restoration may downgrade an antique. A piece of pressed glass that can be authenticated as having been made at the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company's factory in Sandwich, Massachusetts, is to be prized or sold for a good price. However, many excellent as well as beautiful pieces came from factories elsewhere in New England and in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Owners often carelessly fool themselves into believing that an antique is older than it actually is. The Queen Anne style in furniture, for example, was made everywhere in America between 1725 and 1750. Its distinguishing details continued to be followed, particularly in rural areas, for many years after other styles had come into fashion. Thus, a tea table made in New Hampshire in the early 1800's may well have some distinctly Queen Anne characteristics.

There is a tendency also among owners who are not familiar with the antique market to set an inflated valuation on anything they wish to sell. Pride and sentiment have nothing to do with selling prices. The appraised value of an antique, stated after careful examination by a qualified expert, may well be higher than current market value. In antiques as in everything else, the selling price is determined by supply and demand. Pressed glass brings much higher prices now than it did thirty years ago when collecting it first became popular.

Every year adds both prestige and value to nineteenth-century antiques. It will take longer, because more of everything was made during the 1800's, but sooner or later the number of nineteenth-century pieces will be reduced just as eighteenth-century antiques have been-by collectors and investors. Add those who enjoy living with antiques. The increasing number of folk museums and restorations is another drain, for such places may sell reproductions but not authentic pieces. If not this week, then some day, the Double Nine-Patch quilt hand stitched about 1810 and other equally unpretentious furnishings and belongings are certain to rank as important inheritances. A second look at utensils from a nineteenth-century kitchen may prove them to be as worthwhile from an antique standpoint as the parlor furniture.

Source "What is an Antique"




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