Over the course of our career we've been asked many, many times, 'Has this piece been restored or had repairs?' It's a question that every antiques dealer is familiar with and one which comes up frequently. Often we pose the same question ourselves, when considering a piece for purchase or, a decision we have to make after we've acquired an item that's either damaged or in rough condition.
There's no hard and fast rules but there are general guidelines. At least, we've established some for ourselves. First, though, let's point out that primitives and country antiques are not quite like formal antiques. There's a bit of leeway here, so different guidelines are applied.
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| An old wooden nail keg that's been given a a new lease on life |
So, let's briefly discuss formal antiques, where more stringent guidlines do come into play. Here, the decision to restore is more likely to be based on value and rarity of the item in question. We all know that damaged, broken or poorly repaired items are less desireable and lose significant value. We've all seen examples of that on the 'Antiques Road Show'. Even professionaly, well restored items will lose value on many categories of antiques. China, for example, and fine antique furniture will be far less desireable once repaired. Period furniture, especially, will lose value from being refinished or having replaced parts.
Of course, there are exceptions, too. If an item is extremely rare and was discovered in very poor condition, then repairs to insure its preservation are acceptable. Paintings are another exception to the rules. If an otherwise valuable canvas is in poor condition, say with holes and some paint loss, its value can be enhanced by top quality restoration. A repaired or restored antique clock is going to be worth more than it would be if the movement were broken or the clock had missing parts. So it's a complicated matter and one that causes much controversy among dealers and collectors.
Now let's take a look at the country antiques field and see how this controversy applies there. Many items in the country collectibles field are bought by folks who want to decorate with them. Their attitude towards restoration will be quite different from that of the serious collector. In fact, if the item isn't spruced up a bit, the decorator buyer will pass it up. After all, who wants to put some ratty old thing in their living room when they might find something far more attractive which has been 'done up'. The collector, on the other hand, may be horrified at the thought of a dealer having painted, varnished or polished the brass, on that special item he or she collects. So what is a dealer to do?
Back to our guidelines which I spoke of before. We'll look at an item we've purchased for resale and ask ourselves who the ultimate buyer is likely to be. Let's say it's a wooden wash tub, that's been in the rafters of a barn for the past sixty years. Perhaps it's covered with pidgeon droppings and sixty years worth of dirt and grime. Since there's little likelyhood of there being many serious collectors of old wash tubs, we'll make the assumption that the buyer is going to be someone with a country decorating scheme, who will perhaps use it as a log holder next to a fireplace or something similar. So we'll clean it up and do whatever we think is necessary to make it as attractive as possible, In other words, we'll restore it.
Just a few days ago, we did just that to an old wooden nail keg, Not many collectors of those, I'll wager, and trust me, nobody would have wanted it the way it looked when we found it. But a couple of hours of TLC has turned it into a most attractive piece. It's now quite useable as an umbrella stand, a holder for a walking stick collection, or perhaps a primitive wooden container for a dried flower arrangement. But let's say we acquire a very rare butter mold or a small, early grain painted cabinet. We know that the value of the item probably precludes a sale as a decorative item. It would most likely be a collector who would be interested and we know what they look for. Our rule then would be - a light cleaning perhaps, but no repairs or restoration. In fact, if the item was in need of major repair, we wouldn't have acquired it in the first place.
Of course, there's always gray areas. We recently found an antique child's sleigh. A delightful item but in rather rough condition. Are there sleigh collectors out there? ... Perhaps, but this item will have wider appeal to the decorator market. We see it filled with colorful wrapped packages at Christmas time, indoors, beside a decorated tree. Nice. ... So we've decided to restore it. Some might not agree with that decision, but if it isn't restored we may never be able to sell it.
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| This will be a good project for the Spring |
So keep asking the dealers the question ... 'Has it had any repairs or restoration?' ... but don't fault the dealer if he says 'yes'. Question him further. He may have just salvaged a small piece of history, that without his help, might not have survived for another hundred years or so.
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We welcome comments on our blogs and are happy to answer any questions you may have on this or any other matters relating to antiques.
