Appraisers of Fine Art, Antiques, Collectibles, and Household Goods, since 1965
When evaluating any piece of furniture with a drawer, one of the first things we do is pull that drawer out to see how
it was constructed. The reason being, the drawer generally tells us more about the piece than anything else.
Accordingly, we would also appreciate a description and possible a picture showing the drawers construction, as shown here. Illustrated
is a drawer from a Georgian walnut desk with handcut dovetails, oak secondary wood and brass swan kneck handles .
It would
be helpful if you could you tell us, what are the secondary woods: i.e. pine, oak, mahogany, plywood (note secondary wood is the wood
that the drawer is constructed from). Also if the piece has more than one drawer, make sure the construction and woods are the
same, if not then some drawers may have been reconstructed.
Most modern drawers are plywood, so if the bottom
of the drawers is plywood, then it is not an antique unless the drawer bottoms have been replaced. Note plywood is first seen
on the bottom of drawers around 1920. Ouar understanding is taht plywood was invented for use in building the bi-plane, that
being the planes used in WW1.
Appraisers of Fine Art, Antiques, Collectibles, and Household Goods, since 1965
