Antique finds...ages, please?

[mammabooh]

My family and I went through my grandma's house last weekend (she passed away in July of 2009) and I found all kinds of treasures. I'd love some help finding the approximate age of a few things if any of you can help me out.

Here's the first item. This chair has been reupholstered obviously, so I'll be doing it again when my project list is a bit shorter. Any idea how old the frame is?




More items to come...

[mammabooh]

Next up is this horn. No one in the family knows who it belonged to, but we know it wasn't either of my grandparents...perhaps it was my great-grandpa's. I'll be calling some third-cousins today to see if they know anything about it. Any idea of the age and what it is made of? If you need more pictures of a certain angle, just let me know.




Also, is there anything I can use to clean it? I'd like to treat it with something too so that the metal stays in decent shape. I played French Horn in 5th and 6th grade, so I'm having a blast trying to remember what the notes are.

[mammabooh]

Here is a very cool cupboard that Hubby found sitting on the floor in an upstairs bedroom. We are going to mount it on the wall in our kitchen with a board hanging below it with some old kitchen utensils hanging from it. Below that will be an old buffet that we were given many years ago. That's the plan unless we can find a lower cupboard that looks like it was made to go with it. Any ideas?

[jill.costello]

I would NOT polish the horn until you can get a good handle on how old it is! The "patina" of age is what puts value on most antiques; not saying that you intend to sell it, just saying that if it is to continue to be an heirloom, you may want to "preserve" it as-is. Good luck with your other beautiful things!!

[whiterock]

I 'm thinking the cupboard is the top portion of a "plantation" desk, used to keep account books. I would guess the chair to be in the 1880-1900 time frame. Can't venture a guess on the horn.
Ed

[nc_mtn]

Mammabooth, They should have a name on it somewhere, probably on or near the engraving. Also look for a (small) serial number - that will tell a whole lot of info... Leave it alone when it comes to cleaning it up, you could try to clean it with a wet rag but keep the cleaners away until you figure out what make/model.

Vintage instruments can be worth a whole heck of a lot of cash!

[TheMartianChick]

The chair looks like it might be an Eastlake.

I also would not recommend cleaning the body of the horn. Instead, you could probably buy some valve oil and lubricate the valves. That is about al lthat I'd do until I talked with an expert.

All in all, these are some nice finds.

[mammabooh]

Originally Posted by nc_mtn

Mammabooth, They should have a name on it somewhere, probably on or near the engraving. Also look for a (small) serial number - that will tell a whole lot of info... Leave it alone when it comes to cleaning it up, you could try to clean it with a wet rag but keep the cleaners away until you figure out what make/model.

Vintage instruments can be worth a whole heck of a lot of cash!

Thanks. I just now searched it again and found that it is a Wurlitzer, but can't read the city of manufacture. It looks like it says "Cinti, O". I don't know if that could be Cincinnati, Ohio? I haven't found any serial number yet.

[MushCreek]

I'd say 1880 or so on the chair also.

As for the horn- I'd also say around 1880 to 1910, judging from the engraving. I collect old brass instruments, and most of them don't have much value, other than very specific makes and models. If it dates to the Civil War, it could be worth more, but it looks newer than that. It appears to be a baritone horn from the size of it. There should be a name on the bell engraving, and a serial number on the valve casings. I might be able to pinpoint the year, and relative value based on that. There doesn't seem to be any value in leaving it tarnished; instrument collectors usually gently clean them, and even re-finishing doesn't seem to hurt the value, although you would never get the money back out of it. It appears to be silver plate over brass- very common back then. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it!

[mammabooh]

Originally Posted by MushCreek

I'd say 1880 or so on the chair also.

As for the horn- I'd also say around 1880 to 1910, judging from the engraving. I collect old brass instruments, and most of them don't have much value, other than very specific makes and models. If it dates to the Civil War, it could be worth more, but it looks newer than that. It appears to be a baritone horn from the size of it. There should be a name on the bell engraving, and a serial number on the valve casings. I might be able to pinpoint the year, and relative value based on that. There doesn't seem to be any value in leaving it tarnished; instrument collectors usually gently clean them, and even re-finishing doesn't seem to hurt the value, although you would never get the money back out of it. It appears to be silver plate over brass- very common back then. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it!

I will be keeping it, so the value isn't at all important to me. I just want to know how old it is (and I'd really like to know who it belonged to also!). We have the player piano that my great grandma bought in 1917, so I'm going to hang the horn above that and take it down every once in a while to play it.

I believe you're right about the silver plate. There is a little area that is scratched, and it looks like brass under the silver.

I still haven't found the serial number, but I'll keep looking.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Not sure what age of any of your items or their value but wanted to tell you they are very nice peices. I like them all. The cupboard will like nice hanging on a kitchen wall.

[shelljo]

I don't know anything about the age of anything, but...that cabinet would probably look better in my kithcen. just pack it nicely, and ship it

[mammabooh]

Originally Posted by shelljo

I don't know anything about the age of anything, but...that cabinet would probably look better in my kithcen. just pack it nicely, and ship it

You'll have to wrestle my hubby for it. He almost jumped up and down when he found it.

[Freeholder]

My guess on the chair is late eighteen hundreds, also. The cabinet could be any age from that old or older. It's going to be hard to tell, because while there are certain 'periods' of furniture construction, in the rural areas people would continue to use older methods and styles long after they'd been superseded in the big cities. (Ditto for clothing styles prior to the introduction of mass media.) You can't even tell by the nails, because a frugal farmer could have had a stash of old-style nails long after the manufacturing method changed. I've seen similar cabinets that were built in the 1700's, but yours most likely isn't that old. The finish might help someone with experience date it, but even that could have been changed over the life of the cabinet. Just make a good guess that all of your finds are probably much older than you are, and enjoy them!

Kathleen

[mammabooh]

Here is a cool mirror that I found at Grandma's on Tuesday. The glass is pretty much the thickness of the metal sides. There is a little bit of cardboard-like stuff on the bottom that adds to the thickness, but not much.




And here is a pillow that I have loved since I was a tiny kid. I don't think it was handmade, but I suppose it could have been. It is a feather pillow and the cover is not removable. My great aunt (grandma's sitser) had one exactly like it. They had lots of the same items for some reason.

[whiterock]

The mirror is a Plateau, used under a centerpiece to lift it and reflect the light to enhance. Feel free to send it to me.
Ed

[mammabooh]

Originally Posted by whiterock

The mirror is a Plateau, used under a centerpiece to lift it and reflect the light to enhance. Feel free to send it to me.
Ed

Ha! Not on your life!!!!

Upon further investigation, it seems that the pillow might just be hand made. The stitching along the bottom looks like handwork to me. I wonder if my great-grandma made one for each of her girls. Anyone know if this was a popular design during any certain era?

[whiterock]

Pillow has a 20's look to me for some reason, but I surely have no sure knowledge.

[GoldenCityMuse]

As a reminder to those of us whose elders are still alive, make every attempt to ask what the history fo these family items are. It is so much nicer to know the details.

[MO_cows]

Great stuff! The older things have so much more character and are made so much better. The pillow looks like a craft kit to me, 1950's.