Antiques Newsletter Faberge Egg Stolen Art Drop Leaf Table Antique Highboy Newsletter

history of the highboy - antique furniture

The highboy originated in the 18^th Century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It usually consisted of two parts, one sitting on top of another. Craftsmen from all over the world first started producing these masterpieces and were usually the fanciest pieces of furniture in anyone’s home. The problem with highboys is that they normally stood over nine feet tall and most homes had eight foot ceilings. People then would remove the top section and many of the highboys were separated.

DUMB MIKEY

Mikey bought two horses but could never remember which horse was which. A neighbor suggested that Mikey cut the tail off of one horse. So Mikey does, but the other horse soon got his tail caught in a bush and they had to cut its tail off too. The neighbor then suggested that Mikey notch the ear of one of the horses. Mikey being at his wits end, did exactly that. Unfortunately, the other horse got his ear caught in some barbed wire fenced and as luck would have it, his ear got notched too.

Finally . . .

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policemen's stolen art show

This was no ordinary Art Show with the wine and cheese crowd and it was not hung with care as in most galleries. A treasure trove of stolen art was on display on November 8, 2007 at the Waterbury, Connecticut police station. The show came after the arrest of Diane Catalani, after more than 180 paintings and other antiques were recovered in her home.

Antiques Newsletter Archives – December 28, 2007 features articles about Antique Furniture including the History of the Highboy and The History of the Drop Leaf Table; Record Auction Prices for a Faberge Egg and an Inverted Jenny Stamp and the impromptu Stolen Art Show Held by Policemen. Antiques Newsletter Archives – December 28, 2007 also highlights upcoming antiques shows & flea markets, antiques auctions and Estate & Tag Sales. NOVA-Antiques is the mid-eastern U.S. website for all things antique and collectible.

For a complete listing of all antique & collectible shows, wine & food festivals, arts & crafts fairs and other events in the mid-eastern U.S., go to our Calendar Page . . . .

history of drop leaf tables - antique furniture

Drop leaf tables usually date back to the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods and were very common in the late 1600’s to the early 1700’s. A drop leaf table normally has a fixed center with hinged tops that fold down when not in use. When the leafs are in use, there are different mechanisms to hold them in place depending on the age of the table itself. In the 1700’s, gate leg or swing leg tables were the norm. This means that a table leg that is normally folded in towards the base of the table swings out to support the top when in use. The first gate leg tables were introduced in England.

NOVA-Antiques.com was designated as a resource for antiques and collectibles flea markets in an article published in the Weekend Section of the Washington Post on May 6, 2005

Allegedly, Ms. Catalani was captured after an alert employee at Chase Collegiate School took down her license plate number when she tried to make her getaway with valuable painting at the school. When police arrived at her home, they found the cache of stolen goods including a painting by an Old Dutch Master, Dirck Van Santvoort, worth over $50,000.

What is interesting about this story is that Ms. Catalani did not appear to break in anywhere to steal. She simply walked in and out of the place with the stolen items. Some of the other things that she allegedly walked out with were a 150 year old bible once belonging to Charles Goodyear that was stolen from Naugatuck Historical Society and another painting worth more than $50,000 from the United Church of Christ in Waterbury.

record auction price - faberge egg

Imagine paying over $18 million dollars for an egg. Well, its just not any egg, it was a Faberge egg sold recently at Christie’s Auction in London, England. This see through egg contained a clock and animated cock, the likes of which had never been seen before the sale. Most Faberge eggs were made for Czar Alexander of Russia, but a few were commissioned by wealthy collectors. This egg was originally made for the Rothschild family in 1902 and the new buyer was an unidentified Russian.

It is not uncommon to find high boy bottom sections and high boy top sections being sold at antique stores or antique auctions by themselves. Around the turn of the 20^th Century, people started realizing the value of a highboy and started “marrying” top sections to bottom sections. A top of the line highboy consisting of a non-married (original) bottom and top sections can bring in more than $750,000. By now many of you are asking yourselves, “well how can I tell if its an original matching set or a married set?”

According to Karen Keane, who directs the auction house Skinner, Inc., the best way to tell is by checking the drawers dovetail joints. Ms. Keane says, “Each cabinetmaker has his own idiosyncrasies, and these show up in the dovetails. If the shape of the top and bottom joints differs, then there's a good chance that they each come from different sets."

Perfect for crowded or small spaces, a drop leaf table can be used in many places; kitchen, dining room, or den. The leaves (tops) are folded down and out of the way until you need the space for entertaining or fancy dinner. Many of the drop leaf tables made here in America were made of pine or maple, but many others brought over from England and some that were made by the masters here in America are very ornate and richly decorated. These tables are a great asset to any home, but are especially nice in smaller apartments where space is at a premium.

NOVA-Antiques & The Current NOVA-Antiques Newsletter provide an extensive list of upcoming antiques flea markets and shows.