Collectibles-General (Antiques)/Expert Profile

Expertise

In regards to American antique, vintage and collectible furniture I can help with wood identification, styles, age, periods, historical coatings, materials, techniques, repair, restoration, refinishing. ****SEND PICTURES****WITH YOUR QUESTIONS ON ALL ITEMS OR THE QUESTION MAY BE REJECTED****PLEASE, NO CAMERA PHONE PICTURES as the quality is usually poor****preferred size max 1024 x 768; min 800 x 600--jpg files as attachments in ONE email to Please include the question posted to allexperts in the email so that i will know to what they refer. Because of the amount of emails i have received, for which i thank everyone for their confidence in me, please DO NOT send emails before posting the question to allexperts. I truly want to help but only have so much time and would like to give each person the attention they need.

Experience in the area

I have been in the antiques furniture and restoration business and in the sales of antique furniture for 40+ years and have continued my education in the trade attending workshops and seminars various organizations and private collectors. This clip taken from a book written in 1915----> I think it is important---->> The furnishings of the home are seldom swept and garnished for to part with family relics is breaking faith with those who handed them on with the remainder of their worldly possessions to their heirs There were many who made special bequests of their furniture and one of such would write in his will To my dearly beloved nephew John I leave my mahogany bureau desk and the tea china in the cupboard over it Can we imagine nephew John's grandson or great grandson parting with that beautiful Hepplewhite bureau bookcase or cupboard full of priceless Worcester china because his dining room or library is furnished in modern fumed oak or late Victorian incongruities No the home connoisseur values his family possessions

Organizations

Professional Refinishers Groop, Int., AIC, Antiques Dealers Association

Education/Credentials

BA Florida State University BA University of West Florida 1971

Past/Present Clients

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

this is a good read discussing Jacobean and Jacobean style, a topic which everyone thinks they are experts on. One part discusses the fallacy of trying to categorize item s too rigidly. http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/furniture/Period/Chapter-II-Jacobean-Period-1603-1688.html#cromwellian

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Refinishing vs value? Each item must be evaluated on its own. A proper restoration, when warranted, enhances value. Indiscriminate refinishing or restoration by uninformed, semi skilled people has the opposite effect. There are many techniques and materials to assist us in choosing the correct procedure. Yes, an original coating is desirable and sought on a museum, rare, or historical piece.