Making a modern fit
Fold- out desk a great choice for today’s technology,
I found this piece at a barn sale I came upon while camping recently. The place was filled with antiques and I would have bought more — but it was either my family and camping gear or unauthenticated antiques in the car. I noticed the Tiffany and Co. stamp on the object and the number 0375. It’s 24 centimetres long and quite heavy. If this turns out to be something, I will go back. SHAUN, Ajax It’s definitely time to go back. You have a bronze letter opener or ‘paper knife’; part of a desk set produced by Louis Comfort Tiffany — perhaps America’s best-known Art Nouveau artist, whose equally famous father founded the iconic jewelry store.
Tiffany Junior is best-known for his beautiful glasswork, in particular his stained-glass lamps. Your piece was originally priced between $6 and $8, and the sets included several other desk accoutrements, all available in about 24 different patterns.
Yours is quite interesting with the human and animal figures stretched along the blade. This is a rare item and will have no trouble finding a place in an incomplete desk set for about $300. I recently acquired this mahogany slant-front bureau locally, and believe it to be made in the mid-1700s. There was an old business card of a New Jersey man and a mint 1938 USA postage stamp inside the desk, which has prompted me to try to trace the desk provenance to the New Jersey family. The desk shows minor repairs to the veneers on the front frame. Overall, it is 1 metre cm wide, 1.19 m high and 52 cm deep. I’ve properly repaired the veneers and put a finish on that has a lovely warm patina. BEN, Kingston
This elegant desk is the work of a skilled, early cabinetmaker and could be American.
The slant front came into common use in North America around 1725 and was carried through into the middle 1800s. With the shape of the turned foot, I’d date this piece more closely to 1820.
Mahogany is always an asset and you’ve brought this piece back to life. It’s well-suited to use with modern technology such as laptops and tablets. Normally this would be valued around the $1,500 mark, but if your provenance leads to a significant early Yankee, American buyers might add $1,000 or more instantly. This appears to be a June 28, 1838, issue of the British paper The Sun, commemorating the coronation of Queen Victoria. We found it wrapped in plastic between the pages of an old book in a box lot purchased at an antiques sale for $5. There are two sheets, printed front and back. There is a signature under the picture and a red seal in the upper right corner. The paper is heavier than today’s newsprint and is in very good condition. Does this have historical or collectible value? BONNY, Kitchener
Old newspapers in general are not that valuable, but if you have an authentic piece of royal memorabilia, you could have a payload.
Old newspapers usually break down and turn yellow, a sideeffect of the acid contained in the original pulp. However, prior to 1844, paper was of a much higher quality; it was made mainly from rags and contained none of these destructive acids.
That said, I suspect your copy is an offset print reissue, as it appears to lack the textured impressions typical of the original letterpress process. I also have reservations about the heavier gauge of paper and the shocking freshness. Have it examined so you can be sure. If it’s original, it will be worth about $250. John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the ‘Contact John’ page at johnsewellantiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifying marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also be included. (Only email submissions accepted.) Appraisal values are estimates only.