old secretary

Hey Roger, I’m in the same boat. I was givin an old secretary that needs to be refinished. The owners of a stained glass shop gave it to me for doing so much work for them (a bonus ). They replaced the glass one piece is glass the way they used to make it- I forget what they called it- It has ripples and waves in it. The other piece of glass is a beveled mirror shaped like a piece of bread. They told me the glass alone was worth $600. What I’m gonna do is have it appraised by an antique dealer. Depending on how much it’s worth I might have it done by a pro. A lot of antique worth can be lost if you don’t know what you’re doing. With your project (being flooded) this probally doesn’t apply.

-- I'm not here for your amusement. You're here for mine - Johnny Rotten

When you lose the original patina, you lose some of the value. When you need to add new wood, some of the value goes. Painting it cut lots of value. Look at the drawers to see if the dovetails are hand done or machined. Look at the back. What type of wood is there? Dose it look kinda like scrap wood or is it ply? Does it have castors? Metal? There are several things to look for to know if it’s old, antique, messed up, etc

-- Gary, DeKalb Texas

Look at the drawers, do they have ply for bottoms? What type of screws are used? How are the doors put together? Are there any marks under the cabinet? These can narrow down the age alot. Dont not worry about the value. Unless you plan on altering it, the value will not change much at all.

Glass with ripples and waves would be sheet (aka drawn) glass. Most glass made now is float glass. Float glass is made by pouring it on a bath of molten tin resulting in a dead flat surface. Sheet (drawn) glass is made by immersing a bar into a vat of molten glass and pulling it upward slowly.

-- Joe

Thanks joe

-- I'm not here for your amusement. You're here for mine - Johnny Rotten