ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING? (about antique asian carved bars that is)

[Bennyboy]

Iinherite this bar. I think it is from about 1920 and made in the Philippines. my uncle brought it over before WWI.

I know nothing at all about it. I don't know the type of wood. I don't have any idea of determining it's value other than waiting for Antiques Roadshow to come to my town.

Any one got any suggestions?

Here are a couple of photos. it is quite exquisite and I have alwways loved it.


http://picasaweb.google.com/bennyboy420/CarvedBar#5295731148997246290

and a link to the slide show http://picasaweb.google.com/bennyboy420/CarvedBar#slideshow/5295731039347145698

[crimsonblue]

1. No. n/t

[Shakespeare]

2. I SO thought this thread was going to be snarking Radio_Lady.

:rofl:

That's a beautiful piece of furniture, though. I hope somebody can help you out with info about it.

[Haole Girl]

3. I did too

Hmm... isn't it?

:shrug:

[CreekDog]

12. I think it is

i mean come on. :rofl:

you think this is really a coincidence?

"No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." --Lily Tomlin

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. So did I

:rofl:

[LeftyMom]

8. Me too.

[sniffa]

11. Ping goes the hammer

Dong goes the nail

[KitchenWitch]

13. I was so ready to go all Paco Rabinowitz on Bennyboy!

:rofl:

[fizzgig]

15. same here

:rofl:

[DS1]

16. guilty

[Shakespeare]

18. Good gawd. He looks like an alien in that pic.

What an oddly shaped nogging. If that's the side effect from schtupping RL... :scared:

[LNM]

22. That's exactly what I was thinking.

With all the threads about TS'd DUers around, I thought this was another one.

[supernova]

4. Do you have a museum or university nearby?

Esp one that specializes in asian wood handcrafts? Someone in these orgs would be a good first start.

edit; value of furniture is always a combo of:

a) Original condition (i.e. someone didn't refinish it a while back because they thought it needed a good cleaning. :P )

a1) condition includes also that all parts are original, i.e. nothing replaced and everything about it says it was made in the time it claims to have been made.


b) Type of wood. Is it rare or common? Is it a material that is endangered and no longer used?

c) Delicacy of the carvings or other artwork on the piece. It's subjective, but in general, the finer and more delicate the work, the more value.

[Bennyboy]

5. Good ideas...

It is in original condition. looksw like it did when i was a tyke.

the carvings, especially on the drawers and doors is very precise.

According to my Mom, the guy only made one of these a year.

The wood I believe is teak. Might be Mahogany though, not really sure.

Thanks for your input....

[AlecBGreen]

10. teak or mahogany, either one...

is worth boocoo bucks. That looks like its a great piece of furniture! Are you keeping it or looking to sell it? NO im not interested in buying it ;) just curious

[DarkTirade]

6. I thought the lounge knew all about asian woodcarvers...

I guess they don't know as much about their work. :shrug:

[LeftyMom]

9. Dude, I'll give you *digs through purse* $17.53 for that.

But you have to deliver, I don't think it'll fit in my wagon.

[Bennyboy]

14. to the top!

[Fleshdancer]

17. Was it carved by the Asian neighbor of an ex-DUer?

:shrug:

On a more serious note, it's absolutely beautiful.

[MineralMan]

19. Very nice...here's some info

Your bar is almost certainly mahogany, and it looks well carved, and the period is about right for the story you have on it. That's the good news.

The bad news is that it's not worth a huge amount of money. Lots of similar stuff was built in that time for export, so there's quite a bit of carved mahogany furniture from the Philipines available. that style isn't so much in style these days, so there's not a lot of demand.

On a good day, in a nice shop, it might bring between $1000-2000. Times are hard right now, though. If you could find a private buyer, you might realize something like that. However, that might take a long time. If you sell it to a shop, expect half the lower amount.

All depends on condition with items like this. A decorator trying to furnish a room in Philipine style might well want an item like this, but wouldn't accept it if it had any flaws at all. A dealer might accept it and have it repaired, but would offer much less for it with the damage.

By damage, I mean even scratches, dents, and other minor stuff. Distressed isn't wanted on pieces like the one you have.

I don't like to spoil the party, but it's important to be realistic. The style isn't in vogue, there's a good supply of similar pieces, and buyers aren't in the mood.

Best of luck with it.

[Bennyboy]

20. Well thanks a lot.

Good info. I appreciate it.

It does have one minor flaw in the bottle area lid. but no scratches etc......

[MineralMan]

21. Here's something equivalent, although it's

Chinese and made of rosewood (a more valuable wood)

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5337834

[Bennyboy]

23. Very similar....How do I know my bar is not rosewood?

My bar is a lot more intricate in carvings. And the corners, pull out drawers are all carved (the corners have racks for wine glasses too)

Again thanks. I have spend days trying to find out some info on this....

[MineralMan]

24. Both woods were used at that period,

Along with others, including luan (often called Philippine Mahogany). Any good antiques person should be able to identify the wood for you. All are about equivalent in value for this type of piece.

Carved wood furniture isn't priced, really, on the ornateness of the carving. In many cases, less carving is better in terms of value, since busy-looking furniture is so out of style these days for most people.

Your bar cabinet is a standard piece of furniture from the early couple of decades of the 20th century. That style was quite popular then. Internally, they're all about the same in design, and were made in several countries, from China to the Philippines, to India. The biggest market for them was in Britain, but some were sold here, as well.

Such cabinets were also made with fine inlaid marquetry and other surface treatements, including some beautiful carved ivory inlays. I've even seen one with an elaborate design in abalone shell...quite spectacular, but, again, not all that valuable because of style preferences.

The reason you're having trouble finding references to these pieces is because they just aren't in demand right now. Because of that, there isn't much out there on the tubes on this style of furniture.

Oddly enough, such bar cabinets are still being made today. Most are much plainer than yours, again because of the current styles. They're made in China, Singapore, and the Philippines, just as they have been for over 100 years.

If you go to the Chinatown in any major city and go into a furniture store that specializes in oriental-style furniture, you're likely to find a brand new one...very similar to the one you have.

Again, I hate to bear disappointing news, but there it is. The piece is still beautiful, and may one day return to stylishness. Who knows?

[Bennyboy]

26. Much thanks...

It is beautful and has been in the family for it's entire lifetime. My Uncle Fred brought it back pre WWII from the Philippines. I hve loved it ever since and took care of it andnow it is mine. I needed some info to insure it (along with other collectibles) and was wondering.

It is shame that a piece of furniture that took one guy a year to carve and assemble is worth about as much as a Lazy-boy recliner.

[MineralMan]

27. It is a shame.

At the same time, it makes it possible to buy solid, well-made, and beautiful pieces of furniture for the same price as the crappy stuff in discount furniture stores. A good friend of mine was planning to buy a dining room table and six chairs, and planned to spend about $1500 on them.

He complained to me about the stuff he was seeing in the furniture stores. Plastic details, paper-thin veneers, shoddy construction. Granted, $1500 isn't a lot of money for a set like that. Good stuff is available, but not at that price.

So, I took him on a shopping trip. We only went to large, mall-type antique stores. For his $1500, he ended up with a solid wood table with two extension leaves, eight chairs, and a very nice buffet cabinet. The style was 1930s, which matched the age of the house he was fixing up. The condition of the furniture was about very good, meaning there was some wear to the finish on edges...normal for furniture that has been used. But...everything was solid as a rock, the finish was a simple oiled one, which made restoring the set a snap, and it matched his house's age.

He was ecstatic. But that's a typical sort of find, and we didn't even look that hard for it. We could have gotten him a similar deal on most styles of furniture, as long as it wasn't one of the styles that is currently in vogue among decorators.

If he'd had more time, we could have done much better on Craigs List, but that can take weeks to find just the right stuff at the right price. It's amazing what's out there.

You're lucky, and I'm glad to hear that you're keeping this interesting bar cabinet. It's a family piece, and you'll always have that connection to it. Keep it nicely polished and your great grand-children will fight over it someday.

[MineralMan]

25. Here's an ebay link to 1900-1950 bar cabinets.

Have a look. You'll notice that the ones that are priced high are all Art Deco in style, rather than ornately carved, as yours is.

http://antiques.shop.ebay.com/items/1900-1950__W0QQ_nkwZbarQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZAntiquesQQ_pcatsZ63561Q2c20091Q2c20081QQ_sacatZ63564