An appreciation for colonial American artifacts and antiques perhaps started around 1876 with the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Later while the likes of Andrew Mellon, JP Morgan and William K. Vanderbilt were collecting the masters of Europe which would be the foundation stones for the Met and the National Gallery, three others would begin to build a permanent treasure of American paintings and art.

No less known, those three were Henry Ford, Henry Francis Dupont and John D. Rockefeller. Their collections would result in Colonial Williamsburg, Winterthur and the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. While European collections may have included a room here and there, entire buildings were included in some American collections.

One amusing anecdote is revealed by Harold Sack in the book American Treasure Hunt. Henry Ford had just purchased the Wayside Inn of Sudbury, Massachusetts, immortalized in Henry Wordsworth Longfellow’s Tales of a Wayside Inn. Ford had approached Israel Sack, Harold’s father and a prominent American furniture dealer. Sack was given the task of furnishing the inn. Ford had eyed a highboy at auction, but lost it to another bidder, a Mr. Dillon. Ford approached Dillon, provided his name and added that he had recently purchased the Wayside Inn. Ford asked Dillon if he agreed the highboy belongs in the Wayside Inn. Dillon agreed and suggested Ford instead sell the Inn to him.

Today all three of these institutions offer opportunities to learn about these collectors and their collections, and perhaps more importantly about the early country, its people and its craftsmen. Both Winterthur and Colonial Williamsburg offer educational opportunities to learn about American decorative arts.

One item I found particularly rewarding was a cd I picked up at Winterthur, “Music from An American Country Estate.” I can’t find it on Alibris, Amazon or the Winterthur online store now, however they may have it if you call. It consists of recordings from private performances in the mansion and you can even hear the enunciator ring!

Rockefeller, DuPont, Ford and others pioneered the collection of many artifacts that not only help us to know our own story as a nation, but have allowed us to appreciate the culture that emerged in what was to become the United States and know the quality of craft that was being produced here. While some sense of this can be appreciated at large museums like the Met, a visit to Williamsburg, Winterthur and the Henry Ford Museum can make the picture of the collector as well as the collected more complete.

Finally, before you go, click on this link to see a short video of the Rockefeller’s enjoying tea at Williamsburg. click here

Antique collecting is not as easy as going to a furniture store and picking out a new sofa. While many will purchase old furniture because they need one thing or another, others look for old furniture that has some value beyond its functionality.

If you’re looking at furniture for these purposes, chances are that you can be identified as an antique collector. If not, you certainly have the potential to be.

If you know you like furniture for more than its functionality, you may still be confronted with what exactly to collect. Visiting one of the antique malls may seem to be a good place to start. In reality for the beginner a large antique mall may be the worst place to start. By U.S. Custom law definition an antique must be at least a century old. There may be some items that can meet this criteria in an antique mall, but its mixed with things not half as old.

If you like to look at antiques like art, you might also want to concentrate on furniture and other items made by a craftsman rather than those produced in a factory. That even becomes more difficult as the first piece of furniture to leave a factory in the United States did so more than a century ago. Beyond its design, much of the furniture even from Victorian times was factory made. Beyond its design it can’t be far admired for the art that went into its making.

If you are one who admires old furniture, it may be because you live in an old house. It’s easy to like an old house. You can find lots of people living in old houses, yet inside there are plain white walls and furniture from a department store. Old houses are even more fun and interesting with old furniture in them. You may want to find antiques that are appropriate to the time period when the house was built. If this is your motivation for collecting antiques, it may matter less whether or not they were individually crafted for factory produced. Still, before you go shopping and make a big purchase you could later regret, you’ll want to get a better idea of what style of furniture would have been in the house when it was new.

It’s not my personal intention to strictly adhere to a period décor, however. I enjoy antiques more for their artistic value and would miss the soft cushions as soon as I traded a modern sofa for an antique one. While some collectors like to have a home furnished almost entirely in period antiques, its people like me who lead some antiques to being less valuable. One of the main contributors to the value of an antique is whether or not it has a modern purpose. An antique instrument or chair potty or in some instances seating furniture and bedding is not going to be in as much demand as a sideboard, table or bookcase.

Some collectors look at antiques from an investment standpoint. The way I see it if you buy something at a department store, its value can greatly diminished as soon as it leaves the store. If you carefully buy an antique, the chances are good it will keep its value or increase in value. Of course that’s not always the case as the market for certain styles of antiques fluctuates similar to the art market. I should also mention that some things you might bring home from an antique mall may cost you later to dispose of. If your goal is to buy antiques as an investment, buy the best you can afford and seek lots of advice beforehand.

You may be asking where to find the good antiques and how to learn which ones they are. The best way is probably to befriend a reputable dealer. Dealers love to learn about what you collect and are usually happy to help you understand an item and justify its asking price. One of the most famous antique dealers, Israel Sack, kept a large file of every piece of furniture sold through his shop and allowed his customers access to the file for reference.

Another way to start is to begin to watch auctions. The better auction houses have an expert make an assessment of the age and condition of a piece of furniture. They also provide an estimated hammer price. It may be better to watch auctions for a while before bidding to get a sense of what items are desirable and how much they should sell for. If you decide to bid, remember there is usually a 15 -20 percent fee on top of the hammer price known as the buyer’s premium. If an auction is within a reasonable distance its also advisable to go to the preview to inspect the items.

Another great way to learn about antiques and meet dealers is to attend an antiques show. There are at least two held in Pittsburgh each year, one in Sewickley and one in Fox Chapel. There are many other shows within driving distance. There’s usually an admission fee and the shows usually benefit a charity or non-profit organization.

What about ebay? Like the large antique mall, ebay may be better left for the experienced collector. Many pieces of furniture have been reproduced several times since the period in which the style originated. This is especially true for earlier styles. Experienced dealers and collectors usually find it easy to spot a reproduction, but it’s not always absolutely apparent. More, especially when you get into the more expensive furniture it may have been deliberately faked. It wouldn’t be the first time a piece has been deliberately aged and hidden in a corner for someone else to “discover.”

Subscribing to Maine Antiques Digest and Antiques Magazine are also great ways to begin to learn about antiques and collecting. Maine Antiques Digest is especially useful in establishing what price items can bring.

I should add finally that some antique malls restrict the quality of the merchandise offered there and the dealers are knowledgeable. Here are some places to find antiques in Pittsburgh:

Malls:

Antique Center of Strabane
2510 Washington Rd.- Route 19 South
724-745-8445

Independent Dealers:

Mark Evers Antiques and Fine Art
4951 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-688-9990

Merryvale Antiques
5867 Ellsworth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-661-3200

Gallery in the Square
5850 Ellsworth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412-361-3808