Mahogany Antique Display Cabinet - How to value?

Boom__Boom

Hi

I was wondering if anyone had any idea about where/how to go about valuing an antique mahogany display cabinet.

It's at least 40 years old and is in perfect/decent condition but I've no idea if it's worth €100 or €1000 ?

Anyone any ideas where to start?

Del.Monte

Boom__Boom wrote: »

Hi

I was wondering if anyone had any idea about where/how to go about valuing an antique mahogany display cabinet.

It's at least 40 years old and is in perfect/decent condition but I've no idea if it's worth €100 or €1000 ?

Anyone any ideas where to start?

Stick up a couple of photographs.

Menas

Stick up a few photographs. Is there a stamp on it anywhere, a makers mark?

Ultimately it is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. But if it is a 'special' piece then could be worth a tidy sum. Handcrafted versus machined.
However, if it is only 40 years old then it is not really that old so is likely to lack that special factor. Looking at auction sites to see what similar pieces of a similar age have gone for could be your best bet.

Boom__Boom

Menas wrote: »

Stick up a few photographs. Is there a stamp on it anywhere, a makers mark?

Ultimately it is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. But if it is a 'special' piece then could be worth a tidy sum. Handcrafted versus machined.
However, if it is only 40 years old then it is not really that old so is likely to lack that special factor. Looking at auction sites to see what similar pieces of a similar age have gone for could be your best bet.

The thing is that it was bought second hand 40 years ago so it's at least 40 years old. I have no idea how much older than that it is though - could be 5 years, could be 50.

Don't have access to it at the moment but will check for a stamp or anything when I get the chance.

How would I check if it was handcrafted or machined ?

Menas

Shamelessly borrowed from here.

There are several ways you can spot an antique. The first giveaway is the joinery; machine-cut furniture wasn't made until about 1860. If the piece has drawers, remove a drawer and look closely where the front and back of the drawer are fastened to the sides of the drawer. If a joint was dovetailed by hand, it has only a few dovetails, and they aren't exactly even; if it has closely spaced, precisely cut dovetails, it was machine-cut. Handmade dovetails almost always indicate a piece made before 1860.
Look carefully at the bottom, sides, and back of the drawer; if the wood shows nicks or cuts, it was probably cut with a plane, a spokeshave, or a drawknife. Straight saw marks also indicate an old piece. If the wood shows circular or arc-shaped marks, it was cut by a circular saw, not in use until about 1860.
Exact symmetry is another sign that the piece was machine-made. On handmade furniture, rungs, slats, spindles, rockers, and other small-diameter components are not uniform. Examine these parts carefully; slight differences in size or shape are not always easy to spot. A real antique is not perfectly cut; a reproduction with the same components is, because it was cut by machine.
The finish on the wood can also date the piece. Until Victorian times, shellac was the only clear surface finish; lacquer and varnish were not developed until the mid-1800s. The finish on a piece made before 1860 is usually shellac; if the piece is very old, it may be oil, wax, or milk paint. Fine old pieces are often French-polished, a variation of the shellac finish. A lacquer or varnish finish is a sure sign of later manufacture.