Charles S. Pharr Jr., owner
of Aardvark Antiques, has more than 16 years of experience in the field of
antiques. He is an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers
having completed his core studies through the University of Maryland. He has
appraised some of the finest homes in Georgia including the $50 million Hubert
Humphrey estate. He also appears regularly as an expert appraiser on the
Discovery Channel's "Auction Kings". Think you've got what it takes
to do his job? Test your knowledge of antiques to find out.
1. Victorian Bristol Glass is
famous for…
a.
Its bright colors and geometrical shapes
b.
Its delicate, hand-painted motifs
c.
Being manufactured in the 17th century
2. You are looking for an
antique painting for your living room. You find a beautiful painting of a ship
flying the American flag. The date is marked as 1775 and it is signed by the
artist J.M.W. Turner. Should you buy the painting?
a. No, the painting is a fake.
b.
Yes, J.M.W. Turner was a famous painter of ships.
c.
Yes, old paintings depicting the earlier versions of the American flag are very
valuable.
3. Your friend was born in
1980. Her mother is selling all of the old furniture that she got when she got
married. The classifieds ad reads “Authentic Antique Furniture for Sale.” Is
the furniture really antique?
a. Yes
b. No
c. There is no way to be sure.
4. What is the difference
between an executive desk and a pedestal desk?
a. A pedestal desk has wheels whereas an executive desk does
not.
b. A pedestal desk is actually more like a table.
c. There is no difference.
5. You are browsing in a flea
market. You find an amazing sewing machine. It is purported to be one of the
first practical electric sewing machine introduced by the Singer Sewing Machine
Co. The date on it says 1889. Should you spend the money?
a. Yes! This is an awesome find!
b. No, electricity wasn’t even invented yet.
c.
No, the Singer Sewing Machine Co did not start making electric sewing machines
until 1900.
6. Antique furniture is much
more valuable when it is stripped and refinished.
a. Correct- who wants to buy furniture with old finish and
chipped paint?
b. Wrong- Furniture can actually be more valuable in its
original condition.
c. Wrong- Furniture is actually more valuable when it is
sanded down to the original wood- not stripped.
7. What does “flaming
mahogany” refer to?
a. The
flame figure in the wood is revealed by slicing through the face of the branch
at the point where it joins another element of the tree.
b. Flame
mahogany patterns are always associated with very low quality, inexpensive
furniture.
c.
The term “flame” refers to the “flaming” redness of the color of the mahogany.
8. Is Victorian Era furniture
considered antiques?
a. Yes-
The Victorian was named after Queen Victoria who lived in the early 1700’s
b-
Yes- The Victorian era consists of furniture made in Victoria Australia which
became all the rage in England and Germany in 1912.
c.
Yes- The style we refer to as Victorian today came about during the 1800’s.
9. The museum at the Davinci
Academy has a display of ancient Egyptian artifacts. You see a trunk with a
wooden pin lock and key. Is there any doubt that this piece belongs in the
exhibit?
a. Yes- keys were made centuries later.
b. No- this piece is most likely authentic.
c.
Yes- The Romans and Greeks were using wooden locks and keys at this time, but
the Egyptians had not yet utilized this technique.
10. How can you find out if
your cast iron skillet is an antique?
a. Modern paints fluoresce under a black light.
b. It can’t be- cast iron wasn’t developed until the
1920’s.
c. Check it for wear
11. You are browsing in an antiques
store in England and you find an incredible set of English coins dated 36 BC.
Should you scoop up this rare find?
a. No- These coins are fakes
b. No- because England didn’t strike their first coins
until the 12th century.
c.
Yes- Over two thousand years ago,
decades before Julius Caesar explored the island, the first coins were struck
in Britain.
12. Your Dad collects famous
signatures. You go in search of a good one to buy for his birthday gift. In a
flea market, you find an autographed photo of Albert Einstein dated 1958.
Should you get it?
a.
No, Albert Einstein signatures are too common to be worth anything.
b.
No, the photo could be authentic, but the signature is a fake.
c.
Yes, there are only 132 know Albert Einstein autographs in the world!
13. In a WWI memorabilia
shop, you find a piece of a plane that the shop owner says was made by the
Wright brothers and flown in WWI. Is he telling you the truth?
a.
He must be because the Wright Brother’s first flight was in 1903 and WWI was in
1914- 1918. The timeline works out good.
b.
No- All WWI aircraft were made by the French.
c.
Yes- The Wright brothers were the only producers of aircraft in the world at
this time.
14. What is the Louvre?
a. A company that makes fabulous French china.
b. One of the world’s largest museums in Rome, Italy.
c. A museum that was once called Musée Napoléon.
15. What is Limoges?
a. A type of porcelain
b. A company that makes porcelain
c. An era in France when many
priceless antiques were made.
16. Which English stately home is the seat of the
Duke of Bedford and is famous for its art collection a superlative range of furniture, both French and
English, porcelain and silverwork?
a. Woburn Abbey
b. Blenheim Palace
c. Harewood house
17. What is a marriage when referring to antique furniture?
a. One piece of furniture made of two separate
pieces like a bookshelf on a credenza.
b. An ancient technique used for
making furniture
c. Parts of two pieces put together to
make one piece.
18. What style of painting is associated with Jean-Baptiste-Camille
Corot?
a. Ships
b. Landscapes
c. Portraits
19. What is a troy ounce?
a. A unit of measurement used in the ancient city of Troy.
b. A way to measure precious metals.
c. A unit of measurement developed in Troy, Michigan
20. What is a gueridon?
a. a small round table.
b. a candelabra
c. a settee
Aardvark Antiques and Estate Liquidations
4316 Mundy Mill Rd
Oakwood, GA 30566
770-534-6611
Aardvark Antiques and Fine Interiors
526 E. Paces Ferry Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30305
770-540-1939
.
