FAQ's and not so frequently asked questions?

Art & Antiques cc

Shop 15 & 16 Dunkeld West Centre, cr Jan Smuts ave., & Bompas Rd, Dunkeld West, Johannesburg, 2196

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• What is French Polish?
  • French Polish is the distillation of a beetle called the Coca Laca. This is obtained from the shell of the beetle. Hence Shell Lac or Shellac. (Lacquer = Lac). This product is dissolved in alcohol or methylated spirits and is applied to the article with a rubber. A rubber is made of wadding enclosed within a lint free fabric. The rubber can be coated with a this layer of oil to make application easier. The shellac is poured onto the rubber and applied to the article. French polishing is a highly skilled job as each layer of polish should dry before the next is applied and after a few applications of polish the whole needs to be 'cut back" by rubbing down with ground pumice. Before the polishing is completed all oil has to drawn out. This leaves a rich non glassy finish that is durable, porous and elastic. The elasticity inhibits chipping and the porosity allows the underlying wood to be fed.

• Where do I find information about Silver Hall Marks?
  • Guide to Marks of Origin on British and Irish Plate from Mid 16th .......... by Frederick Bradbury
    Published by JW Northend Ltd., West Street, Sheffield, S1 3SH, ENGLAND.
    International Hallmarks on Silver.
    Published by Tardy. 6, Rue Milton, 75009, Paris, France.

• What is an Antique?
  • Websters New World Dictionary defines as follows
    • antique
      adj.
      1. of ancient times; ancient; old
      2. out-of-date; old-fashioned
      3. in the style of classical antiquity
      4. of, or in the style of, a former period
      5. dealing in antiques
      n.
      1. anything from ancient times; relic
      2. the ancient style, esp. of Greek or Roman sculpture, architecture, etc.
      3. a piece of furniture, silverware, etc. made in a former period, generally more than 100 years ago
      vt.
      -tiqued, -tiquing to make look antique, as in the style of a former period

For the purposes of Antique collecting the underlined passages apply. There are, what I call Semi-Antiques. These are from the current date until 1910. From the point of view of an investment they conduct themselves exactly as if they were over 100 years old and therefor, for all intents and purposes may as well be Antiques.

As articles become rarer and more expensive collectors move further up the time scale and through collecting, the articles become rarer and more valuable.

Forty years ago only items before 1830 were recognised as antique but today items prior to 1910 are regarded as Antique.

The following periods are only my suggestions but would clarify 20th Century identification.

These periods are NOT Antiques and do not appreciate as ANTIQUES do.

Suggested 20th Century Periods

• How do I eliminate Wood Borer?

  We have a local product called "Borasite"
  In the UK the pest control firm "Rentokil" manufacture a product especially for this. Click here for their Web site.....CLICK....

  Whatever you use, the poisons are contact poisons so it is important to inject directly into most of the holes with a syringe or similar device and then to paint the exterior of the item.
  Try an obscure area first to see how the article will be affected and to make sure that there is no damage

  An alternative is to fumigate the article in a closed chamber. Specialist firms do this but the process can temporarily soften the polish so I recommend that if you go this route, try a sample first.

  Sometimes both chemical treatment and fumigating will leave the polish tacky and slightly soft. This usually returns to normal after a while. CHECK WITH YOUR SOURCE

What is that little gold sticker / seal found on Antique furniture and other items.?

• Prior to the early 1960's this seal was used by the British Antique Dealers' Association to certify that the stamped articles were over 100 years old, FOR CUSTOMS PURPOSES ONLY. By international convention antiques over 100 years old are free of import duty, in most countries of the world and that was the sole purpose and intention of this sticker. Knowledgeable dealers would have given a more accurate and detailed description of the items that they had for sale.

  However this purpose became confused in the mid of the public and they took it as a de facto guarantee that the stamped articles were genuine antiques. Unscrupulous dealers would manufacture their own stamps with a similar look and format but unless read by the extremely well sighted, these would be taken to be the genuine BADA stamp. The stamp itself was made from a thin type of cellulose that often split and flaked so that that it was often incomplete. The unscrupulous took advantage of that and would separate the stamp and place the 2nd piece on a non antique item, at that time usually a Sheraton style Edwardian (c.1910) article.

  . Antique Dealers' Associations of the WORLD..................Click Here......

  
  BE CIRCUMSPECT BEFORE YOU ACCEPT AN ARTICLE WITH THE STAMP AS BEING GENUINE.

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