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VALUE REVIEW™
Published by Semler Appraisals & Estate Liquidations
A Professional Service for the Valuation of Personal Property
Spring 2001 Vol. 3, No. 1
Caring
for Hardwood Furniture
Genuine
hardwood furniture is a good investment and it can have long lasting
value. The longevity of such furniture depends upon the care given
to it.
Up to half the weight of freshly sawn wood is water. Furniture
is made from wood that is carefully dried, leaving just enough
moisture for the furniture to acclimate to the home’s relative
humidity. When the air is extremely dry, the natural response
of solid hardwood furniture is to lose moisture and shrink a little.
When this happens, you may see a few small openings or cracks
on the surface. As the relative humidity rises, the problem will
correct itself and the wood will absorb enough moisture to expand
slightly.
Here are some ways to increase the furniture’s longevity:
• Keep the relative humidity at 25 to 35% by using a humidifier
in the cold months and an air conditioner in the summer.
• Hardwood furniture shouldn’t be exposed to continuous
direct sunlight. Close the curtains occasionally.
• Don’t place the furniture directly in front of a
fireplace or over a heat register.
• Table leaves should be stored as close as possible to
the table. Instead of keeping them in a damp garage, keep them
inside the house in a closet, so that the table leaves are adjusting
to the same relative humidity as the table.
Appraisal
Seminar
Thirty-five
appraisers, claims adjusters, and fraud examiners from 15 states
attended a two-day seminar developed and presented by Lorrie Semler,
ISA CAPP, AM on January 26-27, 2001 at the Grapevine (TX) Conference
Center. Attendees studied tips and techniques for preparing
damage and loss appraisals for the insurance and moving/storage
industries. The seminar was sponsored by the Personal Property
Committee of the American Society of Appraisers. For information
on future offerings, please contact Janella Smyth, ASA, at P.O.
Box 12465, Raleigh, NC 12465, (919) 832-5551, or janellas@mindspring.com.
More
on Auctions vs. Tag Sales
An
article in the last issue raised a question from some of you:
Under what conditions would an auction be better for liquidation
as compared to an estate (tag) sale? In most parts of the
Dallas metroplex, a tag sale will produce higher sales revenues
than will an auction. I recommend auction under the following
conditions:
• If the home is too small to accommodate large numbers
of potential shoppers. At auction, the items can be brought
outside and sold one at a time and in box lots.
• If the home is in a remote location. Estate sale
shoppers tend to travel less far than auction-goers.
• If the quality/quantity of items in the estate is less
than good.
• If there is unusual provenance associated with the estate,
thus creating a seller’s market advantage.
• If, after discussing the merits of each type of selling,
the client prefers the auction method of marketing the sale.
Each estate liquidation situation is unique and should be evaluated
by a professional.
Say
What?
Appraisers
often take for granted the terminology we use on a daily basis
to describe furniture. Here are a few terms, in no particular
order, that you may have wondered about.
• Patina—a deep, warm, well-worn look acquired over
time by an original surface that has not been stripped, sanded,
or refinished.
• Patera—Oval-shaped inlaid or carved design commonly
found on Federal furniture.
• Bergere—Upholstered armchair with closed arms.
• Fauteuil—Upholstered chair with open arms.
 •
Fluting—Deep concave channels cut parallel to each other
in the legs and columns of classical furniture. The ridges
between the flutes are called fillets.
• Reeding—Deep convex channels cut parallel to each
other in the legs and columns of classical furniture. (Think
about the rounded part of the “R” in “reeding”
and it will help you remember that reeding pushes outward.)
• Muntin—Thin plywood or veneer that is used on glass
doors to give the illusion of separate panes of glass. In
cabinets that have separate panes of glass, the muntins are the
wood pieces that actually hold the glass.
• Rail—The horizontal support pieces of wood on chairs
and in case furniture. The crest rail is the top back rail
on a chair.
• Stile—The vertical support pieces in a cabinet or
the upright back supports of a chair.
 •
Splat—The vertical backrest portion of a chair, sometimes
urn-shaped, pierced, heart-shaped, etc.
• Escutcheon—The decorative plate that surrounds a
keyhole, usually brass. This is not the same as the key
surround or keyhole, which is the brass outline of the hole itself.
• Gadroon—The slanted, convex decoration around the
edges of furniture or silver.
• Gallery—The raised, open fretwork around the top
of case furniture, often made of pierced wood or brass, and used
to keep items from falling off.
Our
Services
Appraisals
for probate/estate tax, equitable distribution among heirs, equitable
distribution in marital dissolution, insurance coverage and claims,
non-cash charitable contribution, bankruptcy.
Estate Liquidations by auction or tag sale.
Litigation Support
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