Antique Searcher

Having been around the antiques trade for longer than I care to remember I have come across many tall stories from private vendors trying to sell “antiques” (opposed to tall stories from antique dealers which are par for the course).

Logic plays a major part in authenticating items and the stories from the owners can be relied on to either add provenance to an item or to start backing away from it. If the item you are trying to sell me that was once owned by your great-great-great-great-grandfather who brought it over with him on the boat from “the motherland” is infact a 1950’s piece then either:
a) you are mistaken (usually the most diplomatic answer)
b) you are lying
c) your great-great-great-great-grandfather is remarkably old!

The point I think i’m trying to make is by all means listen to a sellers story but dont use it as fact in helping you authenticate a piece.

Below is an item that is posted on ebay as “Unathenticated decorative moulding from the first class dining room of the Titanic. this item also has John Jacob Astors initials on the back.”

Granted I haven’t heard the story behind the item and it does state “Unauthenticated” but lets take the fact that the starting bid of $1,000,000 means the seller thinks it is authentic. Questions that come to mind are:
- How has the item stayed in such good condition?
- Why would “Titanic” and Astor’s initials be on the back of a piece of molding?
Now I have been known to be wrong before but I just don’t see JJA (who was worth a whopping $37 billion) on realizing the ship was going down, jumping up from his meal, prying off the nearest piece of decorative molding, pulling out his gold pencil, jotting down what boat he was on and his initials, putting the gold pencil back in his pocket, making sure the molding got off in good shape.

Anyway its just my opinion.

For an auction house that specializes in Titanic and White Star Lines memorabilia Henry Aldridge & Son has some great items.