GUEST: This is a little chest that's come down in my husband's family, and we don't know exactly which side, but they were from the New England area-- Medford, Cambridge, Boston, in that area.
APPRAISER: Oh, so, Massachusetts, primarily.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: This is what I would describe as a Queen Anne maple chest of drawers. And it was likely made in Massachusetts. And it's an absolute gem. This is a miniature slant-front desk. So, if we pull out what we call the lopers here and open up, this reveals a desk. Some say that these could be child's desks or salesmen's samples. But this is really a miniature that a cabinetmaker would have made to show off his skills and what he could do. And what I absolutely love about it is the overall proportion. There's a saying in the antique business that cute sells. And this is about as cute as they get. As soon as you came in with this, my heart started to beat a little faster, because it's what we long for in early-American furniture. I love these Queen Anne brasses, which help us date it to be about 1750, '60.
GUEST: Really?
APPRAISER: Sometimes brasses are replaced. This is exactly how you want to see it, the post coming right through, never been moved. But what I really, really love is the surface. You can see the sort of brown imperfections to the surface. This is just layers and layers of use and wear, dust settling and history. This has got all the bells and whistles. So, have you ever had the piece appraised?
GUEST: I had it appraised about 15 years ago, and he said it was around $3,000 to $3,500.
APPRAISER: I would appraise it, for insurance purposes now, in the $15,000 to $20,000 range.
GUEST: (softly): Wow.
APPRAISER: Yeah, it's, it's... It's truly a gem. It will be passed down in our family and never leave.
APPRAISER: That's great.
GUEST: (laughs)
