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Collectibles-General (Antiques)/old furniture (at least 54 yrs old)

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Question
I have two mahogony bureaus marked Old Craft with Meeting House printed diagonally through an etching of a church.  Are they antiques? the hardware is very tarnished.  Is it okay to remove tarnish and then spray with a clear poly to inhibit future tarnishing?  Thanks for any information you can give me.

Answer
Hi Janet
Nice to hear from you.
Personally I like the tarnished look but if you don't then its fine to spray with clear lacquer after a polish.
Remove before doing this of course.
I cannot comment on if your furniture is antique (100 years old).
You can date it back 54 years at least to 1954 so its no spring chicken LOL, and if the  furniture is solid mahogany its very likely older than that.
I am sending you a link that I want you to read.
I hope you will find it a help.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-identify-antique-wooden-furniture-for-refin...
Also a picture would be very helpful too.
Get back to me
Regards
Eileen

Collectibles-General (Antiques)

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Eileen Cronk

Expertise

I can answer most questions about the repairing and refinishing of all your old furniture items (the things we call antiques). I can also give you advice on what wood items to choose and what wood items to avoid at auctions, flea markets etc. I DO NOT give appraisals on antiques as this is not my field of expertise.

Experience

I have been repairing, refinishing and of course buying old furniture for the past 30 years. On any given weekend I can be found at auction sales or flea markets searching out a good buy. I have taken several courses in this area over the years, but I find "Hands On" learning to be the best teacher. I can help you avoid the pitfalls and problems of this wonderful rewarding craft.

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