I purchased this from an auction located outside Birmingham, AL in 1996. I always thought it was a bookcase, but someone said it was a pie safe. It is made of Oak. The doors have amber glass and the hardware is brass. The front two feet have a brass cap, the knobs on the bottom drawer are brass. The knobs have threads and an old washer holds them in place. The hinges are brass and have screws holding them in place. The door and drawer both have a workable lock, but it did not come with a skeleton key The plate that covers these locks are shinny. They could have been made to replace the originals or were taken off and cleaned. These are held on by small nails.
There is a bolt on the inside left door at the top and bottom. The bolt locks into the actual wood not a brass plate.
I need to know what this item is. A pie safe, cuboard, bookcase? Also the time frame it was built and what it could be worth. The high dollar value and the low dollar value.
The doors might not be original. The left door has holes as if different hinges were in place. The right door does not have this. The shelving is adjustable using a wood peg. The shelves have been stained on top, but are raw wood underneath.
The whole piece appears to have been restained because any chips or dents in the wood are not raw, but appear to have a stain on them.
Antique hand painted portrait plate of a queen/royalty woman, elaborately dressed in fancy hat with veil, and wearing a necklace with locked. The plate is displayed in a vintage gold frame, and easily comes out. You can display any way you wish. The condition is excellent with no chips, cracks, repairs, etc. The measurement of the plate is 9" in diameter. With the frame, the measurement is 12 X 12". The back side is marked with what I believe would be the artists initals M. E. D, and dated 1883. Also has a back stamp.
I would like to know the origins of this piece, possibly when it was made and who made it, and its fair market value. It looks like silver, but appears to be copper-coated. The design is fascinating. It has 6 sides; along the center it has scenes of the inside of a home or bar of some kind, with little figures dressed in what looks like early American attire. Each side has the same scene and pattern as its opposite side (so that there are 3 patterns and scenes). The stamp on the bottom appears to be five symbols. One of the symbols is "&", but I can't figure out the others. I'd like to know its origins and its fair market value. Any help is appreciated!
