I do not have a picture right now but I can get one. I am not 100% sure of the history of this my father gave it to me when I got married 30 years ago. It is an old pie safe and it has had some things done to it which I know brings down the value of it. The original parts of it are the sides and the legs and the drawer. It is made all of wood at the top it has a drawer that goes across the top of it. Under the drawer is two doors that open up with 4 shelfs inside the cabinet, the doors have screen in them. My father explain to me that back in the cabinets original days that the pies were placed on the shelfs and the doors were closed to cool off and the screen would keep the flyes from getting to the pies. It has a great sentiemental value to me but I was wondering if it had any real value. I am not sure if my father got it from one of his family members or if someone gave it to him, but my father had lived all of his life in Georgia so I am sure the piece was constructed in Georgia. You can tell by looking at the original wood that at one point the piece was painted white but the color has either peeled off or it was stripped off. The wood on the sides of the pie safe are not the same wood as the cabinet is made out of or either it aged different it is almost paper thin on the sides. I used the pie safe as a China Cabinet for years and now I just put decorative candles in it that look like pies or food. I can provide a picture as soon as possible.
Description
Category
Furniture
Medium
Wood my guess is its pine very light wood
Distinguishing marks
None I believe it to be hand made
Condition
Good
Size and dimensions of this item
Height about 6 Feet Tall about 3 feet wide dept is about 2 Feet
Date Period
Another guess is early 1900's I have owned it for 30 years
Weight
60lbs
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known)
None it was given to me
For Sale?
No
Re: Antique Pie Safe
Without a photo set, it's very difficult to give any sort of precise value.
Being a family piece, it is most certainly worth more within the family- keep a history with it, that helps greatly! Who owned it, where, and at what time are the key elements. You have a great start on that with the info you provided here!
That said, to move on to the crass end of things... dollars.
You are correct, modifications cause a great drop in the value. Original pie safes had perforated tin fronts, not screens, for example. Exact prices really are going to be contingent on how much and how badly the modifications are and if they can be reversed / restored.
Even old home, hand made, rough, furniture has a value, depending upon the quality. What are the joints like, secondary woods used, and so on. It all makes a difference. Surprisingly, the paint being partially peeled off does not - people like that rustic look.
Then consider your market. A lot of times people only see the obvious. "it's an antique" true, but try marketing it as a "functional antique". If it's in good enough shape, Talk to stores that sell linen's or fancy soaps and candles for example. A 'rustic display shelving unit' might sell better to them! If the shelves are removable, perhaps a tv cabinet for a rustic vacation house? and so on.
Values on these types of items in that size, range from the $100 (low end very modified but still hanging together well) mark to $2000 for named manufacturers in almost perfect condition.
At a guess, from your description only, (and as a larger pie safe), I'd put a conservative estimate on the unit of $90 for auction, $200 for resale, or $400 for insurance (you don't say which you wanted).
(Insurance is highest as you include the cost of someone finding and purchasing and delivering the item back to you. It's generally considered a replacement price quote.)
Again realize there are a large number of unknowns in your item for us to base our estimate on! So it's just a guess-ta-mate at this time.
Garry