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Page 26 The Antique Shoppe March, 2019
GREATER ORLANDO Questions &

Kissimmee • Oviedo • Winter Park • Orlando
Common Sense Answers

KISSIMMEE WINTER PARK
1. Lanier’s 5. Orange Tree Antique Mall with Fred Taylor
2. Echoes of Yesterday 6. Gingers Antique Mall
Hello Fred - I would greatly appreciate it if you would look at the
OVIEDO ORLANDO Q. attached photos and tell me if the wood is walnut veneer or solid
3. The Coop 7. OAE Inc. walnut. The person that sold it to me said it was from the 1920’s and that it
4. Oviedo Antique Mall is solid walnut. I kept it for a few months but decided to sell just the table.
I listed it on eBay and it sold for $99. I listed it as solid walnut due to the
information I received from the previous owner. The new owner just contacted
me accusing me of misleading him. He said it is walnut veneer but he did not
mention this when he came to look at and pick up the table. The previous
owner had attempted to stain the top but did a horrible job. In it’s existing
WE’RE OPEN AGAIN! condition, what value do you place on it? I have attached a picture for your
review. Thank you so much. I am at a loss with this guy and I just want to have
GINGER'S my facts straight before dealing with him.
ANTIQUE MALL
Historic Downtown Marketplace “Tin To Tiffany”
108 Broadway
in the Old McCrory’s Building 2695 W. Fairbanks Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789
Kissimmee, FL (One block West of I-4 at Fairbanks)
407-933-5679 Antiques & Collectibles
Antiques, Collectibles & Accessories Orientals - Imari - Mud Men
Heisey - Cut Glass - Candelabras
for the Home & Garden
Serving the Orlando area for Over 30 Years
Family owned and operated for 20 years Wed-Sat 11am-5pm or by appt. • Closed June-Oct.
OPEN: Mon-Sat 10-5:30 407-740-8775
Laniersantiques.com 1 6

3
4
Geneva This table is made with a walnut veneer top. The rest of the table is
made of gum or poplar, euphemistically referred to as “select hard-
wood”, stained to look like walnut. This was a very popular style in the
late 1920s and early 1930s. Derived from the Jacobean period, it was
called “Colonial” during the Depression era.
5
Melissa – There is absolutely no doubt that the table is walnut veneer.
6 A. It is in the Jacobean style, a type of Colonial Revival, and it most likely
is from the 1920s as you were told. The construction technique was the new
method developed early in the 20 century known as “lumber core plywood.”
th
The surface starts as a solid core of birch, poplar, gum or oak, which is nearly
the nominal size of the surface, ¾ inch. To that is added a thin layer of veneer,
usually gum or poplar, on each side of the solid core with the grain at a right
angle to the grain of the core. On top of that is applied the face veneer, in
this case walnut, on the top surface and a layer of trash veneer, again gum or
7 poplar on the bottom surface. The result is a five layer sandwich of veneer and

wood which is actually stronger and more warp resistant than solid wood. This
can easily be verified by picking out a significant feature in the grain pattern
of the top. Then look under the table for the same feature. It will not be there
because both the top and the bottom are veneer. All of this is explained and
illustrated in detail in my book “How To Be A Furniture Detective”. A table
virtually identical to yours is shown on page 57 of “Furniture of the Depression
Era” by Harriet and Robert Swedberg, Collector Books. The caption reads
“dining room table with plain cut walnut veneer top and selected hardwood
base... late 1920s.” Your table appears to be in less than ideal condition and
2 1 the price of $100 plus transportation sounds about right.
The buyer probably knew it was veneer to start with. No knowledgeable
buyer expects to buy a solid walnut dining table for $99, not even on eBay. Tell
the buyer to just bring it back to you if he isn’t happy. You can always resell it.
Thanks for writing.

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