Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

I inherited this from my grandparents 30 years ago and they were from Hagerstown, Maryland.

APPRAISER

How did they get the table?

GUEST

He was a minister, and they didn't have a whole lot, so, you know, a lot of things their parishioners gave them.

APPRAISER

And you know what it's used for?

GUEST

I was guessing it was a game table of some kind.

APPRAISER

Exactly. In the 18th century, games tables or card tables, we call them, like this with a hinged leaf so the legs swing out in the back and you can play games on, were really popular. Your table is very English looking. It looks like a George III table because of the quality. Look at this beautiful mahogany, all this inlay. This is actually cherrywood, an American wood, these little bellflowers. And if we turn the table over this way, we can identify the secondary woods.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

And this is where it gets sort of fun. You see these back rails?

GUEST

Yes.

APPRAISER

Those are made of American oak. And they're double swing rails. And that's a typical Maryland characteristic.

GUEST

Oh, okay.

APPRAISER

And I believe that because of the double swing rails as well as the very distinctive inlay that it's not Baltimore, made right in the city, but western Maryland. This is a very rare western Maryland Federal games table, made about 1795 or 1800. This is all white pine, by the way.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

See that number? That's the number "2."

GUEST

Oh!

APPRAISER

So there was originally a pair. If you can find the other one, you know, you'd really have something. But on its own, this is an amazing table. We judge tables like this on the basis of proportion. And the quality is amazing. I mean, this leaf weighs a ton.

GUEST

Right.

APPRAISER

It's really dense. Beautiful stripe, book-match wood. The condition is unbelievable. This is the original finish.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

Which you know we love.

GUEST

Right.

APPRAISER

And collectors love. The market for card tables has gone down a bit. Not what it used to be. Except for tables like this.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

I would say at auction, this would be in the range of $6,000 to about $9,000.

GUEST

Oh, very good. Very nice.