As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, September 2008

Q. I have acquired a Flint & Horner Dining table. It is approximately 5ft in diameter and opens to approximately 8ft -10ft in length. There is a label tacked to the underside which is as follows - on the left side is a circle which reads (outside top of circle) "FLINT QUALITY" (Center of Circle) "FFF" (outside bottom of circle) "FOUNDED 1840", under circle, "GEO.C. FLINT CO". Center of the label is four lines and reads "Flint & Horner Co. Inc., FLINT FINE FURNITURE, 20-22-24-26 WEST 86th STREET, New York City". On the right side is a circle which reads (outside top of circle) "HORNER SERVICE" (Center of Circle) "HHH" (outside bottom of circle) "FOUNDED 1886". Under the circle -  "R.J. HORNER & CO."

The table is painted (for lack of a better description) Barn Red. It is held up by 4 legs in a square arrangement with a center post leg. Also I have the 6 matching chairs that go with the table. Can you give me any history on this piece of furniture being I know nothing about furniture? Should it be refinished, saved for my children, used as firewood, etc., etc. Any help is most appreciated. Thank you Ben F., from the Antique Week Online Furniture Forum

A. Flint's Fine Furniture was a New York manufacturer derived from the combination of the cabinet shops of George C. Flint and Robert J. Horner, both fine 19th century craftsmen. Horner took over Flint's business around the turn of the century or a little later and the company was first called Flint & Horner, then Flint's Fine Furniture. The "Horner Service" reference is a new one to me. Apparently the manufacturing part of the company succumbed to the Depression. I have found their ads as late as 1934 but nothing after that. However, I believe the name did survive as a furniture and home accessories retailer in New York .

This set is a perfect example of almost total Colonial Revival William & Mary styling. Note the trumpet turnings on the chairs, both upright and inverted, the verticality of the chair backs and the curved stretchers on the table base. Perfect style. The chairs of course should be caned in the back panel, another William & Mary characteristic, as was shown in one of the photos I did put here.

The set was almost assuredly originally made of walnut or walnut veneer and birch or gum solids. All of this points to a mid 1920's origin. Since the set looks pretty good structurally I would say get yourself a couple of gallons of good stripper and go to it, or at least strip one side chair and see how it goes. This fine furniture was made by a recognized company. It should last many more generations if properly restored.

Unfortunately the cost to have the set professionally restored at this point would probably greatly exceed the resale value of the set when it was done. As I have mentioned in many previous columns, there is no lottery in most Depression era furniture. The fun in Depression furniture is the finding and the research.

Q. I have a hand made early American secretary we bought at an auction in Virginia. After I won the bidding and was paying for the piece a guy tried to buy it from me for more than I paid. After we declined to sell it, he said he was a dealer and had a buyer for it at about three times what we paid. It is mahogany, all solid wood. The bottoms of the drawers, etc. look like they have been hand planed. I don't believe there has been any restoration done on it.

 Is there any source for helping us date it and determining a value? MLM, via e-mail.

A. Either it's not what you think or there has been MAJOR restoration on the piece. I don't think I have ever seen an early (18th to mid 19th century) American secretary with leaded glass in the doors and I can't find any examples in the literature. All the early cabinets have individual glass panes held in place by strips of wood called the muntin.  The door pulls and the drawer hardware are very indicative of those used on English pieces around the turn of the 20th century. That is certainly not proof  positive because they are easily changed but it is a clue.

Another clue is the stilted style of the bracket feet and the flat nature of the bottom area of the piece in general. A great deal of hand work can be found in English pieces right up the turn of the century so hand made dovetails and hand planed drawer bottoms can be deceiving.

 A significant clue would be the secondary wood used in the piece, in drawer bottoms and sides for example. An American early piece will have pine or poplar as the secondary wood. An English piece may have a rough type of pine known as deal for the secondary wood but the more likely prospect is for the drawer parts to be made of oak or even mahogany. Without this piece of information it is difficult to make an unequivocal statement but based on the overall form and the details I can discern I do believe you have a nice English secretary, ca 1890 - 1900.

I would consult local dealers in your area for an idea of current market value.

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