Toronto - The provenance or background of an antique can increase the value enormously. There was a famous sale of the furni-ture from the Davanzati Palace in Florence in 1916. The Davanzati Palace, built in the Renaissance period, is a beautiful structure, and most of the furniture from the palace was Renaissance furniture of the same period The examples sold for the most part were excellent, and the prices realized were extremely high, particularly for that year.

     When a piece occasionally appears on the mar-ket today, it still sells for 50 per cent above the current value because of its background alone. From time to time antiques come onto the market that were originally owned by Lord Beav-erbrook, J.P. Morgan and William Randolph Hearst. The collection of each of these tycoons contains many good items but at the same time the fact that a piece belonged to one of these collectors does not necessarily make it distinguished.

     However, they invariably sell for a high price, both the good and the bad. One only has to re-member in recent years the sale of Andy Warhol's possessions, (and more recently, Jackie Onassis) which ran into the millions, to realize how connections to celebrities or aristocrats enhance an item's value.

     In the 192Os historical connections were vastly important in increasing antique values.

If a set of Chippendale chairs could authoritatively be stated to have been owned by William Lyon McKenzie or say George Washington, those chairs might be worth three times what they would be worth without such historical connections.

     Patriotism, and the early struggle of the pioneers, is a factor in the success of early American and Canadian primitive furniture made of pine, maple and cherry.

     Perhaps the most important single element in determining the value of an antique is original condition; or, rather, what is left of the original condition. The vast majority of antiques on the world market are well over 100 years old, the best and highest priced ones dating back to the 18th Century and earlier. Thus, there must, of necessity, be some wear.

     Original condition can vary all the way from a deep scratch on the top of a table to only one piece of original wood left in an entire chair.

     The details of defects in any antique involve the number of alterations, and how they are done. It is generally accepted within the antique trade that a piece may have up to 25 per cent restoration, without seriously affecting the value of the antique.

     However, without knowledge of how altera-tions change quality and value, antiques cannot he intelligently valued or purchased.

     Minor alterations such as the replacement of new drawer runners, the removal of surface stains, the fixing of serious surface dents and cuts, the small additions of wood where original wood has chipped off or rotted away, and the replacement of new seat blocks under the cush-ion where the seat rails join each other, are some of the repairs which would be categorized as the least important type of changes to the original condition. However, once you jump past his point, you may end up repairing at your own financial peril! I can't tell you how many times I've seen people come through the shop trying to sell something they got from their Great Grandfather, but didn't like the worn edges, subtle dings and minor scrapes it came with, and ended up sanding the first ½ inch off the top of a 150 year old harvest table. It breaks my heart and usually their pocket book!