Thursday, January 12, 2006

antiques blogshow!


i picked this up at a yard sale last summer while on a trip to Iowa. paid five dollars for it. woo-hoo! it folds up, and i was actually able to put it in my suitcase to get it home. the tray lifts off. i wonder when it was made. 1940s? anybody have any idea?



10 comments:

Jeff said...

I love trays like this. They are so handy. At five dollars you got a great bargain! Just guessing, but I'd say 40's, maybe older.

emeraldcite said...

I love antiques. This is awesome! I love the small details. We pick up quirky stuff all the time. We got this great little card table that we use for a dinner table. It has a green leather inlay and matching chairs. So cool.

Anonymous said...

One of those Antiques Roadshow creepy twins says:

Beautiful original finish. And look at these gorgeous tapered legs. So typical of pieces from this area. Do you have an idea what it's worth?

You: Well, I snatched it at a yard sale for a finsky.

Creepy twin: I think you'll find you've done very well. I would say a piece in this condition, with these tapered legs, would go at auction today, conservatively, for one to two thousand dollars.

You: Jimminy cricket! You're kidding!?

Creepy twin: No. It's a beautiful piece.

You: Dang. Too bad I have to part with it! Can you point me to that auction??

anne frasier said...

jeff, have you seen a tray like this before? i never have.
emeraldcite, that card table sounds very cool.
jason, i swear saw that episode! :D

there was one where a guy from the twin cities said he picked up a chair for $5 ON THE WAY TO THE ROADSHOW. it ended up being worth something like $10,000.

DAMN!!! mind your Ps and Qs!! word verification should NOT CONTAIN ANY Ps or Qs!!!!! they look the same and the verifications are full of them!!!

Bonnie Godbee said...

I can read your blog again WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Oh, and nice table. I had one similiar. I tossed it in the trash the other day. Probably was worth a trillion, eh?

anne frasier said...

emom!

tossed it in the trash!! OMG!

next time you come upon a treasure like that save it and i'll stick it in my suitcase next time i'm in savannah.
i actually use the tray table every day. makes a nice place to put tea when i'm writing. or blogging. or message boarding.

Confessions of a Starving Mystery Writer said...

I never find deals like that, I end up paying $150 for one from PierOne that's made in China and falls apart after one use. Damn. Nice blog...

anne frasier said...

r. j. -- good to see you here!

okay, here's some information someone found:

" it's usually referred to as a "Butlers tray" with a "folding stand." The only examples of a comparable style are from around 1900, though the general features seem to be popular in the mid-1800s"


it looks like they sell anywhere from $150 to $2,000. I think mine is in the 150 range, but I can't find any with the metal corners. that would probably determine the age.

Mary Louisa said...

LOVE your table. I love old furniture. I think we probably have three pieces of furniture in our house that we purchased new.

anne frasier said...

mary l,
i also have very vew things I've purchased new. i think my couch is one. never liked it. a couple of chairs. never liked them. they never seem a part of the house. although after saying that I kinda feel bad for them. :D