GUEST: This has come down
through six generations
of my family, from
Tiverton, Rhode Island.

Our family folklore has
always said that it was
a Goddard knee-hole desk.

APPRAISER: This is called
a bureau table. People
often mistakenly refer
to them as knee-hole

desks. It's not a desk.
It was made as a dressing
table, and this would
have graced the bedroom

of an extremely wealthy
18th-century patron. It was made
about 1770 to '80, and we can

tell that by the construction,
by the patina of the wood,
and also, it has the original

brass hardware, which
is helpful. So it is an
18th-century piece. It
does have some originality

issues. The lobe is broken
off of the drawer. Also, the
rear feet are replacements--

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: And there's a support
that's been added across the
entire back. And also, this

door, this recessed-cover
door, appears to be an
old replacement. It's
not the same quality

as the rest of the piece, the
wood is a little bit different,
the lock is a replacement,

the hinges are not original.
In terms of where the piece was
made, you mentioned the Goddards

of Newport, famous
cabinetmakers. This is
a block-front piece,
the way the drawers are

blocked, was popular in Newport.
It was also popular in Boston.
If we look at the details

of the construction, this is
not consistent with Newport.
For example, Newport block-front

bureau tables have a blade
here above the top drawer,
and then a large molding. This

doesn't have that. They
have exposed dovetails
here. In Boston, they
covered it with a strip

of wood. And the blocking
of the front edge, that's
Boston. Newport, they
tend to be straight

across. The piece is made of
mahogany, and the secondary
wood is all white pine. If this

were made in Newport, we would
expect it to have poplar or
chestnut secondary woods, so

this piece was made in
Boston. If it were a
Goddard-Townsend piece, that

would bring it to a different
level. It's still a beautiful
piece of furniture, but

the value of what's
called "brown furniture"
in the industry, is
way down from where it

used to be. Particularly
pieces that are not perfect.

At auction, it would
probably have a $5,000
to $7,000 estimate.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: If this were in
perfect condition, even in
today's market, it would

bring at least $40,000
to $50,000 at auction.

GUEST: Wow, great, thank you.