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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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GUEST: Right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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used to be. Particularly 
pieces that are not perfect.

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

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GUEST: Okay.

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

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

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GUEST: Wow, great, thank you.