John Ward - Antique Restorer

I often think of John ward.

He was a master restorer of antique furniture; a modest little man scratching a living in his small antique shop on Paignton. He was a man of what appeared to me then to be of a great age - but was probably only 50.

As a newcomer, with my more important shop in the main street Torquay, he was generous with his advice as to my future, urging me to deal only goods made in the 18^th century. As I was not in that financial bracket, I suggested that there was some fine furniture made in the Regency period that was not without merit. He informed me that that period was too modern and would never become valuable or wanted. As for artefacts produced in the Victorian era, they were practically given away at that time. This period was to be totally ignored.

How wrong he was. But he was no different to many of the old school of long established antique dealers that were entrenched in that erroneous opinion.

John Ward however, was not so orthodox as not to indulged in a little reconstruction to increase his turnover. He used to purchase many small oak 18th century chest of drawers at about £20 each. He also bought fine mahogany loo tables that had lovely walnut veneers, which he would strip, add a top flap to the chest and after skilfully veneering the whole, it would become a facsimile of a Queen Anne gents bachelor chest circa 1702 which he would sell to me for £45 and I would sell them for £75. They were superbly made and they sold like hot cakes. We of course informed the clients that they were nor original, and because the chests were made in the 18th century, one had to be an expert to learn their real age.

He was however very proud of his workmanship, and always made a special mark on the chests to let me know that was his creation, which was a little monogram inlaid in the reproduced top flap.

I remember seeing one of his chests being offered for sale in a prominent local Auction Rooms, it was advertised as an early 18^th century Queen Anne walnut bachelor’s chest. When I examined it closely I discovered the secret mark of JW. As I was not interested in the item, I did not attend the auction, and to my amazement, I discovered shortly after it had been sold for nearly £8,000 plus commission. The successful buyer was one of the most knowledgeable of the local antique dealers.

When I later saw him later, I asked him, "how did he know that the chest he had purchased was genuine" his answer was "when you have my knowledge & experience its really quite easy". Of course I did not enlighten him, as I would have made an enemy in the town. In any case his reputation was such, that I am sure he was able to successfully sell it on at a handsome profit.

When you consider that all the antique furniture now being sold as of the genuine 18^th century period, or earlier, the serious buyer must pause and think that as the population of England was less than 7,000,000, and 90% was desperately poor. So where does all the preponderate of antiques come from?

The reproduction of 'genuine' antiques is now a thriving industry. It pays off well, as really good 18th century reproductions are getting more and more difficult to identify. Even the most prestigious of our Auction Houses have to accept, that owing to the enormous rise in prices of that period, the industry of fake ‘antiques’ are getting increasingly difficult to detect; especially as the fakers often add part to their productions with a genuine antique addition. For example, it is possible to construct a set of 'antique' chairs by using one genuine chair, and putting a piece of that chair into the remainder of the set to make them all 'genuine'.