Von... (others?) question on antique columns

[Richard]

I guess everyone has heard the basic story of "someone" finding a rare car & buying it for a pittence from a widow who wanted that darn thing out of her barn...

Ok..

Well, seems my wifes grandmother lived in a house that was dated pre-civil war. (the house /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif)

The house was used during civil war as a make shift hospital.

The house was remodeled at one point... long story short.... in our barn are 3 (maybe 4) columns, roughly 9' tall that were origional to that house. I think the bases/caps on all of them are NOT origional. They are fluted columns and as I recall, they have a slight taper.

one of them for sure, is (technically) intact, but is very flimsy. I know this, because I picked it up and it's in my garage right now. The others seemed much more intact/solid, but I didn't look too closely at them given their proximity behind other accumulations.

I'm just wondering if original columns like this, dating to civil war & before, have a chance of any value?

The wife is conjuring up ideas about cutting them in half and making some kind of planter... "how cool is that...Grandma's columns as planters...we can give several of them away"

me on the other hand, think if there is chance of some value, I'd rather let someone use origional pieces to do their restoration/other. (ie, $$)

No pics, as I got no film (yeah film) in camera.

If you think there could be a value to them, I most certainly can get some nice pics.

Thanks for any thoughts/opinions

Richard

 

[Von]

Richard, They are definitly worth more in one piece, and the more you have the more they are worth! They most likely are hollow and made up of many pieces of wood glued together. At least that is how the columns on my antique shop are. (house was built in 1838) I would get them all together and take some photos, and then put them on EBAY. Just get the dust off of them, don't repaint or strip them! Someone will want them for some restoration, or decorating that they are doing. Good luck with them!

 

[Richard]

Thank you for comments. You are right in that they are hollow and glued together.

I'll (sometime) do as you suggest...presuming I can get that past the family politics of selling off Grandma's stuff.

/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[MarkV]

Richard, here in Atlanta we have a couple of architectural antique places that sell mantels, doors, hardware, iron gates, stain glass windows, columns and many other items. Based on the few times I have looked around I would say they are defiantly worth more than planter duty. The prices were way up there on most of the items. I do agree with Von that a set is worth more than a single column from what I have seen.

MarkV