The Basics of Antiques | Northern House Clearance

Jamie Murray

Quality fast and reliable service with a cracking bunch of lads definitely recommended

Bill Mitchell

Contracted this company to clear the flat of my deceased mother. Two young guys cleared EVERYTHING out of the rented property, including furniture, carpets, ornaments, white goods and food/household products, politely, efficiently, and respectfully. Excellent service.

Charles winter

The guys from Northern House Clearance have just cleared a house for me in Scotland. The house was packed not only with a lifetimes worth of memories, but all the clutter that goes with it. Within 2 days it was emptied down to the floorboards. A great job from a good team of lads. Highly recommended.

Graeme hatton

An excellent 5 star service. Firstly the compassion shown due to the circumstances which resulted in having to use their services, not just on the phone but by the team who arrived, on time, to perform the job. Above all a friendly attitude goes a long way in stressful times. Professional from the start to the end of the day and due to the amount of clutter a second day was needed. I could not believe how much was cleared in just one day, it was as if the clutter had it's own clutter to clear. Hope that I never need to use them again, but if I have to clear another property they will be the only people that I call. Highly recommend them. G.Hatton. Cheshire.

Lorna Hamilton

Fantastic service. Highly recommend. The team was so helpful.

Richard Foster

The guys from Northern house clearing cleared my deceased brothers house which was in a state. They were very discrete and great guys very understanding at such a sad time. Great job guys thank you.

Xiu Yun Chen

This is a good company would highly recommend these guys. Very efficent and helpful.

Laura

Highly recommended. From my initial enquiry I found them to be efficient and professional and was given an immediate quote. On the day the guys arrived promptly and were friendly, helpful and thorough. I would not hesitate to use this company again and I would recommend to others. I felt in good hands and I, m very happy with the service I received.

Ruth Lawrence

The team arrived bang on time and began work immediately. They continued for five solid days and completed the entire clearance of my late uncles house, which was a case of extreme hoarding over many decades. They even removed carpets, curtains and swept up so the house was ready for sale. They were exeptionally hard working, polite and charged a reasonable price for this incredibly difficult job. Terrific service, absolutely recommended.

The world of antiques can be confusing and seem like an exclusive club to outsiders, not least because of technical terms and specialist knowledge, but it need not be that way. In this article you can learn some of the more basic terms and get a foot into the world of antiques.

Antique
It may seem silly to define the word antique as it is used by so many, but few really take any time to consider how long it is before something becomes an antique. Typically, if an item is more than 100 years old, it is referred to as being an antique.

Original Finish
Dealers love saying proudly that a piece still has its original finish, mainly because it vastly increases the price of an item. The term simply means that the piece still has the original protective coating of wax, varnish or polish as when it was made. This is important as it means the piece has been well looked after and whether the finish is original or not plays a large role in price.

Original Condition
This is another determiner of price and refers to the overall condition of the item. Is the piece intact? Does it still have all the same features and original doors, hinges and drawers etc? If anything has been changed, such as replacing a hinge on an old wardrobe or changing the drawer of a cabinet, it can no longer be said to be in original condition and it loses value.

Patina
The patina of a piece is the result of years of build up of dirt, grease, polish, use and chemical changes. Many say it is what gives antiques their beauty and character. Newly made wood furniture does not have a patina as one takes years to make. It is the small nicks on the arms of a chair or the light wear marks on top of a table that show the piece has had a long and useful life.

Provenance
This is the story of the antique. Who has owned it, where it has been, when it was there, how it got there. It can turn a great piece into an exceptional piece. For example, what would otherwise be a great condition antique dining table can become truly exceptional if it is the same one Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species. To find the provenance of most pieces takes extreme patience and diligent research, and in many cases only leads to a dead end.