Jan and John Maggs Antiques

Unanticipated Treasure

A late 17th century French oak armchair, part of the collection

In the middle of March, just prior to our trip to England, we received an e-mail from a collector in central Virginia. She had recently lost her husband and needed to part with his collection of about forty years of The Magazine Antiques. As she had been given our names as the most likely buyers for them, she was writing to determine whether or not we might be interested. Since our inventory contained more than 12,000 back issues and was straining our storage resources, we had declared a moratorium on new purchases. Nevertheless, we wrote back, asking if she might sell us only those issues needed to fill holes in our stock. In a very courteous e-mail, she agreed to sell us the fifty-odd issues we needed. In closing, she added, "I also will be downsizing our collection of 17th and 18th-century English oak furniture and 19th-century American country furniture. Would you be interested in seeing a list?

Thus began a dialogue that was to send us, trailer in tow, to Virginia, to bring to Conway many pieces of early furniture from this lovingly assembled collection. A few have already found new homes with collectors who will enjoy them and preserve them for others. A few are awaiting restoration, while others are being stored for the appropriate moment.

After we returned to Conway and e-mailed that everything had made the trip safely, we received this reply, which touched us deeply: "My daughter called last evening to find out how I was doing after saying goodbye to some of the family furniture. I told her I felt surprisingly good about it since I knew everything was in good hands. Thank you for that."

The French armchair above and the two pieces pictured below, all from this Virginia home, have already taken their place in thoughtfully assembled collections. Many of the others are still in our care, awaiting new stewards. Pictures of a few of these will be found on our website and appear in the Featured Inventory section of this month's Newsletter.

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