Bay Colony Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this wonderful early 19th century antique New England Pumpkin Pine tavern table. Pumpkin pine is not its own species, but a trade term used mainly by antique dealers and carpenters to describe New England White Pine that has developed an orange patina after hundreds of years. Not all pine will age in this exact manner, and it is impossible to tell when the tree is felled whether or not it will. We’re always in the market for quality tavern tables, but most that we encounter have been significantly altered or repaired. This table retains all of its original integrity and is nice and sturdy resting on finely formed tapered legs that are peg joined into the frame. The top is 100% original and is comprised of two boards with breadboard ends. The small gap between the boards was filled and a couple of age splits on the top were also filled. The table measures 41 1/2” wide x 31” deep x 28” tall.
In a market supersaturated with modern fakes & heavily altered tables, we were very excited finding this correct & undisturbed New England tavern table. There are tool marks on the underside of the top from a hand plane. Since the underside wouldn’t be seen and all of the work was performed by hand, it was common for cabinet makers in the 18th & early 19th century to leave unseen surfaces unfinished. In addition to looking for hand tool marks, the black oxidation marks around the old iron nails only develop after an extended period as iron oxide seeps out & stains the wood. These are just a couple of small details to look for when examining period furniture to ensure you’re buying a genuine early American antique. It’s important to exercise a little more caution or buy from a trusted source when buying primitives because there’s not much that goes into fabricating them compared to formal Mahogany furniture.
