The general look of a piece of furniture tells the expert whether it is old or not, but this is a matter of experience. If you are interested in old furniture see as many genuine pieces as you can; go to museums where you are certain of the authenticity of the articles. Slowly the eye and mind can be trained to recognize whether the appearance of a piece is true or not.

The aging of wood alters its colour according to the timber from which it is made, and according to the treatment it has received over the years. Even the hidden inside parts change with time; if a drawer-lining is scraped it will show at once how the surface has aged. Equally, the old polished outside surfaces mellow, and repolishing changes the colour of the wood completely.

It is worth while studying the methods of making furniture, and how they have changed from time to time. How, for instance, the crude dovetails on the heavy drawer sides of 1600 were modified and improved in the course of the century. When examining a piece of furniture in a strong light, it is as well to look for signs of alteration, and to try to reason what was done and why.

New screws differ markedly from old; prior to about 1850 they did not taper to a point, Also, the slot in the head was hand-cut and seldom central; in modern machine-made screws it is invariably exactly across the middle of the head.

Old veneers were cut with a saw by hand, and are consequently quite thick; many of them almost an eighth of an inch. Modern veneers, however, are cut with a machine-driven saw, and are much thinner. This, with other factors, is a useful indication of the genuineness of a piece.

The use of some of the rarer woods implies that an article cost more for materials and probably also for labour, and that it was probably made to a high standard throughout. The better-quality eighteenth-century pieces were fitted with oak linings to the drawers, but in exceptional instances this might be mahogany or cedar. Practice varied from workshop to workshop and from period to period, and a guide can give only clues not answers.

If you are really interested in discovering more ways to appraise antique wood furniture, then the most comprehensive book on all aspects of old English furniture is The Dictionary of English Furniture, by Percy Macquoid and Ralph Edwards. It is in three large volumes, copiously illustrated, and was first issued in 1927. A further edition, revised and enlarged by Ralph Edwards, was published in 1954.

Also, an excellent guide to the period 1720-1820 is Georgian Furniture, issued by the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1951.

A standard work on French furniture is Les Ebenistes du XVIW Siecle, by Comte Francois de Salverte, of which the fourth edition was published in Paris and Brussels in 1953. Also written in French, but less exhaustive and cheaper in price is Les Meubles Francois du XVIW Siecle, by Pierre Verlet. It is in two volumes: i, Menuiserie, ii, Ebenisterie, published in Paris in 1956. In English the Wallace Collection, London, Catalogue of French Furniture, by F. J. B. Watson, issued in 1956, containing a great deal of information and many illustrations.

The more you educate yourself on the matter of fine wood furniture, the better eye you will develop over time, resulting in an antiques collection to make you the envy of all your house guests!

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There is a raging national debate, currently taking place around thousands of water coolers, over who should get the #2 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) slot to face #1 Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game on January 8, 2007. However, with Arkansas’ loss and USC’s win this past weekend, the debate over #2 is likely over. It’s a safe bet that USC will beat UCLA this weekend and return to the National Championship game for the third straight year.

But, who else will make it to the BCS? Well, there are 10 BSC slots. The National Championship game gets the top 2 BCS teams. The next 8 go to the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls.

The champion of each BCS conference is automatically in. That means USC gets the Pac-10 slot; Ohio State gets the Big-10 slot; Boise State has already qualified for a spot; Rutgers or Louisville will get the Big East slot; the winner of Georgia Tech/Wake Forest gets the ACC automatic bid; the winner of the Oklahoma/Nebraska game gets the Big-12 slot; and, the winner of the SEC championship game (Florida or Arkansas) gets the SEC slot. That accounts for 7 of the 10 BCS bids.

Then, Michigan will surely get one and Notre Dame (undeservedly) will get one. Why Notre Dame? Oh my, that’s a whole different subject I can’t cover here. Anyway, we are now down to only one empty slot. Who should get it?

The answer is obvious. LSU. Why? Mostly because this year, as in most years, the SEC is clearly the strongest football conference. On any given Saturday – Florida, LSU, Arkansas, and Auburn could all beat anyone in the country. And, Tennessee was right there before it’s QB went down.

Don’t just take my word for it. Look at the BCS standings going into the final weekend of the year. 3 SEC teams in the top 10 (Florida, LSU, Arkansas) and Auburn is #11. That’s amazing!! Tennessee comes in at #16. No other conference has more than 3 teams in the top 25. The SEC has FIVE in the top 16!

How about non-conference schedule? The SEC is an amazing 41-7 versus non-conference opponents in 2006. This .854 winning percentage far outstrips any other conference. (Check out http://www.secsportsfan.com/sec-football.html for more information on SEC football). This past weekend was no exception. The SEC had 3 out of conference games against in-state rivals. Florida at Florida State; South Carolina at Clemson; Georgia Tech at Georgia. Result – SEC 3 wins 0 losses vs. ACC teams.

The SEC is so strong that none of its teams was able to emerge undefeated from its bruising SEC schedule. Strength of schedule makes it highly unlikely that an SEC team can go undefeated. Thus, the current BCS system greatly disadvantages the SEC from being able to get one of its teams into the National Championship game. However, if the BCS system is to give any credence to toughness of schedule, a second SEC school should get the final BCS bid.

Who should that team be? Easy, LSU. Why? The key is LSU’s win over Arkansas this past weekend. The winner of the SEC championship game (Florida or Arkansas) will get the automatic bid as SEC champion. If Arkansas is the loser of the SEC championship game, LSU should get the nod over the Razorbacks since they just beat them. If Florida is the loser of the SEC Championship game this weekend, then LSU should still get the nod because both LSU and Florida will have 2 losses and LSU will have just beaten the SEC Champ (Arkansas).

Also, LSU is finishing the season, playing as well as anyone in the country. They have won 6 straight games, including wins at Tennessee and Arkansas. Their only losses came early in the year at Auburn and at Florida. Anyone who saw the Arkansas game on Friday will agree that right now LSU can play with anyone in the country. The Tigers were able to overcome the most powerful running game in college football, and get a win, on the road, at Arkansas.

If the college football world were fair, Florida, Arkansas, and LSU would all get a shot at the National Championship – along with Ohio State, Michigan and USC. But college football lives in BCS-Land. And fairness is not a BCS criteria. Still, look for LSU to get a shot at Michigan in the Rose Bowl. That will be a great game.

Mo Johnson, a long-time SEC sports fan, is the author of this article. He is publisher of http://www.secsportsfan.com.Wp Admin
Cyrus Siminpour