Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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Collectibles ne 28 nshoremag.com October 2014 Chew, but no pictures of him. In fact, the museum had even commissioned an artist to try to craft a likeness of him—one that was scrapped when the real deal was found. Ralph sold the portrait to the museum at cost, and made one more exciting discovery while delivering the painting. A stickpin that Chew wears in the portrait is among the artifacts possessed by the naval museum. "It wasn't a simple trans- action," Ralph says. "It was destiny. It was a very exciting day for me." It's clear in chatting with Ralph that it's the stories—not the money—that drive his passion. Ralph specializes in items crafted before 1830, prior to the Indus- trial Age, which produced machine-made goods. His small shop in Rowley, open by appointment or by chance, and sales made through MacDougall-Gionet Antiques & Associates in Wells, Maine, feature early American furniture, pewter, brass, and paintings, among other artifacts. Ralph says jewelry and other personal items have grown in popularity in recent years, though he is the first to admit that the antiques business has not seen the same recovery as other industries. "The days of buying an antique for an investment are pretty much over," Ralph says, noting that antiques are very much like stocks—prices go up and down over time. So a mahogany bureau that may have been worth $12,000 or more 10 years ago may only be worth between $3,500 and $4,500 today. Also like the stock market, it is impor- tant to do research and really understand what you have—something that few peo- ple have time for, Ralph says, explaining that he hears time and again from people whose children aren't interested in family heirlooms. "The parents or grandparents spent their lives caring for these things and hoping they would be passed down to someone in the family. When the time comes, they are disappointed that nobody wants them," he says. Ralph would argue that it's not so much that they don't care about antiques, but rather that life these days is much more transient than it was for previous generations. "It's not that people don't want these things. It's that they aren't set- tled down," he says. "Any time you have something of value that requires care and special attention, it's hard to think of taking it on when you're not sure where you're going to be." While Ralph understands the concern, he is the first to say that antiques should be used, not cosseted away. "These items were built to be in houses without central heat and all kinds of moisture problems. They are built to last." William Ralph Fine Antiques, 55 Warehouse Ln., Rowley Noteworthy Items Ralph primarily deals in early American works.