I was kicked off Antiques Roadshow AND Pawn Stars for these chairs See Update!! 

Were they in California?

I have never been one to accept "because I said so" as an explanation. I know your type don't think people like me deserve any more than that. Keep selling your olive garden finds. I'll wait for the answer from Portugal.

The glue could be carbon dated, but there are two issues with that. The surface material is likely contaminated and nobody will take the job unless I am a government agency or the police.

My understanding of carbon dating wood is that external sources may "reset" the clock on the surfaces. Sitting next too an open fire, for instance. I have also found it very difficult to find any retail lab willing to do the testing. They will only work with me if I am a government agency or the police in a legal matter.

I have become immune to useless noise. One benefit.

This is a 20 plus year project for me that is a back burner. Sifting through comments has sparked a few more ideas for me to chase down. The latest one is that I recalled seeing a museum online that had a whole room full of chairs from at least the 17th century. The building looks like it was erected around 1500. I reached out to them Friday, but had sent HEIC pictures. By the time I sent back the JPG files it was late there. I may have an update video to make this week. Fingers crossed for the last puzzle piece.

@@clockhack8134 Thanks for the update. I am curious to hear what they say. But I do wonder if you need to reach out to someone form the University of Lisbon and/or Porto in the Department of Fine Arts. Or potentially the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art) in Lisbon. Keep us updated! :)

I reached out to three places in Portugal. Two replied quickly for correct image formats and accurate measurements, but have been silent since. The third responded immediately with the revival assertion.

Yeah, OCD combined with long windedness

Ah, personal attacks. So helpful.

I say good for you, Sir. You have a hobby that you enjoy, despite the frustrations, in an attempt to find the "truth." Keep at it and it will come. Personally, I think they are real, 100% legit story and research. Why some will not give authentication is a liability issue in a market that does not always have a definitive 100% answer. That's it, bottom line $.

@@MegaLoghome Seriously?? You're as nutty as the OP! 🤣

@@Zalgud So too were Kepler, Van Gogh, Bach, H. Hughs, Oppenheimer, etc. etc. Not comparing myself here, but what's wrong with few nuts? Some people like a nut...some don't, boom, boom, boom--Hah! (Yes, even got to love an old candy bar ad for those who need a laugh, like me.

If I do not find an audience at this point I can very easily put them away and wait for science to finally catch up. Google Rembrandt fakes and enjoy the reading.

I was thinking the same thing. Who in their right mind would try to get on two television shows to prove his chairs are legit? I'm sure they see him coming and close their wallets. I think he just needs a friend...

I have a hard time accepting "because I said so" as an answer. If you are that's cool. If ignorance is bliss I suppose I am a mad man.

My point is exactly that. I just posted another video about two jars of "gold flake paint" I just purchased. Four locations, four different answers. One thing my Grandfather taught me was that when someone gets mad they are usually wrong.

First person was not an appraiser but a buyer, big difference! Second appraiser gives a three thousand dollar value for insurance, actually value about 60 percent of that!!

@@stephenholmes5362 Absolutely. Why do you think I included those bits of informat ion in my comment? Hmmm...

I am not saying that every item brought to them requires provenance. Just mine. At every venue. When I made this video I had already been accused of manufacturing evidence by producing a nail. It had not occurred to me that the story itself would be called into question. That is fun. I have had these chairs in front of many people and my demeanor is only questioned when I am accused of planting this hardware. Does the phrase "but I pulled this nail out of the bottom" sound aggressive to you?

Some have said OCD. I won't accept "because I said so" as an answer. I am open to any and all new or old information or comps to prove that these are reproductions. After all, if they are "massed produced chairs not worth the time" there should be copies of these littering the back halls of every thrift shop in the country.

I know. I handle them pretty roughly. My feeling has always been that the frames are like picture frames only really protecting the panels, which are the real treasure. That is likely the cause of my carelessness with the feet bottom. Sorry for the cringe.

@clockhack8134 I wouldn't sell the structures short. They are also a work of art. I am a craftsman (woman) and appreciate the effort and skill that goes into creating handmade furniture.

Concrete.... cement is an ingredient in Concrete

@speedfreak8200 I know. I just used "cement" . It's a common error.

I know conflicting information can be frustrating. I have been flat out told that the nail doesn't belong with the chairs. I also know what it is like to see something you have never seen before. I know I'm not the only one.

I have found the problem to be two fold. Exterior wood would be subject to contamination by open fire and such. Deep samples from the frame rails would be more accurate, dodging the worm holes, but that still leaves the doubt about the panels being authentic. The second problem is finding a company in the US willing to take the job. I was told that the companies will generally only work with police and museum curators. That leaves me out.

@@clockhack8134 Who told you dating companies won't work with you? Have you contacted any yourself?

I have much better pictures here facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083206427368 I had a conservator in Colorado agree that the frames were hand made, slow turned. He suggested the Barcelona Exposition in the late 1800's as a source. With the hardware being almost 200 years old minimum at that time I would doubt that. And they have fallen apart. I documented the repairs Ii found with x-rays.

I have a facebook page with much better images. facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083206427368

Oh yeah. I see. Thanks. So machine made nailhead, too? With the protruding angles beneath the head at all four corners, each extending toward the shank?

I have always thought that these were executed poorly with modern machines or cut green by someone more accomplished. I believe the latter based on the bug infestation, drying cracks that although severe do not affect the strength, and the slight twisting. I could find no evidence of high speed tools anywhere. Hand crafted pieces would make sense, but not on the scale where small details are off. It would have had to be either two people working from the same drawing or an intentional act to make that seem the case, or counterfeit. The multiple repairs done in attempts to steady the back and the use of different periods of hardware also would indicate authentic use or insanely thought out counterfeiting measures. The "knee caps" on the legs fell off so early they have tiny versions of the nail I show holding some in. I do have one auction house in Lisbon that has yet to respond. They asked for precise measurements.

Yeah, I agree with everything you say, I would add that the decoative panels are exactly the same, if they were done by hand they wouldn't carve those dimples in exactly the same pattern, I'm not even sure the panels are carved at all, they could be steam pressed in a form. And the nail doesn't look old either.

But why would they choose to use such an unknown person to put on these chairs? There is hardly any historical info on Antonio de Brito! If these were a 20s repro they’d have someone people knew of like Magellan himself. AND if they were machine made they’d match better, at a distance you can see the differences in the making of the 2 chairs they’re the same and yet completely different

@@jessicamortensen7829 When I found the name 20 years ago there was only a few pages about him online regarding Ternate and Cloves. In the last 20 years it has emerged online through ship logs that he took Magellan's ship the Trinidad. Not something likely to be celebrated by too many people.

I found a set in California with frames clearly made by the same group of people. There are enough differences to show that mine were not a one off project made by some guy at a craft fair like Colonial Williamsburg.

I tried that early on. The surface doesn't hold even enough texture to transfer. I could only get light to reflect off the ridges.

I know feelings are hard to control. I also have found that the field is not built on logic or reason so my mechanical mind doesn't fit in. Science will eventually vindicate me. Technology has come a long way in 20 years.

One picture of a similar product would be helpful.

There are worm holes throughout the back. Looks like the infestation would have been early and caught early enough to merit treatment. Also, I found no commercial or retail lab that would perform the test unless I was the police or a government agency.

Can you please provide some pictures? If it's not proprietary?

Shmundusville? No such place exists.

@@THXx1138 well I like there so idk what to tell you

@@clockhack8134 can’t add pictures too RU-vid comments

@@Gugstaer no pics?

Oh, that does it. No logic, reason or explanation necessary.

They would have to say that I was their chain of custody or "provenance" Do I look like them? Not hardly.

​@@clockhack8134 In my work as an interiior designer, I have to deal with an unfortunate number of individuals involved in the sale of high-end antiques, and I agree, the attitudes of many professionals in that industry are far less than ideal (and I'm being very generous, calling them smug assholes would be more accurate.) Still, I think we'f be hard-pressed to find a smug asshole willing to turn down the easy money of brokering the sale of those chairs if they actually believed the chairs were not repro's. Having the provenance of items only increases their value, it doesn't make or break the value if you don't have full custody records. It's obvious that you wholeheartedly believe that the chairs aren't reproductions. I can't be certain of anything without seeing them in person, and I wouldn't trust the opinion of anyone who claimed they could identify something as original from a video. I'm not entirely sure if you believed that you would find any satisfying resolution by posting this, but it is clear that the whole situation has caused you quite a bit of distress, and that's the thing that I'm reponding to currently. I feel really terrible for your wife, to be completely honest. I'd imagine that she bought the chairs because she thought you'd like them. Her goal was to bring you happiness, I think. I feel sad that this thing she did to bring you happiness because she loves you has totally backfired. Instead, it seems like her thoughtful gift has brought seriously negative consequencs, and it's probably really hard for her to watch. Maybe the best thing that can come of this is for you to consider her perspective and go give her the hug that you both could probably really use after all of this, and just take a minute to be really grateful that you both have something far more valueable them some old chairs that were once farted on by a famous dead guy, you two have each other. But hey, what do I know, I'm just some faceless idiot on RU-vid...Be well

I'm not frozen. I still buy and sell stuff. If the time is not right I can wait.