Is this antique trough worth the price??

Afternoon all, I am looking for some opinions as I found this antique trough that came from an old upstate ny farmhouse and I thought it would be a nice addition to my patio as a planter. Maybe put up on blocks and small shrubs etc. Its very large 12 ft long almost 18 inches deep and over a foot wide. The owner wants $850 and i have no idea if that is a fair price for something like this as its unique. Anyone that has seen these sold before that has any idea I would apprecaite it.

Cheers,

Justin

 

Its gorgeous really , but $850 ? Id have thought $300-400 max .

 

I've rescued similar from old farms. The last one I forget what it was originally called or even used for, but it was made of very heavy wood by a good carpenter. Condition near perfect. 10 feet long, 4 deep and 4 1/2 tall with a typical pointed roof.

Made a perfect home for my sons new hobby of tumbler pigeons.

The cost was what it took to move it 3 miles to my backyard. In 1970 I think that was in the range of $75.

 

Yeah. I thought it was a bit much as well. But a nice look.

 

YEAH! An antique is an antique. BUT, there are limits as to value. If you make a really interesting flower/plant holder of it, will anyone recognize the antiquity?
And bushes, trees, shrubs, etc will require a lot of moist soil which could result in the bottom being damaged beyond repair.

Just for the heck of it, if you go back, ask what he wants for the old shutters in the background of your picture. My guesstimate would be - "OH, maybe $150 each."

 

I second TOG's caution about planting in wood that old (and expensive! ) I love adding oddball old stuff to my meager yard as accents, but never spend a lot, because I know what the elements will do to them over time.

 

I agree using them for plants would cause rot, probably fairly quickly.
Using for shrubbery? Roots would freeze in winter, being above ground.

 

Way too much for it.
Also ask how much for the iron fence in front of the trough. That would run about $150 here in CA gold country.

 

Offer $300. Cash if they deliver it to you, and walk away if no deal. You could make a waterproof liner inside to help preserve the wood.

 

Or else .... give it a good sanding, hit it with the paste wax, and make a padded top for it. Voila - rustic bench. Personally, I'd rather mess with the iron railing if I were still up for that sort of thing. Apply rust stabilizer and make it into a headboard.

 

Well, for $850. or anywhere near that, I would RUN without looking back as FAST AS MY TINY FEET WOULD CARRY ME!!!! Outside, as a flower trough with dirt in it, it's just going to rot away!!!! Unless a liner was added, as Spring suggested. But, IMHO, $850. is way out of line....sounds like the owner needs it more than you do!!

 

For $850 I could buy ALL KINDS of REALLY NICE THINGS.

...A planter isn't one of them! That guy sounds delusional.

 

Maybe not delusional.

You remember the "antique" rocker on the front porch of the house out in the country? Actually upstate NY. The NYC people driving by did knock on the door and convince the owner to sell it for a handful of 100s.

After they left the old farmer hollered to his wife to get another one out of the barn.
"Get one of the dark brown ones this time"

Sorry, Jim, but the simple answer to your original question is "NO."

 

I have a trough like that I use as a planter from my grandpas farm, and what I did to preserve it and use it was I built a slighter smaller box to go inside it, painted it and sealed it with marine paint and lacquer, then stuffed that mossy stuff between the boxes to fill in the gaps and it's been going on 12 years with no problems! I live somewhere very dry and every so often I oil the wood but no cracks or anything.

 

Are you in Az? Do you bring it in when snow is expected?

None of my business, but hafta ask. How much did Gramps charge for it?

 

This was a good use of this site -- checking before buying. Well done.

 

I'm in Texas, and if we get any snow/ice I just knock it off, so far no issues, I did drill 3 small holes into the bottom to allow for draining for when it rains but I'm not even sure that was necessary.

And I got it when my Pa passed, he actually specified it to me in his will because I loved that old thing. It was my swimming pool when the creek got low LOL! Horses didn't seem to mind any!

 

[QUOTE="Whittles308, post: 175845, member: 2861" It was my swimming pool when the creek got low LOL! Horses didn't seem to mind any![/QUOTE]

Whittles, please take another look at the trough in post #5.

Then help me picture you swimming in it - -----

then add a few horses.

 

Whittles, please take another look at the trough in post #5.

Then help me picture you swimming in it - -----

then add a few horses. [/QUOTE]

Haha ours was a bit wider but not much! As a kid I was narrow as a bean pole LOL