Antique Ses / John T. Moore Large Vitreous China Pedestal Sink ~1902 Patent~ in Excellent Condition

Details

Description

Every once in a while we acquire a piece that stands out among the rest that we offer, and this … Read more Every once in a while we acquire a piece that stands out among the rest that we offer, and this is one of them. While going through the motions of cleaning the sink up, and inspecting it in a search for any damage or excessive wear, we were waiting for the proverbial "other shoe to fall", but it never happened. There have been several cases where all looks excellent until the point that the acid used to clean the enamel, porcelain, or in this case vitreous china is applied, and it is discovered that the piece has been refinished. The acid eats through the product used to "redo" sinks, but we were very happy (and a little surprised) to find that it is all original. The short description of the condition is that the sink itself is in amazing condition for the age, with few blemishes to be found beyond the ones created when it was produced. The faucet functions properly, but the knobs have deteriorated over time, and the waste tube is good overall. Top to bottom details: The faucet handles function, but the chrome and metal beneath is not in good shape at the bottoms where they meet the stems, and the right one has a replacement, none-matching cap. The rest of the chrome on both is relatively good. The waste tube is in good usable condition. The porcelain knob is excellent with no damage or wear and nice bold lettering, and the rest of the visible portion looks fine. The tube part below is showing its age with wear and a little corrosion, and the Escutcheon finish is down to the underlying brass in areas. The horizontal surface where the faucet resides and around the bowl is completely free of any chips or cracks, and has only the faintest of scratches to be found. There is just a hint of discoloration toward the back. It is believed that this can be removed with more effort. The interior of the basin is in very nice, far above average condition. The sides running down to the bottom are blemish free and have a nice, glossy finish. The bottom has some faint, light scratches and five small, shallow chips. The largest of these, measured with a micrometer, is 0.06". Overall the bowl is very nice with no discoloration and very little wear. The brass strainer piece at the drain looks very good, though it was most likely chrome plated to begin with. The entire vertical outside of the sink; front, back and sides is very good overall. There are a few light blemishes, but these would be virtually invisible if the sink was not sitting at eye level, as it was for us. The front has some light scratches, otherwise it is fine. The left side is excellent, save for what may be an almost invisible thin hairline crack, and the right and back are free of any damage or wear. These spots were much too small for the camera to pick up. The underside of the sink is excellent with a glossy finish and no damage present. The plumbing pieces are in good, usable condition and the mechanism at the center for securing the top to the pedestal is present (unusual) and it functions properly. The two wall-brackets are also included and are both in good condition. The pedestal has some chips along the top edge, that may actually be part of the make up of the piece (and are not visible when the sink is assembled). It is nearly mint from there down to the bottom edges with virtually no wear present, and a glossy finish, and the interior is the same. What there is are several different sized imperfections under the clear glaze that were there when the piece was new, as they are a result of the manufacturing process. The bottom edge has a shallow 1.3" chip at the right rear corner, with a very faint hairline crack leading up from there that ends without hitting another edge. There are also multiple small chips (if that's what they are) that were painted to help them blend in. We normally do not paint sinks, but this area is far from any water, and is basically not visible when the sink is installed. Please see the pictures for further details.

*** This piece is described in greater detail than is normally found, as the camera likes to hide blemishes with items such as this. There are pictures included with and without the use of flash in an attempt to show the details. The description is accurate to the best of our knowledge, and areas are pointed out that may look nearly flawless in the pictures.

Dimensions . . .
Width: 30"
Depth: 24"
Height: 32"
Basin: 13.5" x 20"
Depth (deepness): 6"
Pedestal Base: 14.5" x 14.5" See less