GUEST: This piece had been in our family handed down through the years. That gentleman in the back there-- General Eliphalet Whittlesey, who was a general in Lincoln's time-- also owned it.

APPRAISER: It's nice to have that with it. Well, what you've brought is a Federal inlaid mahogany sideboard made in Connecticut about 1785 to 1795. And the fascinating thing about Federal sideboards is that in America, until the late 18th century, they did not have specific rooms for something like a formal dining room, but by the late 18th century, in Federal America, when this was made, pieces were made for specific rooms. And this form evolved from England. They called them slab tables in England, and they had a marble slab, or a wooden slab, on four legs. And in America, they made some of those, but it was really the Federal sideboard that really evolved. And this would have been, for your ancestors' dining room, a place to display your treasures. It was something to show wealth on. Now, these brasses are Chippendale style and they're not appropriate for this piece. What I would suggest is to put on a set of oval Federal pulls. It'll make this look a lot better. Here at the top of the leg is an oval pinwheel motif. And the legs have this very whimsical Connecticut-- really Hartford area or central Connecticut-- type of light wood inlay. Then you have these satinwood cuffs. In today's marketplace, sideboards are very popular. This one has lots of nice inlay, very nice details, and its value is in the range of about $20,000 to $25,000. Are you pretty happy?

GUEST: Oh, yes.