Jan & John Maggs

Antiques and Art

About Us

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Our new barn, replacing the historic structure destroyed by a freak tornado in February 2017

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HOW TO ORDER

Because we are a small business in a field defined by personal relationships, we've shunned the "Add to cart" approach. But we've also tried to make the process easy for the shopper. Here's how it works: If you'd like to make a purchase or discuss details of a particular item, click on the "Questions? Click HERE" link found in every stock listing. The link should open an email window with the item number on the subject line. Simply identify yourself, ask your questions, and expect a prompt reply. We have lives, but we also have cell phones, so we can answer inquiries in a timely manner, though not always instantly. If you have difficulty emailing us in this way, use one of the links on our CONTACT US page. Be sure to include the item mumber.

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RETURNS

While we assume that purchases are carefully considered and genuine, we recognize that occasionally an online purchase doesn’t live up to the buyer’s expectations. When that is the case, we are willing to accept its return, under the following conditions:

Returns must be requested within 24 hours of receipt of the piece.

The piece must not be “shopped around”, including the forwarding of photographs to prospective buyers.

We will refund 85% of the purchase price, less the cost of shipping, if paid by us.

Once we have approved the return, the refund will be made after the piece reaches us in the condition in which it was sent.

The buyer is responsible for return shipping costs. 

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LAYAWAY

It’s the nature of our business that the shelf life of a piece is often very brief. Recognizing that the availability of funds and the appearance of a must-have treasure don’t always coincide, we have developed these guidelines.

We require a non-refundable deposit of at least 20% of the purchase price.

We’ll negotiate with the buyer to set a schedule of payments, usually monthly, extending over a maximum of 3 to 4 months.

The piece will be sent or may be picked up once the final payment is received.

Returns cannot be accepted on layaway items. 

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INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS

 For more than two years we have offered free domestic shipping by Priority Mail on jewelry and many other smaller pieces. We have found that this policy has simplified the decision-making process for many customers. As our business has become increasingly international, we're finding that the shipping by mail is often excruciatingly slow, with shipments taking as long as a month to reach their destinations. To expedite delivery, we are now sending international parcels with FedEx, and they are reaching their destinations in much less time. But with increased efficiency comes increased cost, and we have devised a plan to share this cost with customers from other countries.

For jewelry and other eligible purchases* of $700 or more shipped in a FedEx Pac, we will pay a portion of the total shipping cost, according to this schedule: Asia and Australia: the first $45. England and the European Union: the first $35. Canada: the first $20. We will pay the entire charge at the time the label is printed and will expect immediate reimbursement of the customer's share, including any additional fees.

*Eligible purchases are those with "Free domestic shipping is available on this item" on the item page.

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WHO WE ARE

When Jan, a collector of antique jewelry and period furniture, and John, a teacher and musicologist, met in the early 1980’s, it was no accident that their shared interests in music, art and antiquities would morph into a rewarding enterprise. Jan’s family had been in the jewelry business since the 1800’s, and her passion for early jewels and period English furniture are grounded in this background. John’s career had been in the field of music, with an emphasis on the 16th and 17th centuries.

When first together, we spent our weekends buying at tag sales and Sunday flea markets, but soon began to sell at these same markets and in two local group shops. As our fledgling business began to grow, in 1985 we purchased a derelict 18th-century farmhouse and outbuildings in Conway, Massachusetts and commenced a decades-long restoration project.

Even as the restoration demanded hours of exhausting labor, we began to exhibit at some of the myriad antiques shows throughout New England and New York. In one remarkably active year, we exhibited at 43 shows.

While initially focusing on American furniture and smalls, our interests soon turned to the era with which we live, early English oak. Following the leads of a few dealer friends, we made our first trip to England together in 1993, finding that we could buy pieces we loved at a cost that allowed us to bring them home and make them available at reasonable prices. Thus began a pattern of semi-annual buying trips to England, traveling in the spring and in the fall, with a gala opening in our shop soon after our return.

In February of 2017 the barn which we passionately restored and turned into the home of our business, was flattened by a freak tornado. Thanks to insurance companies that honored their obligations to us, we were able to design and build a new barn with comfortable and spacious showrooms in which our early oak furniture, early jewelry, and paintings and accessories from the past three centuries can be displayed in room settings. While we might appear to be open only four days each year, we’re eager to show off our new space and our ever evolving inventory, and we open our doors regularly to visitors who call for an appointment or who drop in by chance.

We’re no longer exhibiting at antiques shows, since our website, our monthly newsletters, and scheduled online events are working very well for us and, apparently, our customers too. If you’re not already a newsletter subscriber, we hope you’ll use the link below to get on the list. We appreciate your interest in us and would like to welcome you to our list of monthly readers.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

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