Until 20 years ago, antique American frames were routinely being discarded and replaced with cheaper, contemporary moldings. However, renewed interest and appreciation over the last 15 years has driven up the prices and made them harder to find, according to antique frame experts.

In an effort to make antique period frames and museum-quality replicas accessible and affordable to art galleries, private collectors and interior designers, Edward Charles Balfour recently opened the antique frame brokerage Balfour & Wessels Framefinders Inc. in New York. “The last 25 years have seen a meteoric rise in the value of antique frames,” said Balfour. “I believe that period frames should be accessible to all who appreciate them, not only the high end collectors who can afford to pay current prices.”

The antique frame brokerage offers 19th century American Hudson River School frames, ornate European frames and handcrafted examples from the Arts and Crafts period. Also showcased are signed collector’s pieces by renowned craftsmen such as Charles Prendergast, Hermann Dudley Murphy and Walfred Thulin. Framefinders also produces museum-quality hand-carved and gilded replica frames for the interior design market, which can be made to any size or finish required. The company also offers frame restoration, resizing and evaluation.

Balfour describes his philosophy o f Framefinders as “giving an alternative option to the client by side-stepping the inflated mark-up prices of many existing galleries, while still providing the highest quality of antique frames and without sacrificing service and attention for frame buyers.”

To accommodate antique frame seekers outside of New York, Balfour & Wessels has launched a companion Web site (www.framefinders.com) which displays an extensive online inventory of consigned frame from all over the country. The frames are hand-picked by Balfour and represent only a portion of frame from their inventory.

Frame-only auctions are another component to Framefinders’ services – the first of which was held in May. Antique frame consignments are accepted year-round from all over the country. Many rare, signed pieces go up for auction and Balfour encourages art dealers, private collectors and frame buyers to attend. He said, “It will not only present collectors with the chance of picking up a bargain or two, but will also provide frame owners with another venue to make sales and contacts.”