This Canadian pine stepback cupboard dates from 1840 to 1850 and has a beautifully aged finish of yellow paint over original red. Priced at $7,500 U.S., from Old Canada Country Antiques in Vancouver, British Columbia; www.oldcanadacountry.com

“Let’s Go Antiquing”

WHAT TO COLLECT NOW: Canadian Painted Stepback Cupboards

A painted stepback cupboard is an icon of country style. These sturdy, functional pieces-whose top half features a set of open or closed shelves shallower than the bottom half of the cabinet-were found in nearly every American household in the early 1800s. For years, lovers of American country antiques have prized stepback cupboards with original paint-driving up the price so that a good Pennsylvania stepback today can cost $20,000 or more. Don't despair: If you love the look of an antique stepback cupboard with original paint, you can still find good values if you just look north. “In terms of painted finish and overall form, good 19th-century Canadian pieces are very similar to good 19th-century American pieces,” says dealer Scott Landon, owner of Old Canada Country Antiques (www.oldcanadacountry.com), in Vancouver, British Columbia. But the Canadian versions can be less the half the price. Landon has an 1840 stepback cupboard with yellow over original red paint (see photo) priced at $7,500 U.S. dollars. A similar piece from Pennsylvania or New York would easily cost $12,000 to $15,000. Landon says the interest in Canadian country furniture in general has been on the rise among collectors in the Pacific Northwest. Many of his clients come from Washington state, California, Idaho, and Montana. “If it's a genuine antique in good shape, it doesn't matter whether it's Canadian or American to many collectors today. They are starting to think in terms of North American Country,” he adds. “They see the value of the object itself.”