At Large

Farmer, born and raised in Pulaski County, and wife Jane began dealing in antiques as newlyweds in 1976—when Farmer was a professional bluegrass musician in the band Upland Express (“We were medium-small big-time,” he says). By the early 1980s, Farmer had left behind careers in both music and real estate to focus full-time on antiques. He opened his own auction house and appraisal service in Radford—and now, some 25 years later, Farmer is an internationally recognized expert on antiques and, particularly, American folk art.

When did you first become interested in antiques?

I was exposed to antiques when I was in college at Emory & Henry. I rented from a lady who was in the antiques business, and she used to wake me up on Sunday mornings to help unload trucks filled with things she had bought on Saturday. My interest grew from there, and when my wife and I first got married, we started going to auctions and flea markets and yard sales to furnish our house. We were attracted to old things because we thought they had lasting value and character.

What areas of antique collection are you particularly interested in?

I’m drawn to both the craftsmanship and the uniqueness of folk art. And I love things from the Appalachian region. I love American furniture and Americana in general. And I love stringed instruments. I’ve tried to learn as much as I can about guitars, mandolins and banjos.

What is the most valuable antique that has passed through your hands?

We sold an English painting for $550,000 several years ago. It was a beautiful portrait of two young ladies, hanging in a woman’s house up over the sofa. At the time, I promised I wouldn’t sell it for less than $10,000. The owners had identified the artist as “F. Leighton Bart.” “Bart.” is the abbreviation for “baronet.” And his name was Lord Frederic Leighton.

When I got the painting back here, I started looking for things by this artist—this was such a great painting. I became quite excited because some of his paintings bring over a million dollars. So, we raised the estimate on the painting [laughs] and wound up selling it to a gentleman from Australia for $550,000. It was a life-changing thing for [the painting’s owners].