Compare cabinet backs made of broad boards, narrow joined boards, framed panels, plywood, and hardboard, with attention on edges and how they are attached.
Wide boards, narrow boards with vertical joins, a framed panel, plywood, and a back held with nails or tacks.
Photograph the back, not the attractive front
The back of a cabinet is where the construction is easiest to read. Broad boards, narrow boards joined edge to edge, a frame around a panel, plywood, and a hardboard or thin panel held by nails or tacks are different maps. The gallery looks at edges and fasteners.
What to point at
Mark the width of the boards, the vertical joins, the frame and panel, the plywood laminations on the edge, and the nails or tacks. A replaced back can sit on an older case, so record the attachment and the material. Do not let the front finish stand in for that photograph.
Not sure whether this piece of furniture needs an appraisal?
Photograph the drawer corner, the bottom, the back, and the woods you can see. The photo-based Screener can sort the visible evidence before you pay for documentation.
