GROVE CITY — When visitors step into Jack Squires' living room, they take an instant trip to the 1800s.

From antique wooden tables, to whale-lit lamps, elegant cut glass and refurbished paintings, almost everything in Squires' house comes with hundreds of years of character and class.

"Everything in the house, with the exception of upholstered furniture, is an antique," Squires said. "It never goes out of style."

Squires will bring his passion for antiques to a volunteer position when he begins teaching classes at the Grove City Historical Society. The classes will focus on defining exactly what an antique piece is and give people a better understanding of how to identify genuine antiques.

Squires said his love of the antique world came about when he went to Brown University more than 40 years ago. After taking a design course, he became fascinated with furniture and how it is put together.

Today he focuses on his number one hobby: restoring damaged pieces of furniture he considers diamonds in the rough.

"I buy things that have been used and abused and bring them back and restore the missing pieces to bring it back to first-class condition," Squires said. "In reality, when you think about it — with today's buzzword, green — we are the best recyclers in the world."

Squires has taught antique classes at the Community College of Allegheny County, Sweetwater Art Center in Sewickley and the Butler County Historical Society. He also manages the annual Sewickley Antique Show and the Kerr Museum Antique Show in Oakmont.

An elegant, perfectly shined wooden table sits next to a chair in Squires' living room. When he found it, the table was painted white and damaged. Squires said people many times overlook the potential of such items, and in this case, the table was an extremely rare Western Pennsylvania inlaid table.

Squires said it is important to celebrate the unique qualities of each piece he finds.

"Anything that shows its age — dents or anything like that — you leave the way it is and then put a good finish on it," he said.

He bought the table for $35 at an auction and could sell it today for up to $1,800.

Squires said a true antique is an item made before 1900. He said this is important for people to remember, because he thinks a lot of buyers believe anything that's 20 years old is considered an antique.

He also said the main difference between an antique and a collectible is that antiques cannot be easily duplicated, while collectibles are generally factory-made.

The class will study furniture, glass, china, fabrics and paintings to give them helpful tips on how to tell what exactly is an antique.

"When you look at furniture, it's so simple if you take a look to examine the piece," Squires said. "They used all square-headed nails in those days, and they all have clear, distinguishing marks on the furniture that tells you whether it's old or not."

A colorful red and white quilt lays on Squires' antique bed under a canopy. Squires found the quilt at an antique show near Erie and said it was made before the Civil War. He knew it was true when he saw black specks from the cottonseeds laden throughout the fabric.

The Squires' kitchen is lined with antique storage containers, including a Heinz container for sauerkraut and a 100-pound wooden box that was used for coffee beans. Squires' family uses it as a dog food container.

Mary Sample, a volunteer at the Grove City Historical Society, is taking the class and said an interesting component of it is a show-and-tell of antique pieces that the students can bring in to have analyzed by Squires.

"My neighbor is taking it, and she can't wait because she has things she has to take to be identified and that is something you can do," Sample said. "They have a couple pieces of glassware and an old violin that they want to be checked out."

Sample said the organization found out about Squires' skills through Ethel Yard, who runs an antique shop in Grove City.

"A few weeks ago, I thought it would be wonderful for Grove City to get more knowledge on what antiques are and the age," Yard said. "I just like old stuff because it's made so much better, and the artists were wonderful back then."

Squires said he loves antiques not only for the beauty, but for the life-long wear he can get out of every piece he buys.

"If you're looking for an investment, you can't beat it," he said. "I don't have to run out and buy a new style every time it comes out, it's all right here."

<B>WHAT: </B>What is an antique?<B>WHERE: </B>Grove City Historical Society building, 111 College Ave., Grove City<B>WHEN: </B>6:30 to 8 p.m. April 15, 22, 29 and May 6.<B>COST: </B>$60; RSVP by April 5 by calling Jack Squires at 724-458-0450