Chair Identification

Q: I am looking for information on this chair. I recently inherited it from my mother. I used your identification guide, but I’m not clear if I am interpreting it correctly. What can you tell me from this mark? A: This is an English registry mark. It was used on metal, wood, glass, and ceramics […]

Charles Rohlfs

Q: I got this piece from my landlady in East Aurora, New York, about 40 years ago. I used it as a plant stand and never knew who made it until about 10 years ago when I noticed this maker’s mark of an “R” in a rectangle and the date “1902” underneath. I took it to an […]

Dry Sink by Hinken & Son

Q: I have my maternal great-grandparents’ solid oak dry sink. It’s marked “Hinken and Son, Alex… Va.” As I was born in 1946, I’m guessing the piece dates to the mid-19th century or maybe earlier. What do you think? A: We found an ad for W.E. Hinken & Son in a 1922 Alexandria, Virginia, newspaper, […]

Russel Wright Chair

Q: We found this folding metal chair on the tree lawn, discarded, and waiting to be picked up on trash day. It has a partial label that says “Samson Chairs” and “designed by Russel Wright,” but we can’t read the rest. Is it worth anything?  A: This chair was made by Shwayder Bros. Inc., a […]

Webster Mfg. Table Set

 Q: I have a table and four chairs that have been in our family since the 1940s or ’50s. They are made of maple and have paper labels that say “Webster Mfg. Co., Station B., Superior, Wis.” They need some repair and refinishing. Does the set have any value other than for memories? Is it […]

Danish Tables

  Q: I have three teak tables in great condition that were made in Denmark and purchased from late 1950s on. There are two side tables and a coffee table. This metal badge is on the bottom. It looks like it has two letter Fs, one upright and one upside down. I would like to […]

Antique Bed

Q: My mother, who is 94, got this bed when she was a child. Her parents bought it from a man who drove around the Doylestown, Ohio, area (where she was born) with antiques in his truck to sell. It is stamped "Manufactured by Hart & Malone, 2 & 4 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, O." Can […]

Bennington Collection Chest

Q: I’d like to know the age and value of my chest of drawers. It’s 52 inches high, 33 1/2 inches wide and 18 inches deep. It’s branded with this mark that says “Bennington, Vermont of Winooski, Collection, Solid Pine.” A: This chest was made by the Vermont Furniture Co., in business in Winooski, Vermont, […]

DeMuth Dough Beater

Q: I have a beaten biscuit table that's been in my family for about 125 years. It has a marble top, which we had cleaned by a marble company about 40 years ago, and two rollers. It still works. About twice a year I make a supply of beaten biscuits. This crest with "The Demuth […]

Phoenix Chair Company

Q: I have an antique high chair that was used by me, my siblings, my children, and my grandchildren. It's marked on the bottom with a decal that says "Styled by Phoenix" in a circle with a phoenix bird. The chair's tray and footrest are missing. I'd like to repurpose the chair to make it […]