Here is some basic information you’ll need:

Here’s how to find out if your old furniture is vintage or financially valuable.

1. Trace Back the Furniture’s Owners.
2. Determine the Age of Your Furniture.
3. Consider the Rarity of Your Vintage Furniture.
4. Check for Vintage Furniture Quality.
5. Look for Vintage Furniture in Good Condition.

Look carefully at the bottom, sides, and back of the drawer; if the wood shows nicks or cuts, it was probably cut with a plane, a spokeshave, or a drawknife. Straight saw marks also indicate an old piece. If the wood shows circular or arc-shaped marks, it was cut by a circular saw, not in use until about 1860.

1. Find out the composition of the furniture.
2. Make a note of any damage, including scratches, dents, chips, cracks, etc.
3. Take clear, well-lit photographs from all angles.
4. Search the piece for any labels or maker’s marks.

Wooden furniture shows signs of age through shrinkage of the wood, splits, and seam separation (Craddock, 2016). Wood shrinks across the grain—but not with it—so an antique circular table will not have a perfectly round shape (Ross, 2009). If it does, it’s likely a reproduction or someone replaced the tabletop.

A true antique (Latin: antiquus; ‘old’, ‘ancient’) is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that is old.

Spot the Signs: Tags, Stamps and Labels A telltale sign of the furniture’s maker is a manufacturing tag, label or stamp bearing the name of the creator. Such a marking or label may have been placed inside a drawer on an old dresser, on the back of a chest of drawers, or on the underside of a chair or sofa seat.

Many Duncan Phyfe-era cabinetmakers placed their company’s name on every finished furniture piece. Phyfe, on the other hand, put his signature on only a few creations. This means that the great majority of Phyfe furniture pieces have no signature or other identifying marks.

The 8 Best American-Made Furniture Companies of 2021

• Maiden Home. “Each piece of their furniture is made in North Carolina by skilled craftsmen and the company offers a range of furniture styles.”
• Stickley.
• Floyd.
• Vermont Woods Studio.
• Simplicity Sofas.
• Eastvold Furniture.
• Vaughan-Bassett.
• The Joinery.

Look for a shop mark by any one of the Stickley companies. Many of the marks include a joiner’s compass shaped like an “A” with points on the ends of the two legs, the Flemish phrase — “Als ik kan” — translated as “to the best of my ability,” with the furniture maker’s signature beneath, usually Gustav Stickley.

They are not completely accurate, but they can help to identify a piece. Gustav Stickley takes the rare step of labeling his Craftsman furniture with a shop mark. He chooses a joiner’s compass as his logo with the phrase “Als ik kan” (To the best of my ability) inscribed within and his signature underneath.

Stickley enthusiasm is understandable: the craftsmanship and designs remain true to the values of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Stickley pieces frequently appreciate in value, especially older pieces and limited edition introductions.

In 1898, Gustav formed the Gustav Stickley Company. He formed United Crafts in 1901 and Craftsman Workshops in 1904. While Gustav’s initial designs catered more toward the Art Nouveau style, he eventually simplified and bulked up his designs to create the Mission style by 1900.

Original Price: $7,000.00.

English: habitational name from a place so called in Northumberland. Similar surnames: Stickney, Stockley, Stickler, Tickle, Bickley, Stuckey, Shackley.

When comparing Shaker and Mission furniture styles, Shaker furniture has a more delicate appearance, with chairs and tables featuring tapered legs. The square legs of Mission-style furniture provide a heavier, more solid look.

The boards are positioned so that when the chairs are hung, they don’t touch the ceiling. “It makes sense to store them this way, because it’s easier to move around and clean house when they are not in use,” Bostick explains.

Mission-style Amish furniture is still fairly simple, but it does look a little more elaborate than Shaker furniture. It is often made of oak or something similar, and it is usually stained very dark. This makes it look heavier and thicker than Shaker-style furniture.

By 1920, there were only 12 Shaker communities remaining in the United States. As of 2019, there is only one active Shaker village: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, in Maine. Consequently, many of the other Shaker settlements are now museums.

The Amish population in the U.S. numbers more than 270,000 and is growing rapidly, due to large family size (seven children on average) and a church-member retention rate of approximately 80%.”