I have this old dresser set sitting around and was just curious if anyone knows the style and age frame for it. I can't find any helpful markings on it.
Thank you.
This looks like a nice set of furniture you have sitting around your home. It is a shame you can't find any marking on the dresser to help out. Normally they are located on the back or even under the dresser. It is helpful when you know who made it. In cases like this unless a person knows the exact manufacture it makes it so hard to help out. I would suggest finding a furniture dealer or antique dealer in your area to ask them for help. I also know that you can post images of pieces of antique furnitue online to get information about them. In some cases the site charges and in a few cases it is free.
There are markings in one of your photos, but it is much too dark to read. Can you tell me what it says, please?
At first blush it looks like a French piece, maybe 1800s to 1940s. I was going to say Chippendale style but the legs are not right for that. Also the castors are not right for the style and may have been added on later. The casters may even be older than the piece--just from the look of them.
The drawers look much too clean and un-aged, which is why I suggest to get the best feed back on what you have it may be better served having a trusted antique dealer come and look at them and identify based on what they see (and I can't). You do show some of the connects and nails, which do look old, but other things don't line up.
Please post back what you learn!! They are lovely pieces and I hope you can learn more of their history and their value if that is why you are asking!
Thanks for the great additional photos!!
I looked it all over the best I could and I think you have what is called a Sheraton Style Chest of Drawers. Note this is a style not a brand.
Based on the screws it is most likely late 19th century or early into the 20th century--unless it is a marriage piece--which means someone took some old dressers and married it to newer pieces. This happens all the time in furniture and unless you know the exact history it is often hard to tell if you have an original or a marriage piece.
The stencil numbers tell me it was manufactured (vs. hand made) and all of those numbers are part of the furniture line that it belonged to. If I could narrow it down to a brand, I may be able to figure out more, but I was not able to narrow it to a brand. I thought it might be a Kling piece but that didn't pan out. Then maybe an early Ethan Allen, again, that was a dead end.
One of the challenges in IDing furniture is that there were so many makers that made furniture for stores....so made by X to sell at Y store. Then the piece they made to sell at Z store was just a tad different.
If you are asking to try to sell the pieces, my best recommendation is to have a reputable antique dealer who specializes in furniture come out and look at it and give you a value for selling in your town.
Furniture sales are very regional and supply and demand based so you may have a piece that would fetch thousands in one city, that in another town, may barely fetch 100 dollars. That is just how it works in the furniture resale world.
Thanks so much for sharing your lovely piece!! If you do get an expert in, I would love to hear more.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Hello. I am looking to identify a possible antique vanity. It has what looks like hand tooled dovetails. It needs work as the drawers are banged up but it is still quite pretty.
Thanks!
I would like to know what this piece is, and any sort of history, if possible.
It was damaged in transit so I doubt it has much value. However, now I feel free to paint it.
So normally I tell people if you want to paint a piece of furniture, paint it, but this is quite unusual and I think before you do anything you need to take it to a reputable antique dealer to see if it is a true antique etagere or a reproduction piece. Many antique versions of this piece can sell between 8,0000 and 20,000 if pristine and even with damage can fetch decent amounts.
It is critical to have it looked at by a true and reputable expert. I say this because when I first started with my love of antique furniture I purchased a very small etargere and was told by the (now I know very disreputable) dealer that it was very old and very valuable and I was cheated as it turned out the "antique" was from about 10 years before and was a reproduction of a valuable piece.
I was very young and it was a hard lesson to learn.
It appears to be Victorian, maybe French or other European origins and possibly from the 1800s. Unless it is a much newer repro piece which still would have value in the hundreds, vs. the tens of thousands.
Post back what you learn! This is a lovely piece and I hope you have a real piece and one with value!
It sounds like you may have inherited this and felt guilty to even think about painting it before it was damaged!
You may not particularly like it but it looks like a marvelous piece of history to me so please find out more about it before making any changes.
As to damage, according to what you find is the true value then having it professionally repaired may be an option.
I hope you have someone in your area that will help you with the identity and value of your antique etagere (I hope it is real and not a reproduction.
My son is always acquiring vintage and antique furniture and we always go to the free online appraisers before we pay out the big bucks for an onsite appraisal. These are big name auction houses and if they like your piece they will not only give you a lot of information but will also tell you where the best auction house is located (for this type of furniture). Usually that is where the most money is made with pieces like this.
They do require a lot of pictures - from all angles - especially any damaged areas. Front - several in stages - from bottom to top (maybe 3 up close pictures for detail. Back probably 2 pictures as well as sides and legs. Inside of any door and they will want as much history as you can give them and also your location. This sounds like a lot but this may be worth a lot of money and they will not put their name on it without being sure.
It would probably be a good idea to remove some of the personal items.
Take a look as some of these pictures and you will see some similar to yours.
www.google.com/
Here are links to online appraisers. You can submit information to more than one site.
www.whatsellsbest.com/
Please let us know what you find out about this unusual etagere.
My son has this old antique desk that he would like to sell. He acquired it from a guy in California that said he inherited it from his great grandfather. He was told it was a captain's desk from an old ship. Whether this is true or not I don't know, and there is no documentation to support this. All I know is that it is old and it is heavy. It has a leather top on it. 
It does not have original drawer pulls on it as someone has changed them. We are trying to figure out how old it is and how much it is worth. It is currently in southwest Montana, so I would have to go and get it. Do you know of a dealer that deals in this kind of furniture?
I think it's the top of an antique kitchen dresser as it has plate rails on the shelves, but it could be a library unit. Originally there was no back - that has been filled in with plywood. There is no base, so it has been set on something else. It is 4.5' wide, 5' tall, and 1' deep. It is a mix of oak and fir. It's the flat knobs on the glass door frame tops that I can't figure out. Has anyone seen anything like this? I am hoping to find out its age.
Thanks so much!
Think we have mostly solved the puzzle- looked at a million, online, arts and crafts images and finally saw some similar circular trims very close to that of door top trim. Then I did the same with butlers pantries- and see same size of cabinets w the huge glass doors sitting directly on lower cabinets. I`m going with the butlers pantry as its seems to fit everything, and besides, it totally appeals to my love of big old houses.
Also an Art Deco fan, but this is close enough.
Shopping for a different house this year- fitting this in will be on the must have list!
Again, thanks for your input. Seasons Greetings to all.
