Help identifying 2 old chairs...

I have 2 chairs the kids don't want and I'm considering selling them but I don't know anything about them. They were left to my Mother back in the 70's by a women in her 80's at the time in appreciation for the help my Mother gave this neighbor (trips to doctor's appointments, etc.).

I remember being told that the chairs were quite old and possibly even passed down to the woman from an older relative. Regardless, anyone on the forum know what each chair is called, or the style, approximate age, or even possibly the value?

I can't find a single identifying mark on them - maybe they're just hand made farm furniture (elderly woman came from a farming community).

Any help would be appreciated.

 

The first one, I think is maybe 30's. The second, much younger.

But wait for Brad. This sort of thing is his baliwick.

 

The first is what I call a Shaker "Style" chair. I would agree 1920s -30s.
The other is early 1900s. Looks to have had the seat replaced and possibly stabilized the two side moldings that connect the back and seat. I see what looks like new screws on the underside.

Wait for Brad - he will correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit -
Neither would bring a high dollar amount in my CA area.

 

Many thanks Silverthwait and Clutteredcloset49. New to the forum so I don't know where this reply will end up. Sounds like Brad is the go to gentleman on this forum when it comes to knowledge about antique furniture. I hope he has a chance to weigh in on them. I just want to know what to call them and not accept a $15.00 from a used furniture store if each are worth more. Thanks again for the help.

 

The design of the second chair is very similar to one i have in my living room. The finish on yours looks awfully new to me... like either it's a reproduction chair or the wood was refinished.

Just a hunch on my part, though. I don't have any expertise and agree that Brad will be a good one to weigh in on this.

 

Thanks Pat: It's very possible I'm all wet on the brown chair. I know for sure the white chair came from the elderly neighbor and I've always assumed that both came from her. My folks bought an old L. Hitchcock Thomas Jefferson new in '76 but I don't believe they bought the brown chair and I've always assumed it was from the neighbor and old. Both parents are now gone and I've had the chairs just sitting around since 2012.

Oh well, thanks for add your thoughts.

 

Hard to tell how old your ladder back is. They were made the same way for a lot of years by many makers. I do think it is 20th century factory made and the 30s date could be about right, though it could be even newer.

Your second one is circa 1890 and appears to be walnut. I think the support braces are original but may have had some bigger screws put in at some point. The caning and finish are newer. I have never really known what to call this style of chair. It evolved from an earlier Renaissance Revival style but retains little of the details found in such chairs. Here is an older transitional chair that shows the evolution.



Not a lot of value to either of these I am afraid. If your ladder back had old peeling paint, it would be more desirable. The second one, while quite nice, is just a single from a set. Someone might want it as a nice accent chair. I think $15.00 each is a fair offer on these from a dealer. If selling retail, I would expect a bit more. Maybe $25.00 on the ladder back once distressed a bit or painted a more trendy color. If the walnut chair were mine, I would price it just under $40.00 but might expect to have it awhile at that price. It is a style that is just not in fashion right now.

 

Thank you Brad! I can see now why others on the forum suggested that you might be best suited to provide the most comprehensive answer to my question on these two old chairs. I go out metal detecting on weekends and follow a metal detecting forum used by other folks who enjoy the hobby. On the forum we have your counterpart, a gentleman named "Monte", who is acknowledged as the person most likely to know the answer to the most difficult or obscure question. I sure am thankful for having people like you (and the other gentlemen who offered their help) on a forum that you can turn to for help! Best regards, John

 

Ah, and three gentlewomen, John!

Brad, thanks for the info. Now I know my chair is circa 1890.

 

My apologies Pat, Silverthwait, and Cluttercloset. The metal detection site I referenced earlier is predominately male oriented (and yes, testosterone levels frequently rise during disagreements!) which inadvertently led me to assume male gender responses on this site also - pretty lame excuse, but truthful :>) Thanks again to all who responded for the help!

 

No problem, John!

 

I just attended my local auction tonight where a pair of similar cane seat chairs in very good condition sold for $10.00 each. It is sad to see such nice old usable antique chairs bring so little.

I have to add that I, as a dealer, am as much of the problem as the others in the room. I did not bid on them, though I was tempted to do so. I just know that I do not have the customer base to sell these quickly enough. My real estate is too expensive in my store to take space up with things that will not sell quickly at good profit

 

That pretty much confirms what the used furniture owner in our town related to me when I sold him the L. Hitchhock (see pic) to him for the princely sum of $75.00.
The store owner loved the piece but almost didn't buy it because he said it would spend some time in his store before selling to a buyer who appreciated Hitchcock.
Before selling the piece, I did show it to a reputable consignment store (they refused it) and advertised it on Craiglist for several months with no luck. Ebay was out of the question because of shipping costs.
My parents probably paid a couple hundred dollars for it when they bought it new back in '75 or '76 with the feeling no doubt that it would and it would increase in value in the years to come. Oh well, the money wasn't as important as finding someone would appreciate the furniture and had the room to display.

 

Whoa...John !
That's a spanking nice chair !!!

 

Thanks Komokwa! It certainly caught your eye when you entered the room we had it in. Gone now, and I deleted full pictures of it. Go to

http://usedhitchcockfurniture.com/6928.html

to see the rest of the chair and some of the other limited edition L. Hitchcock's. Apparently the L.B.J. Presidential chair is rarest and goes for something like $900.00.

 

I want the Jefferson chair!!!