Featured Tavern Table

Slow in here so thought i'd post an old table of mine, coastal Connecticut 1750 or so, cherry base with a white pine top that is attached to frame with wood pegs. The cherry base has turned stretchers which is not real common for the period & what attracted me to this table. It is doubtful this table ever saw the inside of a tavern at any point in it's life, most all colonial homes had these small tables but the form is now called "tavern table".

 

There are no nails on this table except the 4 that holds the the drawer bottom to back of drawer frame. Everything else is pinned with wood pegs which is common on 18th century american furniture construction. Nails were precious in the 18th century and VERY valuable. So valuable that in the 1600s people when moving to a new location would burn down their house/barn & sift through the ashes just to recover the nails!
In 1645, the govt. in Virginia outlawed this arson and instead granted owners a quantity of nails equal to the amount of nails used to construct the buildings. The lowly nail was a BIG DEAL back in the day which is why you don't see many in early furniture construction.

http://www.gregorylefever.com/pdfs/Early Nails 2.pdf

 

Nice!

 

Thanks! I love it even though it's probably worth about half what i paid for it many years ago. As a collector, we can get away with not caring so much about costs of objects, good thing too! as i'd probably starve to death as a dealer/seller.

 

Hahaha, I am certainly getting older. Not so sure about the not starving part!

 

Fascinating nail history James... a category of study in itself. And also - pretty table . . .

 

Yep, is. Hard to understand today how things were just a couple hundred years ago, that's for sure. Anything metal, including iron was like gold, difficult to get and very expensive.
The roads in america during the 18th century were HORRIBLE! which is why we had very good mail delivery (a single rider on horseback carrying paper) but for anything heavy that needed a wagon? A NIGHTMARE! which required meticulous planning more akin to a major expedition, which is what it was back then.

 

If I had a time machine, I think I might go back to the 18th century with a bucket or a truck full of nails.

 

LOL, You would do very very well, trust me!

 

That's pretty cool! Didn't know that. And now I do.

 

Mr. Conrad;
Getting off track here, but I found the following article about early nails interesting.
http://www.glasgowsteelnail.com/romans2.HTM

 

Yeah, was interesting, as someone poster earlier, iron nails are a pretty big subject all by themselves.

 

Nice table.

What are the reasons you say it did not see a tavern? The condition or just that the odds being so many were used in homes?

 

It's condition plus, it's built out of Cherry which is not common for this furniture form. Generally speaking, most tavern tables were built from maple and you do not see many that are cherry or walnut.

 

These tables were built for utility, function. They were small, light and portable, very handy around the house, specially the kitchen. In taverns, perfect for a single traveler or could accommodate 2 people quite well and easily stored in a back room when cleaning the main room.
You can pick up these 18th century period tables for as little as $100 as many have replaced tops, drawers & feet. Naturally, better examples that are complete can command thousands at auction.

 

THAT story was fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well, according to Wallace Nutting,
" The tavern table, otherwise called taproom table, was so named because it was placed before a person at an inn for special service wherever he happened to be sitting, as in England today.But the tables are not confined to that use, since there was large demand for them in dwelling houses as occasional tables. To merit the name the table should be small and light."

My definition...... basically an 18th century TV dining type table only without the TV of course!

 

These tables can go for some serious money, sometimes to a point where the present owner can't sell it because they paid to much. Below is a walnut tavern table, dated 1731 from NY.
"A very unusual form. The William and Mary inlaid walnut tavern table from New York had a molded rectangular top with an inlaid compass star and initials "TC"; inlaid "1731," star, and tulips and vine on the skirt; bell and trumpet turned legs; and a shaped flat stretcher. With a $15,000/25,000 estimate and Albert Sack in the audience executing a bid from someone, it sold to a Virginia collector for $93,250. Northeast Auctions photo. Northeast Auctions, Manchester, New Hampshire, August 1-3, 2003."