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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: us335682 on November 30, 2009, 05:31:03 pm

Title: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on November 30, 2009, 05:31:03 pm
Does anyone have information on a table aprox. 100 years old called "Libry-Dine" Table.  The table with 101 uses?
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: D&b antiques on December 01, 2009, 09:02:35 am
No info on the company, have too go by style wood grain etc. to determine a value.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 01, 2009, 08:45:39 pm
I purchased this table off of ebay and have not had a chance to pick it up yet.  I will try and download the info from ebay to post a few pics.  Thank you.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290373330676&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: D&b antiques on December 02, 2009, 03:29:27 pm
It's worth $500.00 Dollars.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 02, 2009, 08:49:06 pm
Thank you for the value.  I feel good about what I paid for it.  Do you have any more info about it?  Possibly company history or time frame?  Thank you for your time!! :)
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 04, 2009, 07:09:07 pm
I picked the table up today and I would say it is worth every bit of the $300 that I paid for it and even the $5oo that it could be worth.  I could not believe the ease that the mechanics worked with.  I was able to identify "Minnesota" on the label on the inside of the drawer.  Does that help anyone?  I am so anxious to learn about this piece!!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: regularjoe2 on December 04, 2009, 08:31:35 pm
I think the manufacturer was :

Twin City Mission Furniture Co. , St. Paul , Minnesota (per some historical docs I was looking @) .

Libry-Dine table was used in hotels , during it's era .
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: D&b antiques on December 05, 2009, 09:24:31 am
Nice work Regularjoe2. a good point here too mention, is the fact a tid bit of info cracked the mystery. in this case. Minnesota.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: D&b antiques on December 05, 2009, 10:17:49 am
And extra tid bit. that company, used paper label's.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 05, 2009, 11:53:43 am
I want to thank all of you so much for helping me in this little adventure.  This was my first time with the forum and everyone has been great.  I have read other postings also and you guys are so much fun.  What you do is so helpful to so many people!!  Thanks again and I am sure I will be back.  And yes, the label is paper!!  I am going to start researching the manf. right away.  Keep up the good work!!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: D&b antiques on December 05, 2009, 12:20:01 pm
We injoy what we do. Sometimes it requires  a team effort. but everybody, is willing too jump in and give a hand. :)
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: regularjoe2 on December 05, 2009, 03:36:00 pm
One more tid-bit .... Co. address was :

2285-7-9 Hampde Ave .
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 05, 2009, 04:14:52 pm
I have been looking this afternoon and haven't been able to find much.  Does anyone have a time frame?  Thanks for the address!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 13, 2009, 02:25:23 pm
Well, after a full week of coming to dead ends, here is what I ended up with.  Apparently this table was Twin City Mission Furniture Company's signature piece.  Several of these have been seen but not many other designs.  The company was never incoporated according to MN's Sec of State listings and I can't find anyone who has ever seen a catalog or any other literature on them.  Thank you to all who helped, regardless of my shortcomings, I still love my table! ::)
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: regularjoe2 on December 13, 2009, 07:04:17 pm
Good research , so far , us335682 .

Sometimes (often) it takes months to find info on 'obscure' or hard-to-find items .

I'm still poking around a little on this one .

If you feel you've learned enough about your piece , that's o.k. too ; if not , search , research & search again !
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on December 13, 2009, 09:41:18 pm
Thank you regularjoe.  I will continue to grasp at threads. LOL  I have a friend who is transferring to St. Paul and am enlisting her in my mission also.  I really appreicate that you are still looking too.  I have gotten addicted to this forum and all of the neat things that are posted so I will check back often.  Thanks a million!!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: us335682 on January 09, 2010, 09:05:56 pm
Still dead ends for me, any luck?  I still love my table and continue to search CL and eBay just to see what all is out there.  EBay prices seem really to me, what is the going price on a typical mission style table these days?  Granted Stickley is going to be way up there LOL!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: regularjoe2 on January 11, 2010, 06:03:03 pm
You can find out a bit by reading the full article in this link , us335682 :

www.archive.org/stream/moderntypeofapar00cashrich/moderntypeofapar00cashrich_djvu.txt
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: margiejo on April 06, 2010, 06:44:00 pm
WOW!!  I'm soo excited!!  You guys are AMAZING!!   ;D
I bought a Libry-Dine table almost 20 years ago.  I've never been able to find any info on it.  I finally gave up, but always still wondered.  For some reason today, I decided to Goggle it again.  And I found you all AND my answer!  Thank you SO much!!
us335682, I'd love to see a pic of your table.  The e-Bay listing has been removed.
My table has had a hard life!  I found it in a garage at a yard sale.  It wasn't for sale so I asked the old man about it.  He said it was his mother's and it has been in his garage for many years.  He was using it for a paint mixing table.  It had been painted white and was piled high with cans of paint.  The entire top of the table was a mix of many different colors.  I brought it home and stripped all the paint off the top.  I left the rest of the table as-is until I found out more about it. I paid ten dollars for the table and have been using it ever since in my kitchen, sometimes in the Library position sometimes in the Dine position(now that I know what that means!).  I'm glad you love your table as my as I love mine!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: regularjoe2 on April 06, 2010, 07:12:34 pm
Welcome to the forum , margiejo .

Thanks for lettin' us know that there's another one of these items in use !
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on April 06, 2010, 09:47:43 pm
That's cool to know the forum helped you out! Thanks for letting us know!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: margiejo on April 06, 2010, 11:23:57 pm
Thanks for the warm welcome!   :)
I'm even more intrigued now.  My table doesn't look anything like the table pictured in the "Libry-Dine" ad that was at the archive.org link. (I'm on dial-up, took forever for pics!)  My table is more Mission style, with straight legs. 
Here's pics of the table and a bad pic of the label.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: regularjoe2 on April 06, 2010, 11:36:45 pm
Thanks for posting the L-D label image .

First one I've seen .

Now we got sumpthin' more to remember !
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: famhistresearch on February 23, 2014, 01:57:49 pm
My grandmother recently passed and I have inherited her Libry-Dine table that she and my grandpa received as a wedding gift. As you can imagine, it is quite a treasured piece in our family. I've been researching a bit and your forum has been quite interesting. I've never seen a table quite like this. Interestingly enough,  the jackpot ofinfo I've found so far is a description of one for sale on Craigslist: MADE IN MINNESOTA by Twin City Mission Furniture Company of St. Paul, MN (in 1920 the company changed the name to Zimmer Furniture Company).

VERY UNIQUE piece of antique furniture, circa 1918, called "Libry-Dine Table - The Table of 101 Uses".

The LIBRARY TABLE with 1 center drawer EXPANDS into a DINING TABLE (seats 4-6). By pulling a small lever (hidden under the drawer) the top of the table is raised and the two leaves pull out, the top is then lowered and the lever is returned out of sight under the drawer.

Very sturdy piece of furniture made of solid oak.

Table has been in the same smoke-free family since originally purchased around 1918.

With its original finish, the table is in used, good condition with some scratches, dings and watermarks.

DIMENSIONS
Library Table (Desk) 45" L x 26" W x 30" H
Dining Table 45" L x 45" W x 30" H
I
I will continue to post as j find more info, and u jope you all will do the same. I hope to learn more abput this table that holds such signifucance in our family.

On another note, ive found 2 styles. It looks to me like the first style is more mission or craftsman with straight lines and bulkier design, and that yhis is the pre 1920 design. The second has a more slender build with curved legs, which would be tge pist-1920 design (which would make sense because ours woyld have been purchased and gifted into the family shortly before my grandfather was deployed in WWII).
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: famhistresearch on February 23, 2014, 02:00:35 pm
This is an ad matching the post-1920 style table:

http://books.google.com/books?id=R20oAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA135&lpg=RA1-PA135&dq=libry+dine+table&source=bl&ots=bi5OvSsJv4&sig=pJcBK4_ZhW7mlTSo2dhaXEyEIvI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6EQKU4WTDOvisASxsoG4DQ&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAw
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: famhistresearch on February 23, 2014, 02:07:20 pm
And a photo of the label...
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: KC on February 23, 2014, 03:09:37 pm
Famhistresearch, WELCOME and thank you for updating this thread with more information!  That is great!

We all like to learn more and see more about items that have been asked about on the forum!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: mart on February 23, 2014, 03:30:07 pm
Indeed we do !! In all my years working with 19th & 20th century furniture this is the first one of these I have seen !!  Of course its a long way from Texas to Minnesota !!  Could be why !!  And yes,, welcome to the group !!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: famhistresearch on February 23, 2014, 03:36:27 pm
Ah, well then here's another interesting piece of the puzzle. My grandma lived in NM. It is now with me in NC. So, perhaps it was sold in the TX/NM area too??
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: laceysoft on September 05, 2021, 12:47:10 pm
The Company was the Zimmer Furniture  in St Paul MN I just purschased one of these libry-dine with 101 uses and the company label is in the drawer.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: mart on September 09, 2021, 06:01:07 pm
Wow !!  Even though this is a very old post I am glad to learn more about these tables !  Although I couldn`t count that large a number of uses !!   :)
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: ghopper1924 on September 11, 2021, 06:32:19 am
Ditto. Great to see this "necro-post" actually teaching us something in 2021!
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: KC on September 11, 2021, 05:37:13 pm
It would list more that 101 uses if made today!  Like holding a computer, video game console, etc. 
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: mart on September 12, 2021, 04:27:27 pm
It would list more that 101 uses if made today!  Like holding a computer, video game console, etc.

Ha !  Right KC !
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: Pelady on January 01, 2022, 12:23:23 am
Thanks for the update and photos
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: Leanne7 on March 13, 2022, 04:41:47 pm
I purchased this table in 2014 for $200. It is in mint condition. I’ve read the comments and there is more than one style. I don’t think my table is either style that people have posted. I can’t seem to be able to access photos that others have posted. I’m curious as to how many different styles were made. Thanks.
Title: Re: Libry-Dine Table table of 101 uses
Post by: mart on March 14, 2022, 05:55:02 pm
Can you just post a pic of yours ??  There are always several styles around !