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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: sjb_art on August 05, 2013, 10:44:53 AM
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I am thinking about selling this antique hutch but have no info on who made it or what it might be worth. When purchased 30 years ago I was told it was made in the 1890's. There are no maker's marks anywhere I can find. The only markings I see that might help identify it are stenciled markings on panels the maker used to build the drawer bottoms and back of the cabinet. These were obviously from wood shipping crates. The markings are H.C. Hansen, Holstein IA, and J. Roberts, Sterling Nebraska. Maybe these crate markings might help. The cabinet is 92" high and 38 1/2" wide and is on small casters. Any help on identifying who made it and what it might be worth would be greatly appreciated.
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Would be a nice craftsman style were it not for that top crest !! How is that top attached ?? I think it was an addition from another piece of furniture !! Does not go with this cabinet !! Offhand it looks like it was a footboard from a bed !! Think if it were upside down !! If it were made to go with the hutch it likely would have had side pieces to match !! Its only on the front and is a totally different style !!
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to the rest of the free world....hutches are for keeping, bunny wabbits in....but in America...you keep books and bric a brac in them.....sometimes i wonder.... ;D...as for the top piece...it should burn well,....for it spoils the whole look of the little wabbits hoose....
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Wullie behave. We have more to life than rabbits on this side of the pond! :)
Can you please post a picture of the side of a drawer that has been pulled out? Also any close up of hinges/hardware.
Something about it is making me think an imported piece.
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Have you gotten up on a foot stool to see how the top is made. Just curious if you could get a picture of the top, so we can see if its an add on.
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Sure looks like it is to me !! Picture that top piece upside down and at the foot of a bed !! Or as the back piece on a sideboard !! It looks a bit different color too !! Different style from the case !! Looks like a craftsman style except for the pulls !! Not sure about them !!
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OK, here are some more detail pics of the wabbit hutch. The top piece is attached with two dowels and I agree that it is a different color and wood type. I attached detail pics of the drawer inside and out. Simple nailed joints. The two pics of the inside of the top cabinet show the hinges, shelf adjusting mechanism, and the packing crate stencils that would lead me to believe this was made somewhere in the midwest. The bottom cabinet inside pic shows some of the construction details and one of the lock mechanisms.
Thanks for the replies and help :D Any ideas on value?
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Ooops, it only lets me post four pics at a time so here are the other two inside shots.
Thanks!
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I don`t think those are packing crates !! I think those are the wood suppliers stamps !! Perhaps he bought the wood at two different places !! That's why only the name and town are stamped on it !!
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I looked up HC Hansen and J Roberts and it appears both of them were suppliers of staple goods in the late 1800's. Not sure why the builder would not have sanded the stencils off in the finishing process. Maybe this cabinet was built by someone who never intended to sell it and did not care. I like the shelf adjustment mechanism in this thing. I never saw anything like it before. Very clever :o
Oh, and when I pulled the top piece off I noticed that it had the same HC Hansen stencil on the back. Strange! I was willing to agree that this piece may not belong on this cabinet, but now, I'm not so sure.
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Wullie behave. We have more to life than rabbits on this side of the pond! :)
Can you please post a picture of the side of a drawer that has been pulled out? Also any close up of hinges/hardware.
Something about it is making me think an imported piece.
..."We have more to life than rabbits on this side of the pond"......
and long may it stay there....... :-X
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You run into many odd things with furniture !! No,, different wood says the top didn`t originally go with this hutch,, but its possible that whoever built the cabinet simply made use of something he already had and added it !! They recycled too !!
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I,m confused!!.....one minute..its a hutch....but now you.re calling it a cabinet..make yer mind up,its either one or t,other, :D
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What I am seeing tells me this was not made in late 1800`s,, more like 1940`s !!
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i agree with Mart,on the date,..the ironmongery,..is,nt late 1800,s,the large slot headed screws are machine made,the lock and hinges are 1940,s/50,s, the drawers have no dovetails, that i can see,...they look like butt joints,...its made of oak,..the crown or headpiece has been added at a later date,..had it been there from the beginning, then..it would not have been fitted with dowels....
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It is just a plain butt joint,, Wullie !! Everything I see says mid century,, thought I saw a staple on the inside somewhere, but wasn`t sure!!
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I say it is a 1915-1920 kitchen piece. The hardware is not mid century and the pressed design in the doors is typical of late golden oak/birch furniture. The piece on top sure looks like the top of an armoire. It needs to go. Seeing the back would help a lot. My guess it has multiple interlocking boards. Mid Century usually had a big piece of laminated wood.
Here is the top anyway
http://orlandpark.olx.com/turn-of-the-century-1900-oak-armoire-iid-440285969
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Look closer Frogpatch !!
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This is what I mean. Do you see a resemblance between these early 1900s pieces and the cabinet in question? Look at the pressed doors in the one piece and the pulls in both of them. Also look at the tile and rail construction of the hutch on each end. That is also typical of early 1900s. It may actually be more like 1905 in my opinion. Come on Mart it even has castors on it. The cheap drawers were on Hoosiers also
I know Mart. Oh no he's baaaaaack. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the forum. Frog two.
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Even the staple goods boxes used in the construction were from the late 1800s. They had the empty boxed laying around and recycled them.
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I bet if you pulled the drawers out on your example you won`t find butt joints with screws and nails !! Don`t think those are from shipping crates. Cant think of much that would be shipped with 1x10 oak or even pine !! I said in one of my posts that the top did come from either a bed footboard or a sideboard but the rest of it isn`t right for an early date in my opinion !! 40`s earliest I think !! But then I am a detail person !! That pressed wood was used for years !!
My honest opinion was that this was a much later remake of an old piece !! Thought I saw where there were some runs of a refinish !!
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Now I won’t even guess when that piece was built because there are too many questionable features about it.
1. the drawer pulls don’t tell anything.
2. it is an awful clean piece.
3. the long drawer has no pressed design
4. and the 1st picture in Reply #7 has me confused because it looks like the right side wall is 3 boards thick….. and which looks different than the left sidewall in the 4th picture in Reply #6
HA, maybe that is a "married cabbage" piece. ;D ;D ;D ;D
But a really good looking piece, ..... that is without that sideboard back-splash or whatever on top of it..
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Just for the sake of argument, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss that “trophy board / crest” on top as not being part of the original design. Over the years most of these boards were taken off and stored apart from the cupboard, and show different degrees of patina and aging. I would further suggest that the overall color / shade of the cupboard when new was darker and closer to the top piece, thus blending together the different wood species much better.
Also, maybe 1 out of 10 step-back cupboards I came across would have that piece intact, and they always used a couple of simple dowels as a means of attachment, just as the one being discussed.
Another point; many of these cupboards offered on the market over the past few decades have been over refinished and over restored. It's sometimes hard to tell where originality leaves off and creative woodworking takes over.
(http://www.laurelauction.com/0501f%20Oak%20Step%20Back%20Kitchen%20Cabinet.JPG)
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Unless I am totally off base,, the crown piece on this one is walnut,, cabinet is oak !!
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ok, let me try to answer a few of the questions above and add a few more pictures. The back is constructed of multiple planks as shown in the attached picture. I pulled a screw out of the back and took a picture of it. Looks machine cut to me. I took a picture of the caster if that helps anyone. I also took a pic of the back side of the top crest (it is definitely oak). The odd thing here is that it has both of the stamped names printed on it which pretty much blows the idea that these may represent old packing crates used in construction. Also, note that the J Roberts stamp has been crossed out with a blue crayon. I found this same thing with one of the other J Roberts stamps on the piece. Now I am completely mystified as to what these stamped names mean. On closer inspection I found old finish that had been stripped in crevices on the piece. It has definitely been refinished at least once. The top crest may have been refinished at a different time with a slightly different color. Sooo, I hope this additional info will help you guys with the date issue. If I sold this, how much do you suppose I might get for it.
As always, thanks for all your input :)
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Also, for Cogar, I think the inside pics might have confused you. inside1 and inside2 jpegs are the top cabinet inside right and left. Inside3.jpg is the right inside of the lower cabinet. This might explain the confusion about the inside construction.
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Sorry but that grain and cell structure is wrong for oak on that crown !! Not talking about color or an old refinish even though an earlier refinish would be only slightly different from the rest but still same tone !! Usually a piece that is exposed will darken before one that is stored will !! Rauville`s example is oak,, compare the grain pattern,, it isn`t even close !!
Its a very new screw !!
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Also, for Cogar, I think the ................ inside1 and inside2 jpegs are the top cabinet inside right and left. Inside3.jpg is the right inside of the lower cabinet
sjb, I knew that already. The top section has "moveable" shelves, .... the bottom section shelf is "fixed".
And ps, I've never seen moveable shelves made thataway.
It took a lot of mill work to fashiom them.
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The back seals the deal for me. 1900 1915. Castors, pressed design, the pulls, stile and rail sides. aged multi board back. I have had many pieces from then with butt joint drawers. The whole piece only sold for about 12.00 back then. The beaded design on the front side rails too. I was made in the mid century not that piece.
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The adjustable shelf is similar to those I have seen from early French and imported pieces. But don't believe it is imported.
I agree, the hardware suggests early 1900's. But...I think it is also a piece that has been "developed over time". The reason being, there has been some work on it at some point. I also though I saw a staple on the shelving system... But that could be for repairs (homemade kind) and refinishing.
Just adding this...just saw the back post. Early 1900's.
I have seen so many pieces (especially beds) that have extra pieces like this added to them...and they are original! Early American beds are infamous for this!
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I looked up HC Hansen and J Roberts and it appears both of them were suppliers of staple goods in the late 1800's. Not sure why the builder would not have sanded the stencils off in the finishing process.
I've been thinking bout those thar stencils and have decided that ….. ::) ::)
they are the “from” & "to” shipping addresses. Either Hansen shipped it to Roberts or vice versa.
In da old days, such goods were shipped by horse & wagon, by barge or boat or by train.
And you shipped them in parts n’ pieces because they had to be “man-handled”.
No forklifts to help, ….. and no cardboard boxes, styrofoam or bubble-wrap for packing.
You shipped them “as is” or you put them in a wooden crate of some kind and stenciled the addresses on the crate.
And in the case of that hutch/cabinet, …… guess what got stenciled? ;D ;D ;D