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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: dirbyjr on October 16, 2014, 05:26:45 AM
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I am by no stretch of the imagination a pro at either buying and selling or refinishing antiques. But, I do have a great love for it and try to pick up projects here and there that for whatever reason jump out at me. So, I was at a flea market last week and came across this great bench and bought it without what many would argue the requisite thought.. But who cares I like it.
Anyway, I have no info on provenance, the dealer bought it in a lot at an abandoned old house with many antiques. Most notable is the size of the bench, it is 8'3.5" wide and two feet deep. It looks to have been well made but I cannot for the life of me discern it's original purpose. I've scoured Google for anything similar and come up empty every time so I was hoping that maybe someone here could help.
Please let me know if you have any questions, I've attached a photo if that helps anyone.
Thank you in advance for your time,
David
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wow-that is huge...if it came from a house it had to be a very large one...really makes a statement
is it oak? is it on casters?
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This is puzzling. If a bench was over 8 feet long it would seat around four people at once. Why would you want casters so it would move as people got up and down? It looks like it may have been designed to roll for a reason but I do not know what. Maybe not for sitting at all but for another purpose. Just a thought.
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Possibly a prayer bench out of a church !! Would not normally been sat on but kneeled in front of !! Moved when not needed !!
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Thank you all for your input!
I'm not sure the casters are original. They definitely look old and could be but sitting on it it feels about an inch or so high.
The only purpose I can dream up for it is perhaps in a large waiting area like in a railroad or bus station..
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wow-that is huge...if it came from a house it had to be a very large one...really makes a statement
is it oak? is it on casters?
Yes it is oak.. sorry I should've specified that in the original post.
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My first thought was that maybe it would have looked in place in an early "opium den". ;)
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Rauville - "My first thought was that maybe it would have looked in place in an early "opium den"."
That would be a very cool provenance...
I have wondered if it was meant as a piece of furniture that could be used to lay down on partially because of the depth of the piece, perhaps originally having a cushion.
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Maybe from a police station where detainees could be handcuffed to the handles and together. :D
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Maybe from a police station where detainees could be handcuffed to the handles and together. :D
Good guess but no telltale signs of handcuff marks on the ends.
Also, I'm no expert on jails but I would bet that a piece of wood furniture doesn't have to be used in a jail for long before it has "MEJ wuz hear" or "!@#$% the polise" written all over it..
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LOL !! Excellent observation,, and you are right !! Can you take a pic of the legs and feet ?? Have you looked under the seat to see if there is anything written there ??
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When I look at it I picture it being used as a bench for the basketball team in the school gym of a small town. That or someone made it to go with a picnic table or cafeteria seating. Perhaps it was for a school cafeteria and wheeled out after lunch with the tables to make room for other activities.
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Possibly but I think even in the early 20th century they would have thought twice about giving kids anything with wheels !!
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Very true. I have to remember that kids can't be trusted. :D
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You guys have provided a few good Ideas but I would really love to be pointed to something similar.
Thanks for any help
bump
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David,
Can you please provide pic again please? It's no longer there....
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Thank you for having a look..
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You are quite welcome!
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Thank you for reposting the pictures. We had a snaffoo with the server since this was posted and lost most of the old pictures!
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Dirbyjr,
It appears to me that the top piece was married to the other piece. I blew up the picture so you would know what I meant. It isn't the same wood is it? Also, how high is your bench/bed?
Thank you!
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It appears to me that the top piece was married to the other piece.
Nah, ..... don't think so.
Iffen the "top piece was married to the" seat boards they would surely have used dowels ....... and just drilled a hole thru the seat boards.
Me thinks it is "original" construction with the frame being put together first ....... and the seat boards "cut-to-fit" and installed secondly.
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It appears to me that the top piece was married to the other piece.
Nah, ..... don't think so.
Iffen the "top piece was married to the" seat boards they would surely have used dowels ....... and just drilled a hole thru the seat boards.
Me thinks it is "original" construction with the frame being put together first ....... and the seat boards "cut-to-fit" and installed secondly.
As Jacon might say.....'agrees.' :)
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I originally thought a prayer bench possibly but in looking again and since it has no back and can be accessed from both sides,, I bet it was used at a shoe store and was between the aisles !! Plenty of room for several people no matter if they are looking at size 6 or the other side of the aisle at size 9 !! I vaguely remember something similar but smaller in Red Goose Shoe store !! As to finding something similar,, I doubt you will !! Many have been re-purposed and altered or just discarded through the years !! May have been made locally and there isn`t another like it !! Remember many of these stores were small and family owned !! So they had he bench made to their specifications !!
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Yeah, a "make-do" type bench that was cobbled together from various parts. I'd guess 20th century, no value really. The only benches i see that sell for good money these days are "bucket benches", i think most use them in potting sheds or green houses, some can get quite pricey.
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This style is still very popular. They are mostly seen used with a cushion on the top - at the foot of a bed.
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This style is still very popular. They are mostly seen used with a cushion on the top - at the foot of a bed.
Thats a big bed !! This bench is 8' 3.5" !!
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Thats a big bed !!
Yeah is plus, this bench has wheels/ casters on it looks like.
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Didn't see the 8' width...but that is not biggie for many. We have several friends that are extra tall and or very large people. They get custom made beds...however there are many beds made up to 12' x 10'!!! (Extreme UltraKing Bed and or https://www.selectabed.com/oversized-king-ultrabed-mattress/ (https://www.selectabed.com/oversized-king-ultrabed-mattress/) )
I couldn't imagine this in an aisle with rollers on it. Next to a wall...yes. I know here in Texas there are many homes that could use this in hallways/foyers, back porches, etc.
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Thank you for everyone's input.. I'm still uncertain about it's original use but you guys have provided some great ideas.
I think I'll remove the castors before I put this up for sale. I kind of don't think they are original, but I base that only on general appearance and that the legs taper to so thin at the bottom. It's a heavy piece and if the legs had been meant to have castors/rollers I would imagine that it would have been built with legs that didn't taper so much.
I hope that there is a niche market for such a bench, more than one person has suggested I either cut it down to a smaller size or split the bench top and use it for a table. But I just couldn't bear cutting down such a unique piece of furniture.
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Oh no....don't cut it down. Your bench is very unique and versatile. I could see it used with a cushion in front of a window or fireplace. Or without the cushion, it would be great for a dining room table seating arrangement or even a large foyer. I did search and found nothing that compared!
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I hope that there is a niche market for such a bench,
I think you are going to be disappointed on that score, you have to ask what purpose or function it has around the house TODAY and, if there isn't one it's probably going to be a tough sell. From what i see at auction, this bucket bench below is what the market is looking for bench wise at the moment.
1st quarter 19th century, walnut, Pennsylvania
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From what i see at auction, this bucket bench below is what the market is looking for bench wise at the moment.
Now why in the world would anyone refer to the above pictured item as a "bench"? ??? ???
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Now why in the world would anyone refer to the above pictured item as a "bench"? ??? ???
Because it held buckets?
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I think I'll remove the castors before I put this up for sale. I kind of don't think they are original, but I base that only on general appearance and that the legs taper to so thin at the bottom.
I would leave the casters on the bench ...... because me thinks they are original. A lot of furniture was made with casters simply because of the wood floors.
And benches, ..... with casters, are still available today, ....... like this one a Target.
(https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/52967606?wid=325&hei=325&qlt=80&fmt=pjpeg)
https://www.target.com/p/georgya-tufted-bench-with-casters/-/A-53061577#lnk=sametab&preselect=52967606 (https://www.target.com/p/georgya-tufted-bench-with-casters/-/A-53061577#lnk=sametab&preselect=52967606)
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Now why in the world would anyone refer to the above pictured item as a "bench"? ??? ???
Because it held buckets?
You mean like ...... lard or paint buckets, ....... in a retail store?
Like so .................
(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/544137134492498296/98C28D486D801BC1B693B719C5FF748A7D7FA813/)
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Earth To Cogar, in the 19th century, buckets were a BIG DEAL, indispensable really around the farm. Most bucket benches were 2 or 3 tiers high, some had drawers or cabs attached as well. And, when you consider that 90% of the population lived on a farm back then, buckets and the benches that held them were very abundant. You can buy these 19th century benches today in the $100-$400 range but outstanding examples like the one above go for thousands.
https://www.pinterest.com/haldy0640/bucket-benches/
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The problem with OP bench is, size, it's just to damn big at over 8ft long to fit well in a modern living space. In looking at bucket benches by contrast, i think i was wrong about who buys them, gardeners i had always assumed bought these but on pinterest i see now why they are at furniture auctions, pottery people are using them to display pots/jugs.
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Earth To Cogar, in the 19th century, buckets were a BIG DEAL, indispensable really around the farm.
Cogar to down to Earth, ….. uh, …… I meant ....... Cogar to Jacon4.
Shur nuff, buckets were a BIG DEAL around the homestead/farmstead …. up through the 19th Century and into the early 20th Century, ……. especially water buckets, well buckets and milk buckets.
The ole saying “kick the bucked” surely originated due to the milk cow kicking the milk bucket over and spilling the milk. I have witnessed that happening myself.
And whenever or wherever there was a bucket being used around those early households there was also surely a “bench” or ”shelf” for sitting buckets on.
And iffen you had a hand-pump on your water well you didn‘t need a “well bucket” or a shelf at the well to sit it on ........... because you could “hang” you water bucket on the spout of the pump when pumping water, …… which is why the top of the spouts were made like pictured below, ……..
(http://leedswelldrilling.com/_imgstore/6/1788176/page_hand-pumps_4/X3-D0llMI5XUzSPD-ueK37bT6G8.png)
Here is one person’s thoughts about “bucket benches”, to wit:
In the days before indoor plumbing was available just about everywhere, the bucket bench played an important role in people’s lives. A bucket bench was typically a wooden bench that was placed on the porch or outside of the summer kitchen. On it sat buckets of well-drawn water that could be carried inside to have quick access to water for doing dishes, cleaning the home, and cooking meals.
A common practice was for the man of the household to keep the buckets filled and easily accessible for their wives to complete the indoor tasks that required water. Throughout the day, when the buckets were depleted of water, they were replenished with water from the well in order to keep the household supplied.
Read more @ http://www.aprimitiveplace.org/Bucket-Benches.html (http://www.aprimitiveplace.org/Bucket-Benches.html)
And Jacon4, iffen you prefer calling your pictured item a “19th Century bucket bench”, …… go for it, whatever “turns your crank” ….. is OK with me.
But now, I just hafta tell you, …… I was, and still am, having quite a problem “visualizing” your pictured item sitting on the back porch or in the kitchen area of a 19th Century home/house …… with all kinds of different sizes (heights n’ widths) of wooden buckets sitting on those narrow shelves …… where “one (1) size shelf fits all size buckets”. ;D ;D
Now this'un here looks like a “bucket bench” ta me, to wit:
(http://www.aprimitiveplace.org/Picture12.jpg)
And ps, very few items during that era were sold in “buckets”, tin or wood. Most “loose” retail items were delivered to the retailer via “large bulk” packaging ………. and retailers sold those items in “small bulk” quantities, …… wrapped in brown paper, in cloth bags or in containers, ...... more often than not, the container(s) supplied by the customer.
You "younguns" should spend a little time watching those old TV "westerns", .... in a 19th Century setting, .... with cowboys, Calvary, Indians, homesteaders ...... and General Store retailers, ..... aka. Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, etc., .... to get a learned impression of "historically correct" life and living in that era.
cheers
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Cogar ,, look at the link that Jacon4 posted !! Most are like the one you have shown !! Just simple utilitarian shelves This one is the fanciest one I have seen !!
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Yep, these were built for utility, function and most were painted. Naturally i am going to post best example i can find at the moment but most of these benches are cheap, a couple hundred or less.
The main point is, these benches are in demand because they still have uses around the house, most are fairly small width wise and are usually 2 or 3 shelves high, perfect for gardeners or pottery people.
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Now this walnut one above is an OUTSTANDING example and, i can see why it sold for $2600 and with BP over 3k. The farmer or merchant who had this built wanted his buckets stored in style!
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6950585_619-pennsylvania-walnut-bucket-bench-early-19th-c
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Cogar ,, This one is the fanciest one I have seen !!
Mart,, then you should have a "looksee" at this Pinterest site because it has dozens n ' dozens of pictures of “bucket benches” ......... with several really "fancy" ones pictured thereon, ...... to wit:
https://www.pinterest.co.kr/haldy0640/bucket-benches/ (https://www.pinterest.co.kr/haldy0640/bucket-benches/)
But anyway, ……. iffen “bucket benches” are what are "hot" and in demand, .... and bringing "good money", ....... then its a “bucket bench”.
Who am I to be arguing with applying "names" to items to increase their sale value?
"HA", ;D ;D ;D ...... iffen that pictured, per se, “bucket bench” belonged to me and I still had my Shop open, ..... I just might have placed a wooden bucket & dipper on one of the shelves, .....
with a "note" stating, ....... "George Washington drank here".
Reminds me of the time at the Hillsville (VA) Labor Day Weekend "flea market" when a little ole lady stopped at my "lot", ........ opened up her purse and took out a little "miniature" wooden thingy ...... and whispered to me ..........
"Look what I bought before anyone else did, ..... a "Salesman's Sample" spinning wheel."
I said ....... "OH WOW, ..... that's great" ....... and she went away smiling.
Cheers