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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: talesofthesevenseas on February 14, 2010, 07:15:10 PM
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This is up for sale and I'm kinda interested. It is being sold as a cast iron carriage step. Apparently the type that required a footman to set it out for the lady to step on! I'm wondering if you feel this is an accurate description of this item or if it is actually just a cast iron footstool? I saw something similar in a train museum used by passengers to climb into sleeping compartments on trains. This one looks suspiciously like an awful lot of Victorian era cast iron footstools to me.
(http://images.craigslist.org/3m03p73oa5Ta5P25R2a2d8f8611f9b6cf1ab0.jpg)
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It looks to me like a french style foot stool.
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Yeah that is kinda what I suspected. Looking for something similar online I couldn't find much in the 19th century for comparison. I think by that point the little built in carriage steps had replaced the need for footmen, unless you were royalty. I suspect it would have to be from an earlier era to actually be a carriage step. Thanks!
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Whats the asking Price?
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I agree with D&b about the French stool.
I saw the post on Craigs List for $125.
I would ask the seller for a picture with marks on it if any are available to try and establish authenticity.
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Nah, I think I'm going to pass on it. I was kind of intrigued with the idea of a carriage step but it really looks like the seller was basing this description on the wheel design more than anything factual. From everything I found it looks like a step of this kind would really have to be from a much earlier era or it would be quite rare. I also doubt that you would have what looks to be a needlework top on a step intended for outdoor use. It would be ruined in no time with the mud.
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Honestly it's worth the $125.00 Dollars. but I would'nt want to pay $50.00 Dollars. ;D
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LOL me either!
I should explain a bit here- The person who needs a footstool is my cat. At age eighteen it is becoming a little more difficult for her to climb up into my Chinese bed. I do have a matching fabric covered footstool for her now which works just fine. I just thought it would be fun if there was an antique one that had some interesting history behind it. This one wouldn't match the bed anyway I was just speculating more than anything else and thought the whole idea of a carriage step idea was kind of neat.