I'm not sure it's an antique, but you all are so knowledgable that I thought I'd ask here!

Here's what I know: It's solid wood. The drawers have dado joints. It's 34 inches wide, 17 inches deep and 48 inches tall.

Now you tell me what you know!
How old is it? What kind of wood? How much is it worth? Anything else?

Thanks!

hardware on top two drawers

side:

Hi Katie!-The chest of drawers you have pictured here is for sure OAK wood. It looks to be old - but 100 years - I don't really know. It looks like the drawer pulls were put on it later-not origional to the set. It looks like an early american piece- it looks sturdy -and if you need drawer space- I would re-finish it- and maybe put some different drawer pulls on it.- I am no expert -that's for sure- but when I look at listings for a chest of drawers -antique oak- for example- they would be priced as is- from 50-100 dollars. I think the drawer pulls are maybe worth checking out- I have not seen any like that- kinda intersting. If they are brass-, just for fun I would check them out-never know what you might discover.- Have fun- it really is fun to finally learn the exact history etc. of a piece that you are curious about. ~~Valery~~

I agree with Valery's assessment. I love old dressers because they are deeper (from front to back) than newer ones and i can put more things in them.

Look and see how the drawers are joined....dove tailed or straight?

The pulls look original.They are original and unique,and a clue to origin.Look at the loop part...it looks old.Dressers had this arrangement of pulls...ornate ones at the top.
Top drawers are usually smaller for scarfs and
gloves,etc...hankies.

What about the caster wheels? Looks like there are wheels...wooden? Wooden wheels are old.Also the key holes in the drawers.
Some of the only security that semed to exist at the time.

Is there any manufacturing info on the back,bottom or inside?
A lot can be told from the inside of the drawers.Construction.
Maybe an antique dealer will come in here and tell you all about it.I like the old pieces and have about quit buying a lot of new stuff.I mix and match...eclectic.Rather have good old.
__________________________
Look at different sites and sites that show styles .

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ARTDRAGON,

Now where is Magnaverde???? Magnaverde....oh Magnaverde...yoo-hoo!!!

Thanks everyone!

I posted this on "general decorating" and Mags replied with a very nice explanation. I'll see if I can c&p it here.

Magnaverde's post:

Hi KatieO.

That's a pretty little dresser & once somebody takes the time to get what looks the residual paint out of some of the corners of the side panels, it will be even nicer.

It's oak, from back in the day when oak was so abundant & therefore so cheap that even on a simple piece like this, you got nice straight grain, unlike the erratic, open grain on so much furniture today.

High-style furniture is usually easier to identify & date than simple pieces are, in the same way that high style fashion is--you'd have no trouble dating a woman's suit with an extra-long straight coat with mile-wide shoulder padding, big buttons in contratsing colors, and a straight skirt with a big diagonal slash of color running down the front (can you guess what year my mother wore it to my brother's wedding?) but a simple denim wrap skirt might be tougher to pin down. Same thing here. The unfussy lines, the simple scalloped bottom & the vertical proportions of it seem to date from maybe 1895 to 1915--probably later in the period rather than earlier, and I say that because that scallop has a vestigially marginally "Colonial"silhouette profile. By that later time the Colonial revival was in full swing, whereas it was still an advanced, taste in 1895.

The other clue is the bail handles on the lower drawers, which are a hallmark of furniture produced during the Colonial period & of later , simoler pieces hoping to be thought "Colonial".

The stamped metal grotesque handles on the upper drawers, cool as they are, seem to me to be replacements from an earlier piece, because their character is so different from the others & from the overall character of the piece. Either way, it's nice and I'd guess it will clean up very nicely.

Oh, price? I haven't a clue. I'm a decorator, not an antiques dealer, and it's different everywhere. Sorry.

Regards,
MAGNAVERDE

Nice piece! Do not strip it! Get yourself a good product like Howard's. They have a formulation that will soften the finish so you can even it out, if needed. Otherwise, just use their Feed & Wax and buff it to a nice soft glow.

You can also rub the bottoms of the edges of the drawers with wax (cake parafin will do) to make the drawers pull out more smoothly if you need that.