As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, October 2009 

Q. Dear Friend - I am looking for information on a table I own that was my parents' in New Boston, New Hampshire. A friend from Danville, IL suggested I write to you to see if you could help.

As you can see from the picture, it is an old fashioned card table. The top swings around and opens flat. Inside it is signed by either I or J Anderson of Merrimack, NH, I believe. We could not trace the name but copied as best we could. I am 75 years old and it was in my folk's house all my life but I never heard them say anything about where it came from. I have an older sister and she could not recall any information about it either. I would think it would be 100 years old at least as I was the youngest in the family and I don't remember them buying any new furniture. My mother liked to go to auctions but I don't know if this was bought at one or not.

 I went to the library and looked through a book on early New England furniture but could not find it there and don't know where else to look. If you can give me any information on it I will be most grateful. Sincerely, RGO, Covington, IN

A. You are correct that your table is at last 100 years old. Actually it is more like 170 years old. You have an Empire pedestal base card table made before the middle of the 19th century. It probably dates from 1825 - 1840. This was the heavier form of the game table that succeeded the lighter Sheraton and Hepplewhite gate leg game tables of the Federal era from the turn of the 19th century.

Your table is made of mahogany and mahogany veneer over pine. It has brass hand hammered hinges joining the top sections. When the top rotates it exposes the storage area for cards and chips in the shallow hollow case. The unadorned tapered column terminating in a collar on the pedestal base is indicative of the quiet, dignified side of the Empire styling. This was one of the most popular styles of game tables during the Empire period and was produced in quantity at moderate prices.

Tables such as this were made throughout New England in the major furniture centers of New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Unfortunately I could not a find a reference to a cabinetmaker named I or J Anderson in New Hampshire at the right time. Perhaps a reader will have more information. It also could be the name of a previous owner rather than the maker.   

Q. Dear Fred - I purchased an old three drawer chest about 35 years ago. I was going to refinish it but I stopped because of the possibility of ruining something more valuable just as it is. It does have water stains on the top and some scratches on another drawer front. It has very straight lines in the case and the drawers have staright lines across them with some flowers on the edges. There are some stenciled numbers on the back  - 690 then a 2 under that. Could be more but I cannot make any more out. It is 313/4in high, 19in deep. The top is 20in X 40in and the rollers are wooden. There are marks where it originally had a mirror or something attached to the back and top.

The pulls on the drawers are of a horned head (feathered) with a mustache. There are locks on every drawer. The dovetails on the drawers are different than I have ever seen. The look like like half round pegs. Please give me some idea of value as is and some background about the piece. Sincerely, Barbara T., OH.

A. Your chest is a late 19th century factory made piece in the Eastlake style which is characterized by the clean straight lines, shallow chip carving on the drawer fronts and the square bails (the pulls) on the hardware. The piece was probably made in the mid West, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids or somewhere in between in the 1880's. The more expensive models were made of solid walnut with some burl veneer as decoration. Later models, around the turn of the century, were made of oak. Yours appears to be an "economy" model, probably part of an entire bedroom suite, made of a secondary wood such as poplar or birch. The stencil numbers may be model numbers, finish numbers or factory designations. There is no way to tell.

Given all of that and the fact that the mirror is missing pretty much removes any collector's value from the piece so you will not lose anything by refinishing it. In fact you probably will improve it and make it an attractive functional piece of older furniture.

The unusual joinery you found was called the Knapp joint and was in use from the 1870's to around 1900. It was one of the first machine made drawer joints. Its development and use are more fully covered in my book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" (see my website for details, www.furnituredetective.com). It is also features in entry #56, "Mr. Knapp's Oddity" in my syndicated series of columns called "Common Sense Antiques" which I will be glad to send to you.

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