From the age-old Egyptian chairs to the 1800s Victorian ones, antique chairs have come a long way! And, with time, the crude, planked chairs evolved into cushioned ones, giving better comfort and aesthetic. But even then, collectors after the antique hand joint chairs.
Do you know why? Because these chairs can sell for up to a whopping $10,000 today!
But it’s not just the money; antique chairs have a huge demand due to their regional carvings, wax finishes, and raw frames. So, if you want to spot such an old and rare antique chair, this identification guide is all you need!
Key Takeaways
- You can identify antique chairs with crude wood sections, metal accents, dove-tail joints, and typical wing or ladder-like backs.
- Antique chairs have about 16 types, of which the Fauteuil, Wingback, Windsor, and Rocking chairs can value up to $9,000.
- Branded chairs, especially those from Stickley and Herman Miller, cost more, up to $15,000, because of their original tags & certificates.
- Different maker’s marks like stamped inlays, registries, government stamps, logos, and material symbols will help you know if your chair is vintage or not.
Key Features of an Authentic Antique Chair
Are you wondering if that old, dusty chair in your shed is antique? Then, find out if it has the following aged features:
- Mahogany, oak, or walnut sides with brushed brass or bronze accents
- Rugged horsehair or straw padding
- Detailed carvings – political, floral, religious, or natural
- Simple dove-tail, tenon-mortise, or interlocked joints
- Brushed shellac, wax, or varnish finish
- Shield, balloon, or ladder-shaped backs
- Handcrafted furniture legs – cabriole, flemish, fluted, reeded & bobbin
A Brief History of Chairs
You might be surprised to know that the Egyptians made the first chair in 3000 BCE, roughly 5000 years ago! But it looked more like a stool, with low backs, out-curved legs, and ivory inlays. Also, the seats had planks and were uncomfortable.
So, the Italian artisans added cushions, pads, and straight feet for balance. And during the Renaissance, they revamped the chairs’ inlays with intricate religious, political, and natural motifs. Later, these chairs were popularized in England, America, and Asia.
During the 1800s, the makers focused on Rococo, Georgian, Victorian, and Mission chair designs and added tufted backs, leg rests, and armrests. But during the Industrial Revolution, the production of these chairs was automated, making the original antique chairs collectible!
12 Antique Chair Designs & Their Values
Now, let’s learn about different antique chair designs & figure out why they are valuable today!
| Old Chair Designs | Identifying Features | Years | Estimated Value |
| Fauteuil Chairs | Upholstered, open-side chairs with curved or scroll-shaped arms, reeded legs, and shiny, gold-polished frames | 1600s – 1700s | $1,500 – 9,000 |
| Bergere Chairs | Simple, leather-upholstered chairs with enclosed sides, painted or gilded frames, and tasseled or embroidered cushions | 1700s – 1800s | $3,500 – 6,000 (for a pair) |
| Morris Chairs | Look for large, deep seats with adjustable, reclining backs, bow arms, and turned outward legs | 1800s | $500 – 7,000 |
| Savonarola | Wavy, x-shaped frames with a unique folding mechanism, flat legs, and two-piece frames | 1600s & Above | $600 – 5,000 |
| Curule Chair | Four-piece crossed & u-shaped frames, each with gilded gold frames & Roman or Italian motifs | 1750s | $500 – 3,500 |
| Klismos | Sleek, flared chair with u-shaped, out turned legs, neoclassical horizontal panels & openwork, Greek designs | 1750s | $700 – 4,000 |
| Wingback Chairs | Tall, high-back chairs with tapering bases, angular panels, rolled arms, and superior leather or hide upholsteries | 1600s | $3,000 – 12,000 |
| Shaker Chairs | Simple, straight, or curved chairs with tapered legs, ladder backs, straight armrests, and straw or leather upholsteries | 1830s | $200 – 3,000 |
| Windsor Chairs | Spindled chairs, each with solid or planked seats, arched backs, and reclined, straight or fluted legs | 1700s | $500 – 9,000 |
| Fiddle-back Chairs | Look for a central, curved & carved back column, shell or fan-shaped legs & rush, straw, or embroidered seats | 1600s | $600 – 3,000 |
| Eastlake Chairs | Geometric & monarchical chairs with dramatic, grid-like designs, crossed, u-shaped legs, plush upholstery & tufts | 1880 | $500 – 3,000 |
| Press-back Chairs | Minimal & armless chairs with spindled arms, etched metal plate designs, and caned wicker or wood seats | 1600s – 1800s | $400 – 2,500 |
4 Types of Old Chairs Based on Their Use & Features
Apart from the designs, makers have also made different chairs for various purposes over the years. Below are the four types of chairs based on their use:
| Types of Antique Chairs (Usage) | Collectible Features | Average Value |
| Corner Chairs (Indoors) | Squarish, diagonal, or U-shaped seats with 4-6 legs, curved top rails & tapered frames | $300 – 4,000 (rare museum pieces can cost up to $30,000) |
| Chaise Lounge Chairs | Long & reclining seats with straight, curved, or tapered legs, swirled backs, and extra raised supports for the head and neck | $700 – 5,000 |
| Rocking Chairs | Look for oak, walnut, or mahogany rockers with a flexible, curvilinear body & spindle legs | $900 – 11,000 |
| Beach Chairs (Outdoors) | Simple, folding chairs with canvas seats, splayed legs, and reclining backs | $150 – 1,400 |
6 Steps to Identify Antique Chairs & Find Their Value
The average value of an antique chair is around $15 to $60, but rare and old single Victorian or French-style chairs can be worth up to $1,500 or more. If you’re still confused about your antique chair’s model and type, here are some other factors like age, materials, and brands to value it:
1. Track the Chair’s Age and Marks
Age is the most crucial factor in spotting an antique chair. But how will you know a chair’s exact age? Simple, by check for the following marks on its frames, base, or seat:
- Stamped, branded, painted, or inlaid maker marks on the seats (the 1800s)
- Inscribed government or registry marks in a circle (1800s)
- Paper or fabric labels with the retailer name and patent information on the base (1850s)
- Original upholstery tags with the fabric name, care instructions, and details
But if your chair’s faded and has no visible marks or tags, jump on to the visual clues below:
| Old Chair Eras | Age | Top Era-specific Features | Average Price |
| Renaissance (1400 – 1600) | 423 – 623 years | Heavy, ladderback & boxy chairs with simple, planked seats, straight or criss-cross legs, Italian, French, or Flemish armrests, and crude, tenon & mortise joints | $4,500 – 21,000 |
| Baroque (1600 – 1720) | 303 – 423 years | Bold Italian, French & Spanish chairs with curved, serpentine motifs, gilded carvings & twisted legs | $3,000 – 19,000 |
| Chippendale & Rococo (1750s) | 264 – 273 years | Playful, asymmetrical chairs with straight, carved, spindled, or geometric backs, lyre frames, outward legs & scroll or floral arms | $1500 – 12,000 |
| Neoclassicism (1800s) | 124 – 223 years | Greek & Roman chairs, each having straight backs, classical motifs, leather or hide upholsteries, and shiny chrome inlays | $600 – 7,000 |
| Modernism (1900s) | 73 – 123 years | Bold, minimal & streamlined chairs with screwed joints, geometric inlays & portable plastic or bakelite sections | $200 – 3000 |
2. Check the Frame Materials
You all might associate an antique chair with crude, hand-cut wood frames. But antique chairs weren’t only made of wood; they have many materials, like brass, steel, bamboo, etc.! So let’s see how you can use antique chair material to identify and value it:
| Antique Chair Frame Materials | Identifying Features | Estimated Price |
| Wood – Oak, Walnut, Mahogany, Cherry, Pine & Satinwood | Look for dark, hued wood with a prominent grain structure, inlays & dovetail joints | $1,500 – 20,000 |
| Iron, Brass & Bronze | Black or gold-colored furniture with thick, intricate panels, inlays, and alloyed finishes | $3000 – 18,000 |
| Bamboo & Rattan | Check for bent, curved wood sections, each with glued or rope-wound joints | $500 – 4,000 |
| Steel, Aluminum & Bakelite | White-hued, casted furniture with a glossy or powdered finish | $200 – 5,000 |
| Plain & Frosted Glass | Clear, transparent, or stained panels & inlays with typical wooden frames | $200 – 1,500 |
| Vinyl & Vinyl Plastic | Luxurious & textile-based furniture with flexible sections, outward legs & tufts | $150 – 2,000 |
Try to get antique chairs with a brushed, waxed, frosted, or oil-rubbed finish for an old make.
3. Check the Upholstery Materials
It’s not just the frame materials; even an old chair’s upholstery material displays its age and affects its value. For instance, the earliest 3000 BCE chairs had no cushions, while the 1500s ones used hide and leather. And by the 1700s, makers used velvet and brocade, too!
Here’s how to identify and value vintage chairs with different fabrics:
| Vintage Chair Upholstery Materials | Average Cost |
| Horsehair, Leather & Hide | $4000 – 20,000 |
| Velvet & Damask | $1000 – 19,000 |
| Wool & Wool-blend | $800 – 8,500 |
| Linen & Linen-blend | $800 – 7,000 |
| Cotton & Cotton-blend | $500 – 4,000 |
| Polyester & Polyester-blend | $200 – 1,500 |
Pick antique chairs with diamond, embroidered, floral, pictorial, textured, or marbled patterns for a good value.
4. Find the Chair’s Manufacturer
Want a shortcut to identify and value your antique chair? Get a magnifying glass to check if there’s a burnt or stamped logo on its back or drawers. Or, look for the brand’s original metal tags on the lower back or side edges!
Here are some valuable antique chair brands:
| Old Chair Brands | Top Identifying Features | Estimated Cost |
| Stickley Brothers | Look for original ‘L & JG’ stickley medallions, tags, paper labels & decals | $2,000 – 15,000 |
| Eames (By Herman Miller) | Look for original ‘Herman Miller’ certificates of authenticity & branded paper labels | $700 – 19,000 |
| Hitchcock | Stenciled signatures with glossy black finishes, caned seats & golden inlays | $600 – 3500 |
| Thonet | Look for embossed stamps – ‘Thonet Wien Gump. 396,’ ‘Thonet Wien,’ & ‘GT’ | $1,000 – 5,000 |
| Baker Furniture | Look for marked ‘Baker furniture,’ tags with authentic logos & stamps | $900 – 7,000 |
| Knoll Systems | Check for original, sewn ‘Knoll International,’ logos on the seats & upholstery. | $500 – 6,000 |
5. Observe the Antique Chair Styles
Do you know that people made antique chairs all around the globe? Some worked with local Rococo designs, while others preferred the standard geometric, Art Deco, and Colonial motifs. Some ditched these patterns and used religious Islamic or Egyptian motifs instead.
Here’s how to identify and value such different chair styles:
| Antique Chair Styles | Average Value |
| Colonial, Victorian & Bauhaus (carved) | $500 – 9,000 |
| Art Nouveau & Art Deco (geometric) | $1200 – 19,000 |
| Rococo (natural, flowering designs) | $1,000 – 13,000 |
| Byzantine & Continental (gold-inlay) | $500 – 4,000 |
| Islamic (calligraphic inlays) | $200 – 2,500 |
| Egyptian (webbed & padded) | $300 – 4,000 |
| Italian & Roman (minimal, lacquered & curved) | $300 – 4,000 |
| Renaissance & Queen Anne (classical or Gothic motifs) | $500 – 14,000 |
6. Observe the Colors
If your old chair has simple, natural wood or metal sides, it might be an old 1700s chair. But, if it has colored or lacquered red, blue, green, or purple surfaces, it likely belongs to the 1900s and is worth $300 – 4,000.
Check out more details about chair colors here:
| Vintage Chair Colors | Estimated Value |
| Black, White & Gray | $700 – 11,000 |
| Beige, Brown or lacquered wood | $2,000 – 15,000 |
| Metallic Gold & Silver | $1500 – 19,000 |
| Red, Orange & Yellow | $300 – 4,000 |
| Green, Blue & Purple | $200 – 4,000 |
How Do I Identify a Victorian Chair?
You can identify old Victorian chairs by their square backrests, curved designs, and intricately carved, gilded, or inlay designs. Alternately, look for simple cabriole legs, scroll arms, and tapering seats.
How Do You Clean Antique Wood Chairs Naturally?
Apply a simple wax-based cleaner such as beeswax or carnauba wax to a clean, lint-free cloth and gently brush off all the impurities. Now, just wipe the chair with a warm and moist cloth, and keep it in an indoor, well-ventilated place for drying.
Identifying valuable antique chairs might seem challenging at first. But now that you have my detailed guide, I know you’ll be able to spot the brands and marks easily. Just don’t forget to wipe off the dust and mold first. You don’t want that to cover your marks, right?
And it’s not just the antique chairs. Even other old furniture items like ‘Hoosier cabinets,’ ‘antique sofas,’ ‘bassett furniture,’ and ‘school desks’ are worth a lot! Want to know why? Hit that subscribe button and join the journey!
