The decision to find and purchase an antique chest is often more than just a desire to acquire another functional piece of furniture. If this were the case, it would be much easier and probably make more economic sense to go down to your local mass retailer, pick out the chest you will use for a couple of years and not think another thing about it.
However, wanting an antique chest is more than that. The appeal of an antique chest is the significance it might have played in someone’s life long ago. No matter how scarce and simple the furniture of a person that lived in an earlier time might have been, there needed to be a place to put one’s clothes. A case or box might be used, but the chest was different because it held importance not only as a functional piece of furniture but also as decor for the owner’s home.
To begin your hunt for the antique chest that is right for you, consider that you might need to refine your search online and offline more precisely. This article assumes that you are looking for an antique “chest of drawers” when you say you want a “chest”. This is what usually comes to mind for most people and this is what a proprietor or trader may think if you just say that you want an antique chest. You may need to specify more precisely if you want an antique treasure chest or old toy chest, for example. (As a side note, the appeal is the same for these types of chests and why someone might want an antique – it is a decorative place where some person from an earlier time kept their stuff – things that were important to them and maybe to the time in which they lived.)
Next you need to consider from what place and period your antique chest comes from. If you don’t know this, that is ok – it is something that can be found out. You probably already have an idea of the shape, color, wood and style that you desire. If not, search online and books for pictures of different antique chests. Find one or more that fits what you would like to have. Ask around local antique shops or query online dealers. Show them the picture of the type of antique chest you would like. Ask them where and when this style came from.
Examples of period designations for furniture crafted or used within the United States might be Early Southern, Later Southern, Early New England, or Dutch and English Periods.
Once you know this, you can then do a broader search for chest of drawers, treasure chests, toy chests, or whatever type of chest you are looking for that came from that place and period. You might also find during your search the names of highly regarded craftsman from that period whose pieces that you prefer.
Finally, try to determine the characteristics of an antique chest that make it authentic to a place and period. A reputable dealer or broker is the obvious place to start. However, this is something you can learn for yourself as well. Do some reading. For example, were antique chests of a certain place and period made mostly of oak or cedar? If so, then tread carefully before spending money on one claimed for that place and period that is made of pine. Were multiple locks the norm? Did the craftsman work primarily for the wealthy? Did this mean that the craftsman’s work is distinguished by a level of ornate design? Were chests bound by iron during this time?
Even when you are looking to buy modern, factory built furniture you might still do some basic planning. For example, wouldn’t you first consult a pine wardrobe guide before spending money on one?
Finding an antique chest that is right for you is a treasure hunt, not a mundane furniture purchase. Thinking ahead about the type, style and craftsmanship you want, using that to identify the place and period when this was produced, and then acquiring a basic understanding of identifying characteristics for chests from that place and period will make your search a more fruitful and satisfying one.
Good hunting!