Small Chests & Cupboards of Yesteryear
By Rosemarie Ouellette, Liberty Rose Antiques, Port Sanilac

Small antique chests of drawers, little cupboards and pint-sized cabinets in solid wood are not only elusive, but also costly to purchase when you are lucky enough to find them. Like all antiques from the turn of the century, condition is very important in determining their value. Naturally, their availability dictates their value as well as ‘how complete’ they are.

However, the big question, on both sellers’ and buyers’ minds is, “Is this small antique a salesman’s sample, is it a miniature or is it a toy?” This determination is not always easy to make with many varying opinions to wade through. Salesman’s samples are almost always exact replicas of full-size items that have been reduced in scale in order to afford a salesman the ability to easily carry them from place to place. They were made, in limited quantity, primarily to showcase the function and design of an item. Many items for sale are incorrectly marked, as these are three distinctly different classifications. The line between these categories can be ‘fuzzy’ and unfortunately misinformation leads to wary buyers.

The first category, salesman’s samples, is one of the most desirable small antiques sought after today. The kitchen cupboards made of oak, pine, walnut, cherry and other woods are almost impossible to find still in good condition. Their beginnings are the total reversal of today’s method of marketing. Today, we go look at the merchandise. In the late 19 th century and early 20 th century, the salesmen traveled to the homemaker carrying small versions of the wares they were hoping to sell. Very often these models of furniture or appliances were fully functional and almost identical to the large ones. Many different, very small and compact, versions were effortless to haul by horse and buggy, or later by small truck. These little examples aided him in explaining the ‘nuts and bolts’ of each household item he hoped to convince potential buyers that they needed. It should be noted that many wooden items were somewhat mass-produced, in limited quantities, to give as a gift to the homemaker when she made a ‘major’ purchase. But, these are not actually considered true salesmen’s samples. The genuine sample ‘survivors’ of those wonderful creations are, in fact, treasures today.

Next, some very old miniatures were made by gifted, artistic cabinet craftsmen simply because they loved to work in miniature. Tiny duplicates of practically every wooden item you can think of was crafted. Sometimes just one of them was lovingly made for a child, or a grandchild, making that item intensely desirable today. They were often painstakingly intricate, and detailed one-of-a-kind replications in miniature. Additionally, this group also includes the little pieces that were made in some minor form of production. They are highly collectible, as many of them ended up on the playroom floor. Since collectors have doubled in numbers, the prices of these valuables have also multiplied in the past 35 or 40 years.

Last, but not least, wooden antique toys that mirrored their full-sized counterparts, are searched for, bought up and displayed like a fine piece of china. Toy collectors, like the other groups, travel far and wide to obtain a treasure they hear about. Small versions of dressers, kitchen cupboards and buffets were often made very solidly out of oak. These have lasted through the years and are now also valuable when compared to their modern counterparts in plastic.

On-line auctions have been both good news and bad news for all three of these fields. Without a doubt, they do an incredible amount of business due to these little gems. Buyers from all over the globe are united with sellers in more instances than ever before. It is positively a boon to folks seeking to satisfy their passion for these rare items without traveling across the country. A little caution is advised as some auctions mistakenly list small wooden replicas of furniture as “salesman’s samples” when in reality they were manufactured as toys. Naturally, handcrafted miniatures and genuine salesman’s samples are considerably scarcer than toys to find in shops or on the Internet. And if you’re real lucky, you may find that occasionally a salesman’s sample or a miniature is listed as a toy. It’s best to be on your toes if you are going to collect these diminutive gems. You never know when one is going to come your way. Happy hunting!

You may email Rosemarie at lighthouse@greatlakes.net.