How To Collect Antique Shaker Furniture
If you are the type who believes that a thing’s beauty lies in its utility, I highly recommend that you collect antique shaker furniture. Named as such, this distinctive furniture style originated from the religious sect of United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, better known as the Shakers. Based on their ascetic religiosity and because of their culture of self-sufficiency, they created furniture for their own utility, and later on for sale to the public.
The most popular and earliest-crafted antique shaker furniture are chairs. There were various types of chairs constructed depending on usage. The oldest was the one slat-back chair commonly used for dining. Chairs with high seats were also created later for counters and desks. But the most common form of old shaker chairs up to the present is the ladder back chair. Early chairs were painted with a dark reddish finish. Yellow stains were also used later on, along with other commercial varnish stains. Seats are usually made of hand-woven listing-tapes or earlier narrow splints. For interested collectors, John Keith Russell Antiques is a trusted dealer of old American furniture. Genuine antique shaker chairs can sell generally up to $3000. However, in case of rare pieces – such as the shaker high-seated variety – prices can reach up to $10,000. One can also consider some pieces being sold over eBay for bargains, with an extra measure of care to check for authenticity.
Although the Shakers advocate simple and modest lifestyles, they have actually developed a unique variety of comfortable rocker chairs. There is the scrolled arm type, rolled arm type, and the mushroom post type. Commonly, the chairs have four slats in the back with low armrests and acorn or pointed finials (decorations on top of post-like structures) on backposts. Some chairs are also made armless and with three-slatted backs – called sewing chairs. Antique shaker rocking chairs can sell up to $4000 in Newel Antiques and John Keith Russell Antiques – if you are after superiorly trusted names and rarity. However, simpler and cheaper finds are also available in stores like Harp Gallery and Sierra Living Concepts at below $1000 a piece.
Aside from the rocker chair, the tilting chair a la antique shaker furniture style is also well-known. A ball and socket structure is fitted into the rear legs of a side chair with a leather thong securing them in place for the chair to be tilted back and forth. These tilting side chairs, along with other antique shaker chairs usually have maple finishes, and some with walnut, birch and cherry finishes. Prices of tilting chairs available in John Keith Russell Antiques vary from $4000 to $6000, depending on rarity (the most expensive one has rare brass tilters fitted in wooden sockets). In Ruby Lane, one piece of shaker tilting side chairs costs about $1000. Cheaper offers are also available in eBay – again, be extra careful in appraising these chairs, though.
Antique shaker furniture are truly distinct because of the careful delicacy present in their craftsmanship – with small wood posts and simple carvings. If you have money to spare, it is worth to invest it in rare antiques from reputable stores such as Newel and John Keith Russell Antiques. But if you are on a tight budget or just starting to collect, one can opt to choose from the other stores enumerated above. But if you prefer contemporary pieces, reproduced shaker furniture are also a good buy – quality ones can be ordered in Amish Furniture (Product ID 896), with a lot of seat and wood selections to choose from.
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