Questions
Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions
How do I identify an antique chest of drawers?
1 Answer

To identify an antique chest of drawers, look inside and beneath drawers and on the back and bottom for any type of maker's marking. Researching these marks using trusted online resources may allow you to determine who produced your chest and roughly date your piece. If your chest is at least 100 years old, it is an antique. Should you be unable to locate the maker's marks, look at the hardware. Rose head nails, one-piece cast brass pommels on the drawer handles and circular rather than hexagonal bolts may all indicate that a piece is an antique. Keep in mind that hardware may have been replaced at some point and that there are many reproductions of antique furnishings. As a result, you may wish to have a certified appraiser or experienced antique dealer complete the identification process if you're unable to identify your chest via the maker's markings. Find a range of antique chests of drawers on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertNovember 4, 2024
Related Questions
- How do you identify an antique vase?2 Answers
- How do I identify an antique table?2 Answers
- How do I identify my antique furniture?1 Answer
- How do I identify my antique clock?1 Answer
- How do I identify an antique fan?1 Answer
Shop for Commodes and Chests of Drawers on 1stDibs
Late 20th-C. British Colonial Style Tall Chest By Ralph Lauren For Henredon
By Ralph Lauren
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a handsome chest designed by Ralph Lauren for Henredon as part of their Safari Collection. It has dovetail construction and is marked. It also has wooden knobs.
Category
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
$2,316 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Japanese Antique Drawer Chest 1860s-1920s / Tansu Sideboard Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an antique Japanese drawer chest, crafted in the Meiji to Taishō period (1860s–1920s). It carries a quiet presence shaped by many decades of use. The piece is made from tradi...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Iron
Japanese Antique Black Tansu 1860s-1900s / Sideboard Drawer Storage Wabisabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old black chest of drawers made in Japan during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s), a time when craftsmanship and material refinement reached an extraordinary level.
Expertly ...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Iron
Vintage British Colonial Style Burnt Bamboo and Rattan Lowboy Dresser
Located in Roanoke, VA
Vintage British colonial style dresser in bamboo and rattan. Six spacious drawers clad in rattan with a bamboo skeleton. Wonderful diamond pattern throughout. Would work in a variety...
Category
Late 20th Century Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Faux Bamboo, Rattan, Cane
Japanese Antique Black Drawer Storage 1860s-1900s / Tansu Sideboard Wabisabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese chest of drawers, handcrafted during the Meiji period (1860s–1900s).
It is a fine example of traditional Japanese craftsmanship from that era. The body is mad...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Iron
Antique French Chest of Drawers Commode Serpentine Carved Oak Louis XV c.1930s
Located in Tyler, TX
EXQUISITE Antique French Country Oak Louis XV Style Serpentine Front Chest of Drawers or Commode~~1930s
This is a SUPERB example of an antique French Country oak Louis XV style ches...
Category
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Oak


