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Page 30 The Antique Shoppe October, 2019
the turn of the century. A bed similar to yours is shown in the 1902 Stickley-
Questions & Brandt catalog. Your bed is not made of oak. It appears to be elm or ash, both
of which have a finer grain pattern than oak even though all three woods are
closely related.
Common Sense Answers Your bed is actually fairly plain for this period and form but it appears to
be in excellent condition. You probably would realize between $500 and $900
with Fred Taylor at auction. Thanks for writing and thanks for the excellent photos.
Dear Mr. Taylor - I’ve been looking for some
We inherited an old solid oak Murphy bed. Q. help regarding the restoration of a beautiful
Q. There is a stamp with what appears to be antique library/curio/china cabinet and I came
a date of November, 1838. Can you give me any across a site that had your address and your contact
information about this bed. We are trying to sell it information. The doors (2 doors) and sides of the
and would like a rough appraisal. Thank You. Les. cabinet have loose areas where the original glass is
The true Murphy bed was not patented until coming out. I have all of the original glass, plus all of
A. 1900 so what you have is probably an earlier the wood molding that goes on the outside of the
“folding bed” or “cabinet bed.” However, the date is piece. It looks like the original source for securing
probably 1888 rather than 1838. That fits with the the glass was a dark putty. In the places where it has
height of popularity of the folding beds in the late come loose, the putty is hard and brittle. I would
19th century. You can see a number of similar beds in love to try to repair this piece but I’m not sure what
various degrees of decoration and complexity in the kind of putty I should use to replace the glass. Can
book “Furniture Made in America 1875-1905” by E you help me by sending me information where I can
& R. Dubrow, published by Schiffer. Your folding bed locate the correct putty or glazing material I would
was made by the Union Wire Mattress Company of need for the repair. The cabinet is mahogany with ball
Chicago. It started making woven wire mattresses in and claw feet probably from the 1850’s or before (I
1874, buying the frames from a cabinet shop by the got it in England back in the 1970’s). There are four
name of H.S. Carter & Co. By the 1880s Union was shelves that can be placed inside the cabinet. I hope
making its own frames. I can’t clearly read the patent you can help me with my questions. My cabinet holds
date in your photos but it can’t be 1838 because the This folding bed, made by Union Wire Mattress my doll collection and it is such a beautiful piece I
company was not in business then. Based on the style Company is from the turn of the century. The grain of must get it fixed! Respectfully yours, Anne J.
the wood in the cabinet when the bed is closed looks
of the cabinet, the bed was probably made around more like elm or ash than oak. Continued >
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