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How to Date a Cast Iron Tree Stand

Cast iron tree stands are used to hold up cut trees, such Christmas trees that are displayed indoors during the holiday season every year. These stands are by no means a modern invention. They have been around at least since Victorian times. If you have a cast iron tree stand and you're wondering just how long it's been around, you should be able to estimate its age with a little leg work and some fact checking.

Things You'll Need

  • Receipt/User's guide
  • Camera
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Instructions

    • 1

      Check the receipt or the user's manual for the tree stand if you have them. The receipt will have the date of purchase on it if your tree stand is fairly modern. If you have the manual, you can contact the company to learn the exact date of manufacturing.

    • 2

      Examine the tree stand for stamped numbers, letters or words. Serial numbers stamped into the iron can be used to hunt down the make and model, and manufacturers often put their marks on a tree stand. Write down any numbers you find, and take pictures of the stand from several angles.

    • 3

      Contact the company stamped on the stand if there is one. Companies such as Sears put their names or logos on their stands. A company representative can check the numbers stamped in the stand for an estimate of when it was made.

    • 4

      Ask for advice from antique dealers and historians. If you can't find the company that made the stand, you will need the help of other experts in the field. Antique store owners specialize in knowledge of old things. Museums and historians, such as college professors, may also have some insight into how old the tree stand is. If you can't take the tree stand to the person, send photographs and ask for an opinion based on of what he sees.


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