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How to Identify Antique Rockers

Rocking chairs evoke scenes of mothers holding babies and grandmothers knitting in front of the fire. They are the perfect choice for relaxing on the front porch and watching the world go by. Rocking chairs come in many styles from the simplicity of a Shaker slat-back to the curved lines of the Victorian age. They can be painted, stained, waxed and shellacked, woven, caned and carved. With a little knowledge, it̵7;s easy to tell an actual antique from a reproduction.

Things You'll Need

Reference book(s)

Instructions

Educate Yourself
- 1
  Decide what type of rocker you want to buy. Are you interested in the straight, clean lines of early American rockers? Perhaps the heavy, ornate Victorian style is more to your liking. You may be looking for caned seats, rather than plank ones, or a slat-back over an upholstered one.
- 2
  Learn everything you can about antique rocking chairs, especially your chosen style. Consult websites on antiques like www.kovels.com.
  
  Talk to antique dealers, particularly those who specialize in antique rocking chairs.
  
  Visit the library and search out books and articles on how to identify antique furniture, including chairs.
- 3
  Inspect the chair. Keep in mind that a true antique is over 100 hundred years old. The most valuable antique rocking chairs were handcrafted rather than machine manufactured. To tell the difference, look at the chair's construction. A handcrafted chair will have spindles and rockers that are not uniform or perfectly cut. A wood crafter would have used square-topped nails and uneven screws. There may be visible tool marks.
  A machine manufactured chair will have uniform parts, and the nails and screws will be perfectly formed.
  
  If a rocker was made before 1700, it was probably crafted from oak or pine. After 1700, more mahogany and walnut were used than before.
  
  Look at the chair's finish. True antiques were finished with oil, wax, milk paint or shellac. As the finish wore, the chair would have developed a patina.

Antiquing