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Useful Library Table Was Popular A Century Ago

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By JAY MOORE

Tribune correspondent

Published: July 31, 2008

I inherited my library desk and, according to my family, it came from Rhode Island. It has spiral-turned legs, a platform underneath and a full-length drawer. How old is it and what is it worth?

D.N.

Tampa

It is an American-manufactured oak library table made around the turn of the 20th century. It probably was made in Grand Rapids, Mich., or another major furniture center. Many pieces like this were sold by mail order.

It is made of oak solids with quarter-sawed oak solids or veneer. It appears to have been refinished. These are useful pieces, but go begging when compared to Arts and Crafts-style tables signed by famous makers.

This table would retail for about $350.

Please provide information about my brass plant stand with a marble top, including age and value. It is marked "Matchless." I particularly would like to know more about the company.

C.G.

It probably was made by a small Brooklyn, N.Y., brass foundry. Little is known about it, but I did glean a few facts from the Brooklyn Public Library. Frank M. Brooks founded Matchless Brass Manufacturing Co. in 1902 in Brooklyn. It went out of business in the late 1920s.

These stands, often referred to as ferneries, were popular during the late Victorian period when ferns were popular houseplants. The stands were made of wood, metal or marble.

This cast-brass plant stand, made around the turn of the 20th century, would retail for $175.

Have a question about antiques? E-mail a complete description with a clear digital image to athome@tampatrib.com. Include a name, address and daytime phone number. Regular mail can be sent with clear photographs (plain-paper prints or Polaroids may not be

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