Well I'll tell ya one thing, no one will ever accuse these benches of being reproductions LOL! I ended up taking two benches for $20 each and the stool for $10. They don't look like they ever had any kind of paint varnish or anything on the wood. There is no trace of any finish anywhere, just bare wood. I don't know what kind of wood this is. It is not a hardwood, so I don't think it is elm. The benches and stoo are all VERY weathered and very dry, but none-the-less, very sturdy.
Here's the best of the three. It is the slightly taller in height, slightly shorter one in length than it's counterpart. No sign of any repairs, no rot, no bugs. Just very old wood, lots of scars.
This is the second bench, longer in length than the first, but shorter in height. It is in severely weathered condition, but it has charm.
Here is the stool. This one has quite a few empty slots, signs that I think mean that it once had the same kind of decorative pieces on it that the benches have, and a couple of supporting cross members that are no longer there. It, like the others, is sturdy as a rock, despite extreme weathering. It is bigger than I thought it would be, the slab of wood for the seat is about 4" thick.
Finally, the group of three, posing with a Fiestaware pitcher for size comparison. In reality, the boards that appear lighter in this photo are only slightly lighter in color from being protected by the piece above them. A lot of that is from the flash.
Now for the big question: What to do with them. Well, to be honest, I think they are so weathered, that they would have more value if they were varnished, so that they could function as attractive indoor pieces. Looking at what similar benches are selling for on Ebay, it looks like people probably would prefer attractive/functional over original/functional. The condition right now is very much like driftwood. However, I think the cracks and splits are part of the charm and I don't think any sanding would be appropriate. Nor would it do the least bit of good! But the preservationist part of me hates to alter anything so original.