Just picked this interesting table up this weekend? Is it a Sewing Table?

[jabiloxi]

Hey Guys,

I picked up this nice little fold out table this weekend.  Just not really sure what I have here though.  Is it a sewing table?  Any ideas on value?  Also where is the best place to sell vintage antiques like furniture?  I have a nice little collection starting up but my gf is going to kill me if I don't start selling some of them soon.  Its just tough to tell sometimes, i have been trying to visit consignment shops, if anybody knows of any in the sacramento area that would be great. 

Anyways, here are the pics.












Thanks,
Joe

[mariok54]

Hi,

It's not a sewing table, but a drop-end table. Victorian Mahogany ones can be worth a few hundred in good condition. Yours looks like a Repro, judging by the label, but others should be able to put a date to it.

[waywardangler]

Hmmm, maybe a gf interested in antiques is more in order otherwise this could be a long term problem.

[Oceans64]

I'm Still looking but here in an advertisement for the company:

http://books.google.com/books?id=qnAoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA376&dq=grand+rapids+%22imperial+furniture%22&hl=en&ei=QrdrTfKpFY7WtQPrw7SmBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CFcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%20%22imperial%20furniture%22&f=false

May have to do a new search or "view all" search results.  It's on Page 8 when searching for "Imperial Furniture" in this book....

It is dtd 1914 and an earlier reference in the book says (I'm paraphrasing)... "If your piece was made in the last seven years it probably came from ( lists several furniture sores including Imperial)... So that gives us an approx start date of 1907/8 ish....

[Oceans64]

Another bit on the Co: http://books.google.com/books?id=jv62D4i9Bp0C&pg=PA27&dq=grand+rapids+%22imperial+furniture%22&hl=en&ei=QrdrTfKpFY7WtQPrw7SmBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CF8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=grand%20rapids%20%22imperial%20furniture%22&f=false

Bottom of first column...

In business from 1903 - 1954 (sold)

[Oceans64]

http://antiqueshoppefl.com/archives/May05/qacol48.html

It is post 1917....

Q. I have an old table that has a tag underneath that says "Imperial Tables" The tag  is oval shaped and has a small crown inside the oval. Can you tell me anything about this table.

A. You have a very early example from one of America's premier 20th century furniture manufacturing companies. Imperial Furniture Co was founded in 1903 in Grand Rapids, MI by Stuart Foote who worked for ten years before that at the Grand Rapids Chair Co. He was president of the company until his death in 1954, after which the company was sold to Bergsma Bros. The company produced mainly tables throughout its history and produced more elaborate examples than its main rival in the table category, Mersman Bros. of  Celina, OH. The company is even credited in some quarters with inventing the concept of the low "coffee" table during the 1920's. During World War II it produced airplane wings for the war effort.

The emblem of the company changed periodically over the years and it is possible to determine an approximate age of your table. The oval emblem was used from 1910 to 1917 when it was replaced with the more commonly seen shield shaped emblem.