Mahogany Tea Cart Wagon - Paalman Furniture Company

[Clancy]

Hoping to find some more information on this. I did a fair amount of searching and found a few Paalman tea carts on line, but none that looked as this. I found that the Grand Rapids library has information and even possibly brochures, but I haven't been able to see anything. http://www.grapids.lib.mi.us/wiki/images/c/c9/232.pdf

I also saw on the Smithsonian library some info, but also am not able to see. If anyone has any more info that they can share it would be most helpful.

Author:    PAALMAN FURNITURE CO.
Title:    TEA WAGONS
Publisher:    GRAND RAPIDS MI PAALMAN FURNITURE CO CA 1918
Notes:    Trade literature.
Subject:    Furniture
Genre:    Trade catalogs.

Call No.   Collection   Barcode   Status   
000144   NMAH Trade Literature   39088003256427   Checked In

Well on to the piece. See below for pics. What does the Pattern Number mean? Does this help narrow down the year, cost, etc? Thanks again.

[waywardangler]

This ebay seller was looking for a BIG price http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Paalman-Tea-Cart-/280667120903?pt=Antiques_Furniture&hash=item4159106507

He has since relisted it with a start of $875 and no takers yet.

A No. 426 is listed at $125 with a Japanese painting on the surface http://asheville.craigslist.org/atq/2315386934.html

This walnut? one sold for $75  http://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?ahid=1135&aid=37178&lid=9991891

I think the ebay seller is unrealistic and yours is probably worth $200-300 because it looks in really nice condition. I am not sure if tea carts are in demand in the current market so the price could be much lower.

[KC]

Agree with Waywardangler's information!  Good Job!

Nice looking tea cart by-the-way!!!!

The patent is most likely for a part of the cart....not the whole cart.  Most likely the "drop handle".  Paalman Furniture Company was well known for their service/style furniture.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I agree, it's a lovely tea cart and it looks to be in exceptional shape. If it hadn't been dated I would have thought it had been built in the 50's. I think it is one of those things like pianos, pump organs and rocking chairs- Lovely but they have fallen out of fashion and hard to sell.

[Clancy]

Thanks for the research. I also found this one, it sold, but don't know how much? http://www.bargainjohn.com/f770cTeaCart.htm

Any way to tell the year on this?

[KC]

Talesof, the patent date is ONLY the date a certain patent was enacted.  That date can be put on an item up to now!  So,it doesn't date the item when it was manufactured!  There was a cart produced that looked like this in Dec 1918.

[waywardangler]

Absolutely correct, KC!

[mart]

Thats the pattern number not the patent number !! A company may have several styles of one piece of furniture that they make !!  Each one may have a different look or have different components but yet all be tea carts or wagons !!  That number is the pattern number for the style of your tea cart !!

[waywardangler]

Uh mart, the wood is stamped "Patented May 28, 1918" in the third photo. That is the patent talked about. The pattern number is on the paper label.

[Clancy]

So manufactured sometime after 1918? I've noticed on a few that the label design is different. Any knowledge if that indicated year?

[mart]

Wayward, I probably should have rephrased that line, but I referred to his question in the first post. He asked what the pattern number meant. Intended to separate the two numbers, patent and pattern !!
But it was late and I was tired !! Sorry if it was misunderstood !!

[waywardangler]

Labels come and labels go. To date the paper label you would need a number of known examples with labels intact and their dates of manufacture. That would be a herculean research project IMO. I do not think the date of when this was made adds value. Value is determined by the current demand if you are looking to sell.

Mart, I get your post now but did not get it before, sorry. 

[KC]

Just for grins....the cart that resembles yours (but doesn't have the drop handle)
http://www.google.com/patents?id=tOFaAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA17&dq=tea+wagon&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false for Imperial Furniture Co

Heres one for sale....http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280671305059
Another with a drop handle (the purpose is to make into a table) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190529197193


FYI:  These were/are known as teas carts, service tables, tea trolleys or tea wagons.

[mariok54]

Well found KC, and what a difference in price!  Clancy's certainly seems to win hands down in terms of condition!