Pre-owned Henkel Harris

Pre-owned Henkel Harris
Henkel Harris Wayside Inn Corner Cabinet

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Did Henkel-Harris make Pine furniture?

Did Henkel-Harris make pine furniture? Yes, Henkel-Harris only a made few pieces in the early years. I have a 1954 price list #10, the front page says "Occasional Tables and Dining Room Furniture in Cherry, Mahogany, Walnut and Pine". The back page of the list has the title:
Henkel-Harris Solid Pine Line,
No.22 Pine to match Townsend and Pine Shops
1114H-22 Corner Cabinet,Large,Plain Hinges,83 1/2"high.....$219.50 (wt)160
1116H-22 Corner Cabinet,Small,H Hinges,75" high............$184.50 (wt)125
2528-22 Silver Chest, 21 X 15 1/2, H.43....................$159.50 (wt)60

In all the years I have been dealing with pre-owned Henkel-Harris I have come across 1 of each of the Corner Cabinets and I have yet to find a Silver Chest in pine. I can tell that the pine used was yellow Heart Pine, it is very heavy and has a great patina. A pine corner cabinet weighed as much as a walnut corner cabinet of the same size. The large corner cabinet is the same as the "Fairfax" corner cabinet that is still made today, the small corner cabinet is the same as the "Faulkner" corner cabinet that was discontinued in the 90s and the Silver Chest is the same deminsionally as the Hepplewhite Silver Chest still made today. These are the only 3 pieces that I am aware of that were made in Pine. They are rare, beautiful and have the potential to be highly valued collector pieces in the future.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

How to identfy Henkel Harris furniture.

Paper labels are stapled to the furniture on the back or inside behind a drawer, they have the date, style, wood and finish. If the label is still attached, the first part of the "shop" number is the date the piece was made, the "style" number identifies the piece and the finish number identifies the finish color tone and even the wood.
The type of wood is usually stated on the paper label, "Mahogany", "American Black Walnut", "Wild Black Cherry", etc. Some pieces have cloth labels attached inside the drawers or doors identifying the wood.
The "shop" number 1164-515 indicates the piece was made in November of 1964, the second part of the "shop" number was for factory use.
The "style" number what the piece is, i.e. #2319 is a Claymont Server/Buffet, a #101S is a chippendale side chair, a #2401 is a Server with a pull out tray or bachlors chest. The catalogs have the pieces numbered and are a great reference for this information, if you have a piece you can't identify, post the info you have wih a picture here and I can help.
The "finish" number idenifies the tone of color i.e., #24 is a medium red/brown Cherry finish, #29 is a dark redish black Mahogany finish, #15 is a medium brown Walnut finish, there have been 20 or so different finishes over the years, the most popular by far are the #24 and #29.
If you don't have a label or can't find one, post a photo with any information on the piece here and I can help identify it. http://www.gncantiques.com