Wooden High Chair Heirloom

Types of Wooden High Chair Heirlooms

Antique baby chairs come in a variety of styles; rarely will you find two alike. They come with wheels, high caned backs, simple designs with turned legs and dowels and an endless variety of homemade versions.

The most valuable vintage baby high chairs are ones that have all of their caning intact, complete wood pieces come with enamelware trays if they were made with them. High chairs in mint condition can fetch upwards of $350 on Internet auction sites, such as eBay.

Where to Find High Chairs

If you aren't lucky enough to have a true heirloom, you may want to go looking for one to start the tradition.

Finding older high chairs can be difficult since many of them weren't really made to last for decades. Small children can be rough on furniture, and this is especially true of these older high chairs made of thin woods and caning. Whether you are looking for reproductions or antiques, the following may help you find the right antique decoration for your home.

Reproduction High Chairs

If you want a new-looking antique high chair, consider purchasing a reproduction. These are well made to look like the antiques of old, without the damaged backs, missing dowels or dents. They can either be finished to look distressed, or stained and varnished to look shiny and well cared for.

There are many online reproduction antique stores on the Internet, both in the United States and Europe. Some of these online stores include the following:

• Vandykes Restorers- sells a variety of antique reproductions. They will also restore vintage high chairs in need of repair.
• British Antique Replicas – located in the U.K., this company makes beautiful replica furniture.
• Antique Reproductions – offers a nice variety of reproduction baby and children's high chairs with next day shipping.

You may also find beautiful reproduction high chairs in antique stores and your local reproduction stores. Retail stores, such as Pottery Barn, often carry reproduction furniture that is updated with safe hardware and safety latches that can be used by today's children.

Authentic Antique Chairs

Finding a beautiful wooden high chair heirloom can be difficult, but the fun you'll have antique shopping might well be worth it. The first place to hunt for that perfect high chair is in your local antique stores. Since the manufacturers are rarely listed on these chairs, it is difficult to predict what you can expect to pay for any high chair. Whether your heirloom is a hand-me-down or new purchase, there are a few things you should look for in vintage furniture:

• Make sure the item is stable and doesn't wobble much. Wobbly legs signal that the furniture needs some repair work.
• Is the hardware intact? The tray should lift easily up or over the top of the chair, as it would have when children used it.
• Is the caning complete and intact? If it isn't you may find someone to repair it, but it will decrease the value of the chair slightly.
• Are the wood pieces complete? The footrest, arms and any other decorative dowels should still be in place. If any are missing, you may have a difficult time finding ones to complete the chair.
• Look for any serious damage such as gouges, broken dowels that have been re-glued or miss-matched hardware before you purchase a vintage high chair.

There are many Internet stores that sell authentic antiques. The following stores sell antique baby high chairs:

• Summers Darling Just Between Us Girls – an online antique store with a wide variety of items which include beautiful vintage high chairs.
• Olde Good Things- offers vintage high chairs that are in excellent condition and highly collectible. Expect to pay $500 to $1000 for chairs here.
• Manoela's Baby Clothes and Linens- carries many baby related antiques and collectibles, including vintage baby high chairs

Antique Decorations

Antique items, including baby high chairs, should be used as decorations only. While they may be incredibly cute, using them as actual high chairs for a baby can be dangerous. Children may easily fall through the leg holes or get their hands, arms or even their heads stuck in the back or sides of antique chairs. These chairs are best used for a photo shoot when there is plenty of adult supervision, or as a decoration piece in your home. They make interesting conversation pieces, especially when you put a cute baby doll, such as a Madame Alexander doll, in them.