Buying an Antique Chest of Drawers: A Practical Checklist

A chest of drawers looks simple, but feet, handles, drawer linings, tops and even complete carcases are frequently altered. A useful assessment separates honest repair from reconstruction.

Understand the object first

Boarded, framed and veneered chests span centuries and regions. Drawer arrangement and style help establish context, but hidden construction provides stronger dating evidence.

Before any purchase, use or treatment, record dimensions, materials, construction, hardware, surface and known provenance. Photograph the front, back, underside and interior. An old appearance, one joint or a fashionable label never establishes age or authorship.

What to inspect

Remove drawers and compare dovetails, linings and numbering.
Inspect backboards, top fixings and underside.
Check feet for replacement, tipping or reduction.
Look for handle shadows and redundant holes.
Test carcase square, drawer stops and runner wear.

Look for coherent evidence: primary and secondary woods, joints, tool marks, locks, screws, wear and finish should make sense together. Extra holes, fresh cuts, different oxidation and mismatched colour can reveal alteration, marriage or repair.

Identification, condition and dating

One machine-cut dovetail or old nail does not date the whole chest. Compare all drawers; a replaced drawer may differ. A veneered front can legitimately cover an oak or pine carcase.

Do not confuse style with date. Successful forms were reproduced, old components were reused and later restorers often changed handles, feet, upholstery or internal fittings. State what is observed and distinguish certainty from interpretation.

Safe practical approach

Check dimensions, stair access and wall position. Load drawers modestly and confirm anti-tip stability, especially in homes with children. Repairs should preserve drawer sides rather than plane them away.

Test operation gently and stop when resistance is unexplained. Retain original material wherever it remains serviceable. Any repair should solve the cause, use the least intervention necessary and remain visually and structurally compatible.

Mistakes to avoid

Judging age by colour alone.
Ignoring a top-and-base marriage.
Assuming replaced handles are original because they look old.
Sanding drawers to make them run.
Loading several open drawers at once.

When specialist help is needed

Use a qualified conservator for exceptional provenance, unstable decorative surfaces, major structural failure, active mould, suspected hazardous residues, protected wildlife materials or mechanisms that cannot be understood without dismantling. Electrical, clock and lock work may require a specialist from the relevant discipline as well as a furniture conservator.

Care after assessment

Keep the piece away from radiators, direct sunlight, damp walls and rapid humidity change. Lift by strong structural members rather than tops, arms, cornices or handles. Recheck moving joints and loaded shelves after use.

Sources and further study

This guide follows object-based comparison through the [V&A furniture collection](https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/furniture), construction evidence from the [V&A furniture-making guidance](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/furniture-how-was-it-made), and preventive-conservation principles published by the [Canadian Conservation Institute](https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute.html).