Antique Mission Oak 5 Stack Barrister Bookcase

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Description

Offered is barrister bookcase made in the early 1900”s by the Humphrey Bookcase Company of Detroit Michigan. The bookcase consists … Read more Offered is barrister bookcase made in the early 1900”s by the Humphrey Bookcase Company of Detroit Michigan. The bookcase consists of five separate sections, a rolled top and a base. Interior dimensions of each box are 32”x10.5”x10.5”. All are constructed of solid quarter sawn oak in a dark mission finish. This bookcase has had some repairs to restore it to complete functionality. The back of two out of five sections had been previously replaced with cheap wood wall paneling. That was removed and replaced with poplar plywood which is much closer to what would have been used originally. The door equalizing mechanisms have all been worked on ensuring that the doors function as they were intended. The glass in all five doors appears to be original, having the subtle wavy appearance of antique glass. There is an old repair of a crack in one side board that was made with a corrugated fastener. It was decided that it should be left in place as it would probably have created more damage removing it than doing a proper repair was worth. Major scratches to the wood have been carefully sanded out and the repairs refinished with a mission brown stain and amber shellac much as would have been used when the piece was originally made. The remainder of the finish has been cleaned but left untouched. Wherever needed in the interior missing glue blocks have been replaced to insure good integrity of strength. The Humphrey Bookcase Company when compared to others of the time period such as Globe-Wernicke was a smaller player in the furniture market of the day but this piece was as well made as any other barrister bookcase of that time period. I’m sure that it would make a fine addition to any home decor. As with any piece of preowned furniture of this age the piece still shows surface sign of finish wear commensurate with use and age. Much care has gone into restoring the functionality of the piece without removing the look of age it has acquired over the years. Please look carefully at the pictures as they make up an important part of the description. Questions are always welcome. See less