Antique China Hutch value
An antique china hutch makes an elegant, traditional piece of furniture in almost any style of home. This is a large, versatile home furnishing that can serve a number of purposes.
How to Use an Antique China Hutch
Traditionally, a china hutch was used to display one's collection of fine china or other decorative tableware along the top shelves that are encased behind glass doors. This was not only a classy way to display beautiful kitchen porcelain, the hutch would also protect the fragile plates, bowls and other fancy tableware items.
A china hutch can be used for extra storage for just about anything that will fit in its drawers. However, since the cabinets on top have glass doors, most people choose to use this space to display some kind of collection. It could be anything from fragile glass figurines to the shiny steel barrels of a handgun collection. A china hutch can be displayed in many places throughout the home, including the dining room, living room, bedroom, hallway or foyer.
How to Identify an Antique
Old china hutches are made out of some type of hardwood. While most of them have glass doors on top, some do not. Some china hutches have open shelves on the top. Many also have mirrors along the back walls of the top shelves that help display collectibles on all sides.
Wood
A china hutch that is considered a true antique will be made from one of the following hardwoods:
- Maple
- Oak
- Mahagony
- Cherry
- Rosewood
- Walnut
Most modern wood furniture is made from pine that has a hardwood veneer on the surface. An antique hutch will also have hand carved wood designs that have small imperfections.
Finish
The finish on an antique hutch will have an oily smell from the old-fashioned varnish and shellac that always used to be oil-based. You might notice brush strokes and other small imperfections like runs and drips in the finish of antique wood furniture, because everything was applied by hand instead of machines.
