Chests of drawers are among the most indispensable pieces of furniture for storage and, not surprisingly, have been made in huge numbers over the centuries. They're still among the most easily available and inexpensive pieces of antique furniture - although naturally there are rare and expensive ones as well.

Walnut chests

Size has an important bearing on the price of all chests. Although this walnut-veneered 18th-century chest is in a sorry state, at 77cm (2ft 6in) it's desirably small and so is still worth $2,500 to $5,900.

Mahogany chests

Mahogany chests, such as the one pictured here (made c.1765), are more common than walnut ones and so are usually less expensive. This particular chest is of exceptionally high quality, but even so need not cost much more than the battered walnut chest. Value is from $3,360 to $5,000.

The mahogany chest pictured top, on the other hand, was made c.1790. The bow-fronted style remained popular throughout much of the 19th century. Value is from $750 to $5,000, depending on condition.

Feet styles

Feet can give a useful clue to the date.

Stile foot, 17th century	Early bracket foot, late 17th century	Ogee bracket foot, 1750-1800
Bun foot, 17th-early 18th century	Bracket foot, 18th century	Splayed bracket foot, late 18th/early 19th century

The feet are most prone to wear and are often replaced, so check the colour and grain of each one. These feet are original and appropriately battered.

Why do dealers look in drawers?

Pull the drawer out and look for marks on the dustboards inside the chest. If the chest is original, the marks of the runners should correspond with marks on the bottom of the drawer. From c.1790 drawers were strengthened by baseboards running from side to side with a central rib.

Construction

Examine the dovetails: they can tell you when the drawer was made. The earliest drawers have three coarse dovetails; later drawers usually have four or five finer ones. Don't just look at one drawer: check they're all similar.

Handle styles

Late 17th - early 18th century	Early 18th century	Early 18th century
2nd quarter 18th century	2nd half 18th century	2nd half 18th century
Late 18th - early 19th century	Late 18th - early 19th century

Check drawers inside and out for marks, such as holes or an outline of a handle shape, where different handles might once have been. Don't be put off if the handles are replaced - it's very common.

Undersides

Don't expect chests to be neatly finished all the way around. They were made to stand against a wall and their backs and undersides are usually made from rough, unpolished boards.