Posted 12 years ago
sewslow
(1 item)
I bought this little rocker at a barn sale in Massachusetts in the early 1970's. The chair is unique in that the only wood used in the chair is the decorative wooden ring around the botton and the platform. The shape of the chair itself is formed by a bent iron rod and metal straps which are attached to the decorative wooden circle. Burlap was sewn to the metal frame to form the foundation for the stuffing and upholstery fabric. I have been told that the metal frame makes it a Turkish Rocker.
The really unique thing about the rocker is it's rocker mechanism. Each of the two supports is made up of two interlocking metal brackets that holds two black hard rubber egg-shaped balls that act as the "springs" (see pict 4). A date on the metal bracket lists the patent date as July 4th 1871. When I bought the chair the balls were petrified and disintigrating. I was able to recreate them by shaving solid rubber dog balls to the proper shape. Unfortunately the only solid balls I could find at the time were green.
Can anyone tell me more about this style of chair? I have rebuilt and reupholstered the chair, which I'm sure negates it's value as an antique but does anyone have an idea of the value as it is today?
