Q. I have seen several pieces of antique furniture in shops and at shows that were made by the Mahogany Association. I saw a table in a shop recently that had a Mahogany Association tag but no further information. I am now confused. Is the Mahogany Association a company that makes solid mahogany furniture? Are they still in business? Are their products actually antiques? Anything you can tell me would be appreciated. Thanks. Terry B. Eufala, AL

A. Terry - The "Mahogany Association" was not a company but a trade organization formed in reaction to events. Around the turn of the 20th century aniline dyes were introduced into the American furniture market. This new tool for coloring wood produced some very confusing results. With anilines almost any wood could look like almost anything else. The most common use was to make secondary woods like gum, poplar and birch look like more expensive woods such as walnut and mahogany. Without proper labeling it was easy to confuse the consumer.

As the furniture industry got organized early in the century a number of promotional organizations took form. One of the umbrella groups was the Hardwood Manufacturers Association based in Memphis, TN. It had several "service bureaus" within it to promote different woods. Among them were the Oak Bureau and the Gumwood Bureau. In addition there was a separate American Walnut Manufacturers Association based in Chicago, the Northern Hard Maple Manufacturers in Oshkosh, WI and the Birch Manufacturers, also in Oshkosh. And of course there was the Mahogany Association in Chicago.

Unlike the other organizations, the chief interest of the Association was an imported item, Central and South American mahogany. Individual companies and the Association itself took an interest in the husbandry of rain forest resources as well as promoting the use of mahogany by manufacturers and the proper identification of the product to consumers, hence the ubiquitous decal of the Mahogany Association. The decal reads in part "All exposed structural parts and plywood faces guaranteed genuine mahogany". The decal is merely the stamp of approval of the Association, not a maker's mark.

The Association published a book by George M. Lamb in 1936, The Mahogany Book, which identified the many cuts of mahogany in color plates. Reprints of those plates can be seen online at www.thomahog.com. The Mahogany Association ceased operation in 1969. 

Q. I have a coffee table with a triangle stamp on the bottom of the table that reads "Mersman 7180". This table has four legs and what looks to me like an old Greek lute (harp?) between the table and the legs. It has a surfboard type table top with glass and a scrolled edge with gold leafing around it. Would like to know if Duncan Phyfe produced it, when, history, value. Can you help? 

A. Duncan Phyfe was a Scotsman who came to America in the late 18th century. He set up a cabinet shop first in Brooklyn then in Manhattan where he worked until his retirement in 1847.

Mersman Brothers Corporation of Celina, Ohio was a premier American table manufacturer in the Depression era of the 1920's and 1930's. Mersman is the single most widely found name on any furniture in America. It is estimated that nearly half of all American homes in 1932 had at least one Mersman table. The model #7180 indicates a very late model. I would have to see pictures of it to estimate the value although most Mersman tables in good condition are valued in the very low $100 range because there are so many of them.

Duncan Phyfe had nothing to do with your Mersman table. The style of the table you describe is called Colonial Revival, an American style of the 20th century that restates styles from our early history. Your table with the lyre base incorporates elements of classical Greek styles which were used by Duncan Phyfe, among others, in their work from the late 1700's and early 1800's. Enjoy your table.  

Q. I recently inherited a bedroom set with a label that indicates it was made by Sterchi Bros, Corbin, KY. Can you tell me how old it might be and provide any information on the company?

A. There was an early 20th century furniture manufacturer named Sterchi Bros. but they were located in Knoxville, TN. I believe the label you have found is from a chain of department stores by the same name instead of the manufacturer since it indicates a Kentucky rather than Tennessee origin. Sterchi Bros. furniture stores were all over the mid-South in the early to mid 1900's. They were later acquired by Richmond based Heilig-Meyers. Without pictures all I can tell you about the age is that it is definitely first half of the 20th century. If the set has a mirror, check out the rear of the glass for a date.

Send your comments, questions and pictures to me at PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or fmtaylor@aol.com