Why are pairs worth more than singles?

Symmetrical furnishing schemes made matched pairs a standard commercial product: a cupboard each side of the bed, cabinets flanking a chimneypiece. Once a pair is split, it is hard to reunite, so pairs have always carried a premium over singles.

What period do most of these come from?

The dated listings run from 1750 to 1960, but the weight sits in the early twentieth century. The 1920s account for 613 listings and the 1930s for 335. The 1900s and 1910s add a few hundred more. Georgian and earlier pairs exist in the archive but are a handful.

Are they mostly French?

France is the largest identifiable origin named in titles, with French oak alone in 148 of them. French walnut, cherrywood, beech, tulipwood and kingwood variants all appear. The rest is largely English: Victorian mahogany and walnut bedside chests, Edwardian pieces, and Art Deco burr walnut pairs of the 1920s and 1930s.

What does a near pair mean?

Titles distinguish "matched pair", "near pair", "very near pair", "close pair" and "almost matching" from a plain "pair". A plain pair was made together as two. The other wordings describe two pieces assembled to look alike, and they sit below a true pair in the range.

Which types sit at the top of the range?

Pietra dura, boulle and gilt-bronze-mounted cabinet pairs occupy the highest positions, several hundred times the level of a plain painted pine bedside pair. Below those come the pier, display, vitrine and collectors' cabinets, then the marquetry and inlaid work. Plain oak, beech and pine bedside pairs sit at the bottom.

How often do pairs come up for sale?

Around 153 pairs are listed in a year on Sellingantiques, and 223 different dealers have handled them. That spread means almost every general furniture dealer touches the form at some point rather than it being a specialist corner.