How many chairs make a set?

Titles on Sellingantiques run from three to twenty. Six and four are the everyday sizes, with "six" in 1,214 titles and "four" in 826. Above that the numbers thin out fast. Ten appears in 146 titles, and the largest recorded are a set of twenty French dining chairs, a set of twenty Victorian balloon backs and two sets of sixteen.

What does 6+2 mean in a listing?

Six single chairs, without arms, plus two armchairs. The armchairs are called carvers and are usually wider than the singles. You'll also see 8+2 and 10+2, and phrases like "including two carvers" or "including pair of armchairs" doing the same job.

Is a harlequin set ranked below a true set?

Harlequin sets sit lower in the range than unbroken sets. The chairs match in pattern but didn't all start life together. It's a recognised trade category rather than a fault, named in 144 titles, alongside matched, near matching and mix and match. Dealers flag "a true set of six" when they have one, which tells you how the two are ranked.

Which timbers turn up most often?

Mahogany dominates the titles. Oak follows, then walnut, rosewood, elm, ash and beech. Rosewood, burr walnut and satinwood sit at the upper end of the range. Beech, elm and unspecified hardwood sit lower, largely because they belong to the country and kitchen branch.

What are Windsor and kitchen chair sets?

Country seating, made in elm and ash, with backs filled by turned sticks, spindles or a pierced wheel splat. Windsor appears in 513 titles, kitchen in 757, and 202 combine the two. They make up around a quarter of the category and are usually described as kitchen, country or farmhouse sets rather than dining.

Are dates in these listings precise?

Often not. Nearly half the dated pieces are described by era instead of a year, and "19th Century" is the most-used label of all at 1,594 listings. Where years are given, the field spans 1700 to 1960, with 2,973 listings carrying a clean one. Decade labels bunch in the 1920s, 1900s and 1910s.