It's a slim wardrobe-form cupboard with hanging space behind one door, made to stand in an entrance hall. The word runs through a large share of titles in this category. It's narrower and shallower than a bedroom wardrobe. Dealers also list the same thing as a hall wardrobe or hall cupboard.

Which wood are most of them made from?

Oak, and by a distance. It carries more than half of all titles on Sellingantiques. Pine and mahogany form the other two populations, each a much smaller group. Pine is often described as painted or waxed; mahogany turns up mostly on Victorian and Edwardian narrow hall cupboards.

How old are hall cupboards usually?

The dealer-supplied dates run from 1750 to 1930. The weight is firmly early 20th century, with the 1920s the busiest single decade, ahead of the 1910s and 1900s. Victorian, Georgian and 18th-century pieces are all present in smaller numbers. Bear in mind that 'Victorian' or '19th Century' in a title is a period label rather than a documented year.

Are single-door or two-door versions more common?

Single-door is the commoner configuration in this archive, which suits the form: a shallow hall needs a narrow footprint. Two-door examples turn up throughout, more often among the mahogany and the larger country-house pieces.

Do early oak cupboards appear in this category?

Rarely, but they do. Court cupboards, a livery cupboard, a Welsh deuddarn and a 17th-century oak wardrobe have all been listed under this heading. They sit at the top of the range, well clear of the mass-produced robes that make up the bulk of the listings.

What Continental forms turn up here?

French pieces are the largest Continental group, including bonnetiere and armoire forms, though they remain a small minority of the whole. Beyond that, the origins scatter: Flemish, Breton, Swedish, Hungarian, German, Italian and Austro-Hungarian cupboards each show up singly, alongside a Chinese lacquer cabinet and an Anglo-Indian side cabinet.