What's the difference between a linen press and a clothes press?

Very little in the object. Both names describe the two-part cupboard over drawers, one named for folded household linen and the other for clothing. Linen is the term dealers reach for most, in well over half the titles. Clothes appears in 57. Press cupboard and cupboard on chest cover the same construction again.

Which timber is most common?

Mahogany, comfortably. It appears in 566 of the 1,329 titles, and mahogany linen press together in 355 of them. Oak comes next with 264, then pine at 146 and walnut at 96. The oak carries a strong Welsh vocabulary, with welsh in 81 titles and welsh oak in 67.

How old are these usually?

The dated field runs from 1700 to 1950, but only 307 listings give a clean year. Most dealers date by period instead. Georgian and 19th Century are the two largest labels, and both are wide. 18th Century, Victorian and Regency follow, with a thin 17th-century and pre-1700 tail in oak.

Are court cupboards and housekeeper's cupboards included?

Yes. The heading takes in the related cupboard forms alongside the two-part press, and court appears in 42 titles, housekeeper's in 37. Livery cupboards, deuddarns and tridarns sit in the same oak group. Continental and colonial cupboards turn up too: French armoires, Dutch and Scandinavian painted pieces, Anglo-Indian and Chinese cabinets.

Does a smaller press sell for more than a large one?

In the mahogany and walnut branches, smallness reads as a virtue. Small appears in 51 titles and low in 27, with diminutive, narrow and neat proportions recurring. Miniature examples surface occasionally, including a Masonic press, an Anglo-Indian one and a court cupboard.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around 135 a year on Sellingantiques, and 218 different dealers have listed one. That spread tells you it isn't a specialist field. Almost any general furniture dealer handles one sooner or later.

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Antique Press Cupboards

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A two-part cupboard for folded clothes and household linen: panelled doors above, a chest of drawers below, made for the days before the hanging wardrobe took over.