What is the difference between a fender and a club fender?

A fender is the low kerb across the front of the hearth, often plain cast iron or brass. A club fender stands taller and carries a rail. Club fenders in the listings frequently have leather, mahogany or oak seats along the top rail, and those upholstered ones are the highest-priced fenders in the category. Fender appears in around a fifth of titles, club fender in a good number of them.

How many pieces make a set of fire irons?

Three, usually: poker, shovel and tongs. Titles say it outright, as set of three or poker, shovel and tongs. Some are sold as companion sets, meaning the tools come with a stand. Larger groupings turn up too, where a fender is offered with matching andirons and fire irons together.

Are antique fire dogs always sold in pairs?

Andirons were made in pairs, and that is how they mostly appear, with pair in a large number of titles. The words andiron, fire dog and chenet all describe the same thing, the last being French. French chenets, including gilt-brass and ormolu examples, make up the main non-British strand in the category.

How old are most fireside pieces on Sellingantiques?

The bulk is 19th century. Victorian is the commonest label by title, followed by Georgian, Regency and Edwardian, with the 1910s and 1920s behind them. Only some listings carry a clean year; the rest sit under bracket labels like 19th Century or 1900s. The dated field as a whole stretches from 1500 to 1940, but pre-Georgian pieces are one-offs.

Can you still get a full cast-iron cooking range?

They appear occasionally. Cast-iron kitchen ranges and fire surrounds are the heaviest and most architectural things the category produces, and they cluster at the ceiling of the range. At the other extreme sits a small brass trivet or a single pair of tongs. Scale is what separates the two ends more than anything else.

What do Arts and Crafts labels mean in these listings?

They point to a named design movement, and they lift a piece. Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau together account for roughly one listing in twenty by title. The labels turn up across screens, fenders, andirons and coal scuttles alike, alongside Aesthetic Movement and Gothic Revival descriptions.