Antique Whatnots between £0 and £0
A whatnot is a small open stand of stacked shelves on turned corner supports, made to stand in a drawing room and hold ornaments, books and small objects.
What Is A Whatnot?
The form appeared in England around the turn of the nineteenth century and stayed in production right through the Victorian period. Three or four tiers is the standard count, held apart by turned or twisted corner supports, sometimes with a drawer or a small cupboard in the base. The words etagere, wot-not and what-not all describe the same thing.
The piece you are most likely to meet is a Victorian rectangular freestanding whatnot in a figured hardwood. Victorian appears in 275 of 646 titles, and three-tier and four-tier examples sit almost level at 42 and 41 titles apiece. Mahogany leads the timbers, then walnut, then rosewood, with burr walnut named in 93 titles on its own.
Beyond the plain rectangle, three variants turn up throughout. Corner whatnots, 56 titles, are cut to a triangle or quadrant plan to sit into the angle of a room, and take bow-fronted and demi-lune fronts as well. Canterbury whatnots, another 56 titles, carry vertical divisions for music or folios. Etagere-titled pieces, 52 titles, include the French inlaid and ormolu-mounted end of the category.
Dating is often broad rather than exact. Dealers' own dates run 1800 to 1920, with 197 listings carrying a clean year, and where decades are given they cluster on the 1850s and 1860s before thinning through the 1870s and 1880s. Victorian and 19th Century between them cover the bulk, with Regency and Georgian also used as labels rather than years.
Where The Range Splits
Timber and figure do most of the work. Burr appears in 95 titles, and burr walnut in 93; those and the figured walnut cuts sit at the top, while plain mahogany and oak stands sit low. The odd timbers come round once in a blue moon, with yew, amboyna, satin birch, birdseye maple, satinwood and ship's teak each appearing only once or twice.
Then it is a question of how much work went into the outline and the surface. Inlaid turns up in 50 titles, carved in 15, and marquetry, gilt-metal and ormolu mounts appear mainly high in the range. Serpentine shelf fronts, quadrant, bow-fronted, demi-lune and octagonal plans all cost more to make than a square shelf, and the prices follow.
Rarity of form and of number counts too. Pairs are scarce at 16 titles, and matched pairs of corner whatnots sit at the very top. One-off shapes recorded on Sellingantiques include a revolving whatnot, a pyramid-form example, an A-frame, a cellarette-fitted stand and one with an adjustable reading slope, and they all sit well above the single plain tiered stand.
Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical UK retail prices for whatnots between £0 and £0, calculated from the Sellingantiques database of over a million retail prices indexed since 2003. This retail price guide relies exclusively on Sellingantiques data; no external sources or auction records are used, so the figures do not describe the wider market.
Whatnots have been listed on Sellingantiques since 2008, with over four hundred passing through since then.
Gillows of Lancaster
The Antique Whatnots between £0 and £0 Glossary
- Tier
- One shelf level. Titles count them, and the counts run from two up to six, with three and four the usual.
- Etagere
- The French term for the same open tiered stand, used in 52 titles and often paired with whatnot in the same line.
- Canterbury
- A stand with vertical divisions for holding music or folios. Fifty-six titles combine it with whatnot.
- Burr walnut
- Walnut cut from a burr growth, giving dense swirled figure. Named in 93 titles, more than any other single timber description.
- Barley twist
- Spiral turned corner supports between the tiers. Bobbin turning, a run of beads, does the same job.
- Gallery
- A raised rail or pierced fret around a shelf edge. Several titles specify a gallery top.
- Ebonised
- Timber stained black in imitation of ebony, recurring on Aesthetic-period examples.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tiers does a whatnot usually have?
Three or four. On Sellingantiques the two counts sit almost exactly level, at 42 and 41 titles, and the word tier appears in 177 titles overall.
Two-tier stands and five- and six-tier examples do turn up, but they are the ends of the range rather than the middle.
What timbers were whatnots made in?
Three carry the whole category. Mahogany appears in 222 titles, walnut in 160 and rosewood in 133, with burr walnut named specifically in 93.
Everything else is occasional. Yew, elm, ash, satin birch, birdseye maple, amboyna, tulipwood, padauk, Burmese teak, Ceylonese ebony and satinwood each appear only once or twice.
Is an etagere the same as a whatnot?
In practice, yes. Etagere is the French word for an open tiered stand, and 52 titles use it, often alongside whatnot in the same line.
Where etagere is chosen on its own it tends to sit with the French and Continental pieces, including inlaid and ormolu-mounted examples.
What is a canterbury whatnot?
A whatnot fitted with vertical divisions, made to hold sheet music or folios. Fifty-six titles combine the two words, and walnut canterbury alone accounts for 25.
Some are titled as music stands or reading stands, and one recorded example has an adjustable reading slope.
Are corner whatnots common?
A steady minority. Corner appears in 56 titles, around one in twelve, most often in walnut or rosewood.
The plan is not always a plain triangle. Quadrant, bow-fronted and demi-lune fronts all appear, and matched pairs of corner whatnots sit at the very top of the range.
When were whatnots made?
The form emerged in England around 1800 and stayed in production through the Victorian period. Dealers' dates on Sellingantiques run 1800 to 1920.
Where a decade is given it usually falls in the 1850s or 1860s. A few titles claim 18th century or around 1790, and a few reach 1910 to 1920, but those sit at the edges.