How many come up for sale each year?

About eight a year across Sellingantiques, from an archive of 105 listings. Forty-nine different dealers have listed one, so most of them have handled a single example rather than stocking luggage as a field.

Why are luggage stands in a suitcase category?

Because the stand and the case belong together. The folding wooden rack is a hotel and country-house fitting of the same era, made to hold a case off the floor while it was packed or unpacked. In the numbers, 29 titles carry "stand" and 17 "rack", so this branch runs to about a third of the heading.

What woods were the stands made from?

Oak leads with 14 titles and mahogany follows with 9. Those two are the staples. Walnut, ash, beech, pine, rattan and one yew wood rack turn up singly. Golden oak is a phrase used repeatedly for the warmer-toned examples.

Which periods do these cases date from?

The dealers' own dating spans 1850 to 1930 and does not run outside it. The 1920s are the largest group at 28 listings, then Edwardian at 18, the 1910s at 14, then the 1900s and Victorian at 12 each. Only six are dated to the 1930s. Among them is a polished aluminium case, the only metal-bodied one in the archive.

Are crocodile cases common in this category?

Crocodile is the specialist skin here, named in 12 titles, roughly one in ten. Dealers also write croc skin and alligator for much the same material, and one case is cut hornback, keeping the raised ridge of the back on show.

What unusual pieces have appeared under this heading?

A set of dummy suitcases made for display, a leather top hat travelling case, and a crocodile jewellery box catalogued as a suitcase. There's also a French folding easel with palette, described as an artist's suitcase. Geography is narrow: 19 titles say English, with one each Scottish, French, Canadian and Indian colonial.