Vintage American of Martinsville furniture

A guide to collecting American of Martinsville furniture

Vintage American of Martinsville furniture is 20th century furniture made by the company American of Martinsville.

Background and description:

The company American of Martinsville was founded in 1906 by Martinsville tobacco manufacturers who wanted to branch out into furniture manufacturing. In these early years, they focused solely on bedroom furniture, expanding into dining room furniture in the 1920s.


The company was vast by the end of the 1950s, and proudly offered furniture representing almost every broad design era. As well as adding living room furniture to their repertoire, they began producing furniture for businesses such as roadside motels and hotels, which they continued to do for the rest of the century. In 2000, American of Martinsville was acquired by La-Z-Boy Incorporated.

Pieces of American of Martinsville furniture comes in all shapes and sizes, and all styles, from French renaissance style writing desks to standardised 1950s modern motel bedroom sets.

Collecting Vintage American of Martinsville furniture:

Collectors are likely to collect pieces of American of Martinsville furniture manufactured for the home rather than those produced for motels and hotels, as the former would be more unique than the latter mass produced items.

They would generally choose a particular style of American of Martinsville furniture, as the array of designs is so eclectic.

Genuine American of Martinsville furniture will have their logo imprinted on the article.

It can be found on auction websites such as eBay, in antique stores, house clearance and estate sales, and reclamation warehouses.

Value:

The value of American of Martinsville furniture depends heavily on style and age, whether it was produced for a home or for a motel, how many pieces of furniture a lot comprises and the quality and materials involved.

Pieces and sets tend to sell for between $100-$1,350 depending on condition.