If spanky shows up, maybe she'll be able to help..I have a first question: are the sides of the drawers dovetailed? If not, that would be a quick flow-chart eliminator...

It certainly looks like Conant Ball. It looks like a Russel Wright or a Leslie Diamond. Google for more.

"Russel Wright first began at the age of 30 to design 60 pieces of furniture for Heywood-Wakefield Furniture Company. These items were sold at Bloomingdale`s and were marketed with rugs, curtains, lamps and accessories all designed by Russel Wright. This was 1934 and marked the first offering of coordinated mass produced home furnishings ever created by 1 designer. In 1935 Russel Wright contracted with Conant Ball Company to produce American Modern. A solid maple line of furniture, it was an instant hit. It was offered in 2 finishes, a natural unstained finish Russel and Mary dubbed blonde and a reddish stained maple. This line was the first solid maple, blonde finished furniture of modern design ever to be produced. In 1949 a later line called Modernmates/American Modern was produced offering eight various birch finishes designed by Russel Wright
A vice president of Macy`s said in 1938, that this line was the most successful ever carried by Macy`s, whether traditional or modern. "

Is your piece maple or birch? Check out http://www.1stdibs.com to sell it.

Does it have a marking similar to this somewhere on it?

They want $1,500 for just this dresser alone.

These are priced astronomical:

dilly dally is a new search queen :) Good idea to research it before selling it!

Word on 1stdibs, though: I find that comparatively, their prices are astronomical on most things. I can find many items there for much less money elsewhere on the net. I'd try to find it on eBay or other auction-house type places as well before pricing it acc. to 1stdibs rates...dilly dally, what has your experience been on this point?

I have no experience on eBay or auctions. I recognized the furniture pieces above. I am a huge Russel Wright fan and also collect Russel Wright pieces - the dishes. LOL. Or at least I used to. When I started I did not know how popular they were. Same with Harkerware. I just loved them the first time I laid eyes on them. Years ago I would find them at Goodwill and SA all the time.

I you like Fiestaware you'll love Russel Wright. I actually started collecting the RW Melmac and now I find that others have been secretly collecting it too. Plastics. They are the 'antiques' of the future.

Russel Wright is much like Brook Stevens. As an industrial designer he designed for the everyday average American, for the home. He designed the Modern Age. He designed for both form and function.

Here is an excellent overview of his career and how he influenced lifestyle designers of home accessories and furniture today:

Here is a link that might be useful: Russel Wright Wiki

dilly, I love Russell Wright dishes! I've never collected them because between DH's Fiesta and my Red Wing Lotus we have plenty. Otoh, if I could find them at garage sale prices, I'd probably snap them up, anyway. ;-)

hh, I see. I like Russel Wright too, dd (do you mind if I shorten your name? Folks here shorten me to "fly" -- and dd is so cool, like "due diligence", with which I'm sure you're acquainted, since you're such a thorough researcher :)).

I love all the modernists who designed for everyday folks. (kind of ties into the other thread, doesn't it...)

Fly, What other thread about Modernists? I don't recall one. Modernism is not usually a popular decorating style topic here like it is on other boards. Link?

DD is fine with me but it will confuse readers who think you mean DD as 'dear daughter'. This just recently happened in another thread here. DD on this board always means 'dear daughter' and then there is DS and DH used too. I have no idea what you mean by "hh" though?

Anyway, as I said before I an neither a buyer nor seller of art and antiques. What I know about collectibles is what I have learned from reading for enjoyment not running an eBay business.

Liz_h, I don't find any RW at garage sale prices anymore and haven't for a long time. The prices on them now are of the "OMG you can't be serious!" kind. My started collection has come to a halt unless I discover more garage sale finds but eBay auctions have made discoveries like that impossible these days. Even SA now puts dishes like that behind a glass display case with high prices. Somebody tipped them off to all the Jadite and Harkerware they were selling for nickles and dimes.

Gorgeous furniture. Where did you say you were???

Ach, I bet I know what I did -- I was thinking dd but I typed hh because I saw liz h. I tend to do that, I'll substitute a word that is completely not related to what I'm saying if my brain wanders over in another direction before I've finished my sentence. mortifying...

Anyway, the thread I was referring to, somewhat solipsistically, was the thread about my recent thrift art finds, which evolved into talking about how social class determines the value of art/design...I find it funny that other modernist movements, say some of early Danish modern or various glass or ceramic companies esp. here in the US, which were designed to be accessible to everyday people rather than only to the rich, are now included in collections and have to go through "approved" channels, as it were. I see the point of Antiques Roadshow -- everyday people can have their items appraised with no regard to social class. Provenance still matters, but not in an obnoxious way.

Speaking of which, bethpen, where did you acquire your furniture? Was it in the rental house when you bought it? Or did you get it somewhere and just put it in there as rental house furniture? You're lucky no renter knew about it :)

Ah-ha! I found the thread. I had never clicked it on to read. It is the one that starts out "So my DD suggested that we go for a thrifting visit..." correct? (DD?) :)

Now I gotta go read those links in that thread.

I found another art thread too. You asked me to research a signature?!?! I do not have the art training that you do. I can't recognize a signature.

Yeah, dd, that's the one. Ha, I know: for daughter the usual abbreviation is DD -- I'll call you 'dd' so logically the difference will be obvious :) (Or maybe in honor of my brain flatulence I should call you hh so there will be absolutely no logic to it :))

dilly - I can only imagine the Russell Wright prices these days. They were high enough when I was accumulating my Lotus pattern. I used to look at the RW dishes on eBay just for fun.