I bought my first antique iron bed, or I should say acquired it, back in 1969. It was given to me by a farmer in the backwoods of Central Pennsylvania. I’ve been asked how I got into this business and recounted the story about how I came across it so many times, I posted the story in a previous blog. Here is the direct link to that specific blog:https://www.cathousebeds.com/the-origin-of-cathouse-antique-iron-beds/
I never thought forty odd years later, I’d still be beating the bushes, looking for that next great bed. But that’s still the case. As the years have gone by , the business has changed dramatically………..
When I first started, there was little value place on iron beds. Their contemporary “brass bed” was all the rage and was what everyone sought. How fancy a bed was, was a display of a family’s economic position in life. Brass beds had made such an impact on “society” and the market share they had, that when new fledgling manufacturers of iron beds first stated offering thir beds to the public, they made sue to add some touch of brass on their metal beds, to attract the otherwise “locked” brass bed market. Over the years, I’ve had beds that had nearly 50% of their interior design in brass.
As people became more and more familiar with the advantages of iron beds verses brass beds. The metal bed market grew far greater than the brass bed market had ever been. People realised the flexibility metal beds offered because they could be painted to match or blend with any decor. That “flexibility” is also what makes the popularity and collectibility of antique iron beds so great today. People today, tend to change their bedroom interior far more often than in the past. Being able to paint their bed to blend with or match their walls, tile , carpeting or hardwood flooring is far more easy and less costly than replacing a whole new bed frame. I have people come to me every week , that I’ve sold beds to in the past, that want me to refinish their beds in something different.
I had thought that the ever escalating price of iron beds would eventually slow their sales. It has been quite the contrary. As my inventory continues to shrink, without any possible hope of replenishing it at the rate that they are selling. As is the case with any antique collectible ……. as their availability dwindles , and their popularity grows….their prices will continue to escalate.
What you pay for an iron bed today, rest assured……….it will continue to go up and up.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
