Antique Acquisition: A Salesman Sample

In case you are new here, I have an antique booth in the sweetest little local antique mall, Kelly and Company Antiques. I have been there for about 5 years and I truly enjoy being a part of this store. Last night, the store hosted a little Sip N’ Shop. It was a great evening – filled with friends and shopping. Little did I know that I would find the cutest little salesman sample.

I was busy chatting for most of the evening but as we were wrapping up the ‘party’ I decided to make my way through the shop. I wanted to do a little browsing and I was excited to see what was up for grabs! Like so many of you, I love strolling antique malls – from the beautiful displays to the killer pieces – I just love taking it all in.

As I was strolling the booths, I ran into the cutest little set of drawers. If you know me then you know that I love ‘minis’ and I love ‘drawers.’ This piece was both – the tag said ‘salesman sample chest of drawers’ and the price was RIGHT! I scooped this piece up fast and immediately began dreaming of how I would display it!

History of Salesman Sample

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Simply put, a salesman sample is a smaller version of a specific product. Long ago, salesmen would used these scaled-down replicas to demonstrate the use and need of products to potential buyers. These small pieces were used to help capture sales. According to the Journalofantiques.com, “salesman samples were made to 1:6 scale or 1:8 scale when compared to the actual product.”

Often times, salesman samples are confused for doll furniture. While it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference, most salesman samples are full functioning and well made. In addition, doll furniture was typically made a bit smaller than a salesman sample and doll furniture isn’t always well made. The samples were almost always made with the same materials and quality (if not more so) than the actual pieces. The salesmen really wanted to capture sales and these samples were made to do just that!

Sitting Pretty

I began by simply dusting off the little chest of drawers with a clean rag and a little furniture polish. Next, I work on styling it – that was the fun part! I decided to add a few of my favorite ‘mini’ pieces such as these little escargot pots (you can read more about those here) and a few of my favorite small antique books. Next, I layered in some chipped and cracked ironstone and stoneware and then topped it off with some feathers and dried grass. I am in love! Oh – and that tiny small ‘broom’ is the icing on the cake!

Still Some Work To Do

I do need to spend a little time working on a few of the imperfections that this beauty has. No, I am NOT talking about the broken knob. I rather like the little imperfect touch – it shows that it has been around for a while. I am talking about the scratches and dings. Don’t worry, I will share the process with ya when I get around to it.

True Love

I am in love with this new miniature piece. He is so cute and is the perfect “tiny drawer” addition. I can not wait to play around with him some more – the possibilities are truly endless. I think I will now be on the hunt for a few more salesman samples!