Shelves & Bookcases - General

Bookcases in traditional styles can be a valuable accent piece. They are both useful and attractive. Vintage bookshelves produced in the late 19th to early 20th centuries are particularly valuable. An antique barrister bookcase for sale can range into the thousands.

The collectible Macey barrister bookcase and Heywood-Wakefield hutch are well- made with distinctive character. Macey bookcases often have a protective glass front to preserve books and documents, while Heywood-Wakefield hutches are typically made of rounded northern yellow birch. Pieces are often in good condition due to their sturdy construction.

Traditional antique bookcases, particularly those from sought-after manufacturers, continue to bring high prices at auction. Auctions for these pieces may range from the hundreds into the millions.

Quick Facts

A Hale Manufacturing Co. circa 1910 barrister bookcase sold for $1,320 at a Phillips auction in 2007
• A Globe-Wernicki oak five-stack barrister bookcase sold for $923 at a Skinner auction in 2015
• A 1965-1975 Connecticut cherrywood blockfront desk-and-bookcase sold for $1,082,500 at an auction by Sotheby’s in 2013