: Some later models (circa 1920s–1930s) featured a small metal tag riveted to the frame under the seat or on the back of the footrest.
Before you can date your chair, you must locate the stamped identifier. Koken typically placed these numbers in consistent locations:
While there is no single, publicly accessible master "serial number list" for vintage Koken barber chairs today—as many factory records from the original St. Louis-based Koken Barbers Supply Company were lost when it went out of business in the 1950s—serial numbers remain the most reliable way to estimate a chair's production era when used alongside stylistic cues. Collectors typically cross-reference these numbers with known patent years and historical sales records to date their pieces.
: This is the most common location. You may need to remove the seat cushion or flip the chair carefully to find a stamped number on the wood frame or the metal base plate.
: Many models have numbers molded directly into the cast iron of the base or near the hydraulic pump.
: Some later models (circa 1920s–1930s) featured a small metal tag riveted to the frame under the seat or on the back of the footrest.
Before you can date your chair, you must locate the stamped identifier. Koken typically placed these numbers in consistent locations: vintage koken barber chair serial number list
While there is no single, publicly accessible master "serial number list" for vintage Koken barber chairs today—as many factory records from the original St. Louis-based Koken Barbers Supply Company were lost when it went out of business in the 1950s—serial numbers remain the most reliable way to estimate a chair's production era when used alongside stylistic cues. Collectors typically cross-reference these numbers with known patent years and historical sales records to date their pieces. : Some later models (circa 1920s–1930s) featured a
: This is the most common location. You may need to remove the seat cushion or flip the chair carefully to find a stamped number on the wood frame or the metal base plate. Louis-based Koken Barbers Supply Company were lost when
: Many models have numbers molded directly into the cast iron of the base or near the hydraulic pump.