The word hardware means several different things, including tools, machinery parts, components of a computer or spacecraft, and sports awards such as trophies and medals. To antique and collectible collectors, the term hardware means fittings or parts of houses, buildings, or structures made of metal. Collectors typically focus on specific types of hardware such as hinges and lock plates to fit architectural elements like doors, shutters, and windows. Such items made of other materials like wood are addressed in the architectural antiques category.

Early civilizations used doors to separate interior and exterior spaces in houses and other buildings. Tomb paintings in Egypt show evidence suggesting the use of doors going back to 2000 BC. Early doors were made from animal skin or paper. Over time, more permanent materials like wood, stone, and metal came into common use. Many doors were embellished with carvings, gilding, or veneers. Opening and closing these doors required some type of mechanism.

The earliest door hardware included doorknobs, latches, and pulls. Most early items were made from leather or wood, but as knowledge of metalworking spread, people began to use metal. By the bronze age, single latches and pulls were made of metal and were often embellished to show the owner’s faith, profession, or social status. Beyond the door and the pull, doors opened and closed using metal hinges. Other door hardware included bosses, doorbells, doorknockers, escutcheons, locks and locking mechanisms, mail slots, and thresholds.

Blacksmiths hand forged early metal hardware pieces, usually from iron. Metalsmiths also created handmade hardware from bronze. As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the middle of the 19th century, machines increasingly produced metal hardware. The use of brass increased, with machines stamping elaborate designs onto hardware that reflected the aesthetics of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. In the 20th century, hardware became more streamlined to reflect modern design trends.

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Rules of thumb for dating hardware on furniture also help date hardware. For example, most screws pre-dating the 19th century were handmade and show variations in the size and shape of the heads. As the 19th century progressed, screws were made partially and then entirely by machines, creating uniform threads and heads by the end of the century. Nails can also help date hardware. Iron nails created by blacksmiths before 1790 have a flat “rose head” created by applying force with a hammer. Machine-stamped nails are uniform in size and shape. By 1885, manufacturers had begun to produce nails from steel instead of iron.

The construction of keyhole plates can also help date items. As production techniques changed, handmade items displaying rough or asymmetrical undersides transformed to smooth machine-stamped metal pieces.

Collectors look for rare and unusual hardware as well as pieces that match the period and style of the buildings for which they are intended to be used. Popular items within this metal hardware category include doorknobs, doorknockers, escutcheons, hinges, locks, mailboxes, and related hardware. Pieces with historical associations or other unique features may command premium prices.

Find the Value of your Hardware. WorthPoint is the largest resource online for identifying, researching and valuing antiques. Explore over 425 Million “sold for” prices with item details and images.

Identify your Hardware Marks.

In the WorthPoint Library

Builders’ Hardware by Russell & Erwin Mfg. Co.   

Modern Hardware for Your Home Catalog No. A-33 by Richards-Wilcox Mfg. Co.

The Corbin Lock Set Hardware 1899 by P.& F. Corbin.

Books and Periodicals

Antique Hardware Price Guide by H. Weber Wilson.

Web Resources

Evolution and History of Door Hinges www.thomasnet.com.

Fasteners, Screws, and Hardware FAQs leolafasteners.com.

History Lesson of Hardware www.traditionalbuilding.com.

How to Date Antique Furniture Hardware antiques.lovetoknow.com.

The History of Hinges and Their Uses hingeoutlet.com.