by Fred Taylor

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

Part 1

The construction techniques and materials used by Mersman during the 20's, 30's and 40's were typical of the period, especially in its "popular" (low end) and medium grade tables.

The solid stock used for legs was primarily gum, the most frequently used wood in furniture production in America in 1928. Gum was readily available, reasonably priced and easily disguised as almost any other wood. Ordinarily subject to extreme warping and twisting during curing, gum had gained prominence only after new kiln drying techniques were developed early in the century.

The elaborately inlaid or veneered tops were all made of lumber core plywood, the furniture construction standard of the day. It consisted of five layers of wood, cross-banded to prevent warping. The most common woods for veneers and trim used by Mersman in the 20's and 30's were, in the company's words, "brown mahogany, plain burl, rotary cut and butt jointed walnut, rosewood, blistered maple, birds-eye maple, zebra veneers, ebony, redwood burls, satinwood and Russian oak."

To its everlasting credit Mersman not only produced the furniture, it worked with the retail merchants to develop a marketing and advertising plan for specific markets. It provided, free of charge, camera-ready art for newspaper advertisements. It also developed what it called "The Mersman Idea Book", a loose leaf compendium of marketing ideas and strategies as well as helpful hints on accounting practices and inventory control. The book was updated with regular additions and was free of charge to any retail furniture establishment who sold Mersman products. It included not only ideas from the Company but also examples of what techniques had worked for other merchants in different areas of the country.

During World War II, Mersman, like most of the rest of the country, was involved in wartime production making benches, tables and desks for the military and plywood for the Lend/Lease program. After the War it concentrated even more directly on living room tables, letting the rest of the line fade.

Mersman Brothers was acquired in 1963 by Congoleum. Then it was sold it to a private investment group in 1977 which operated the company under the name initially used by J. B. Mersman - Mersman Tables. At its height the company had 700,000 square feet of manufacturing space and employed over 750 people in Celina and in Eupora, MS. The company ceased production in 1995.

Examples of Mersman products can be found almost anywhere. In spite of their excellent construction and sometimes innovative styling, Mersman tables today have little collector's value due to their overwhelming availability.

Visit Fred's website at www.furnituredetective.com.  His book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is available for $18.95 plus $3.00 S&H (U.S.). Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor's DVD "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE", $17.00 + $3.00 S&H (U.S.) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of "COMMON SENSE ANTIQUES by Fred Taylor" ($25.00 + $3.00 S&H (U.S.) are also available at the same address. For more information call (800)387-6377, fax (352)563-2916, or e-mail info@furnituredetective.com.