Antique table

**DEAN01** · 2nd December 2015, 01:17 AM

Not really a category for this--macro, perhaps? A friend brought me an antique table to repair, but before I could get to it they said they were moving and no longer wanted the table; it sat in my garage several years. Recently I decided to repair it and found the following trade mark embossed on one of the stretchers. It appears to be British patent number 3316/34. A quick Internet search shows this number deals with firearms and railroad signals. My wife and I found the logo interesting since we have worked with horses for the past 50 years. The logo is about 1.5 x 2 inches.

**John 2** · 2nd December 2015, 10:36 AM

This had me slightly intrigued Dean. There is still a furniture Co located in Sheffield trading under the HML logo but according to Co. records, it was only incorporated in 1998. However, it might have gone through several reincarnations. Also found thishttp://en.allexperts.com/q/Collectib...Made-table.htm link which might be of interest. Click on the "View Follow-ups" for a bit more info. There is quite a bit of what is known as "utility furniture" around in the UK. The term refers to a lower quality of furniture made during WWII or just after when raw material was in short supply. The irony is that by current standards, the quality is better than most mass produced furniture today.

**DEAN01** · 2nd December 2015, 03:20 PM

John,
Thank you for the link. The table shown in the link is a match for the one we have. I found the term "utility furniture" to be interesting. The legs are made of poplar and the top of oak. Our table was store in an open shed for several years and suffered rain damage, but will refinish well. I am refinishing the table for my granddaughter who will be interested in the table's background.
Dean

**Lizzzarus** · 1st July 2017, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by John 2

This had me slightly intrigued Dean. There is still a furniture Co located in Sheffield trading under the HML logo but according to Co. records, it was only incorporated in 1998. However, it might have gone through several reincarnations. Also found thishttp://en.allexperts.com/q/Collectib...Made-table.htm link which might be of interest. Click on the "View Follow-ups" for a bit more info. There is quite a bit of what is known as "utility furniture" around in the UK. The term refers to a lower quality of furniture made during WWII or just after when raw material was in short supply. The irony is that by current standards, the quality is better than most mass produced furniture today.

Hi John,

I found this thread after embarking on my own, similar hunt! I've recently acquired an antique table that my family bought at a second hand shop in 1984 in St. George, (Southern) Ontario, Canada. The seller described it at the time as a "Scottish Bake Table" but I'm not sure how accurate this was.
It has the same stamp on it as Dean's table did (I attached some images here), but the patent number is obscured, and is a fold out leaf style. When I went to check the link you provided that matched the table, the site had since shut down.
I was wondering if you remember/have any additional information and/or leads that you could provide for my follow up? Please let me know!

Cheers,
Liz

**John 2** · 2nd July 2017, 12:49 PM

Hi, I have had another poke around Google. Three things are apparent. There is still a furniture company Trading as H.M.L. but it specialises in office furniture. It claims to have been in existence for 25 years but there is no mention of a history before that. HML furniture like your table (nice and a very functional design BTW) is around. I found some pieces for sale on e Bay. Lastly, I thought that a good starting point might be the Patent no. I used Dean's no. and carried out a search on several sites without any luck but the one thing that became apparent was that none of the Patent listings that I found conformed to the format of that on the Table. I tried both the full no. and just the first four digits in case the /34 merely referred to the year the Patent was granted. But no luck I'm afraid. I think that I might missing something and an email to the UK Patents Office might get you a bit further. From their Web Site, they seem to be fairly approachable.