Vintage Koken Barber Chair Serial Number List _hot_ May 2026

Unlocking the History of Your Antique Koken Barber Chair If you’ve recently acquired an antique Koken chair, you’re holding a piece of history. Founded by Ernest Koken in St. Louis, Missouri, the Koken Barber’s Supply Company revolutionized the industry with the first hydraulic-lift chair in 1892. Determining the exact age of these "thrones" can be a challenge since many factory records were lost or scattered when the company was purchased by Takara Belmont in 1970.

Finding a comprehensive, sequential serial number list for vintage Koken barber chairs is famously difficult because many official factory records were lost after the company’s bankruptcy in the 1950s. However, historians and collectors use specific stamped ranges patent dates found on the chair to reconstruct its story JustAnswer How to Find Your Chair's ID Serial Number vs. Casting Code Serial Numbers 4 to 6 digits long (sometimes with a letter prefix like "A") and into the metal. Casting/Model Codes : Short alphanumeric codes (like ) that are molded in relief vintage koken barber chair serial number list

The Base Casting: Check the iron base or the frame near the hydraulic mechanism for stamped digits. Unlocking the History of Your Antique Koken Barber

175,001 – 225,000: c. 1946 – 1955 (Post-war production). 225,001+: c. 1956 – 1960s (Late-stage production). Key Identifying Features by Era Determining the exact age of these "thrones" can

Post-war production; more functional, less ornate chrome and leather. 225,001 and higher c. 1956 – 1960s

1,000 – 9,999: c. 1885 – 1888 (Introduction of swiveling features).

The Ultimate Guide to Vintage Koken Barber Chairs: Decoding Serial Numbers & Manufacturing Dates

If you have ever run your fingers along the cast iron base of a vintage Koken barber chair, you have touched a piece of American industrial history. For over a century, the Koken Manufacturing Company—officially known as the Koken Barber Supply Co. (St. Louis, Missouri)—was the undisputed king of the barber chair. Their chairs were the Rolls Royces of the trade: heavy, hydraulic, and built to last several lifetimes.