This seed chest was made about 1870 out of inexpensive wood for a practical purpose. Now it can command a higher price than some designer pieces.
Famous names add to the value of an antique, even if we know more about the maker’s work than about the maker. Few names of antique folk artists and country crafters are known today, and even less is known about the people behind them.
John Boyer, who made seed chests in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the mid- to late 19th century, is one of these crafters.
