I read on an early post here:
https://designaddict.com/community/main-forum/Unmarked-Hans-Wegner-CH258236/#post-20230
About an un-marked CH25, No label, hot stamp or numbers under the arm, as one might expect with a genuine piece.
However in the above post Sorenson apparently replied to an enquiry about this and it was said that some items did leave the factory without those specific markings, however it was also mentioned that these chairs were often marked somewhere on the body of the chair.
I have such a chair which is numbered 22 under the front stretcher, does anyone have any information on this numbering, what it signifies and is it an early ID mark, or, as again, in the above post, the suggestion that it is a carpenters mark.... does anyone have any definitive information on this - it's been almost 10 years since that old post, I wonder if anything more has come to light on this?
SO after a bit of research - rather than being lazy and waiting for an answer and by contecting the London and Odense, Denmark offices of Carl Hansen I got the following information.
1. All chairs for export to the US were branded from 1951 with the 'hot' impression mark of Carl Hansen, Odense and another of Designer Hans Wegner. This was apparently at the insistance of US customs.
2. All chairs for the european and domestic markets remained unbranded ie no marks under the arms, but where marked by the carpenter normally behind or under the front stretcher or behind the back legs ( a carpenter number and a date number ie 6 5 would be carpenter 6 1955). All Wegner Chairs for the domestic market and european markets remained branded ONLY in this way until 1961, when all pieces where carpenter/date stamped/marked and at the same time Carl Hansen introduced the 'silver label'.
In conclusion all chairs of this type that are unbranded are effectively 1950s chairs.
Denmark concluded that my chair was very early and dated probably to 1952.
Patina like that doesn't happen overnight. I'd either do nothing more than enjoy it as is, go very lightly on it, or sell it to someone who will.
The chair is one of my all-time faves and looks just the way it should to me. Sweet find!
I think that's how it works, but your right and the original post that I referenced at the begining of the thread had the numbers 8/8 (so simple logic.
However, I have heard some say that 2/2 would be carpenter 22, but really, 22 carpenters at Carl Hansen in the 50s, possible, maybe, but apply that logic to 8/8 - 88 carpenters, I dont think so. Also the numbers are distinctly separate - they are opposite to each other and at 180°. That implies, at least to me, that they are distinctly referencing different information.
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