Early milo baughman recliner?? James inc.  

Got a response back from...
Got a response back from Thayer Coggin, It is an early Baughman.
Here is the email....
Thank you for your email and photos. This is a Milo Baughman design and was from the 1950's. James Inc. was started by Thayer Coggin and evolved into Thayer Coggin.
We produce a similar chair today. Yours looks to be in very good condition.
Kind Regards.
Carol
Thayer Coggin
230 South Road
High Point, NC 27265

I have been looking for an email to contact...
Thayer Coggin but could not find at there site...could you please hook a brother up!
thanks

I used...
I used thayercoggin@aol.com
They were very helpfull!

i just got in touch
with Carol myself....

I'm confused...what do they mean that James Inc was purchased by Thayer Coggin and evolved into Thayer Coggin.If the company was purchased by Thayer Coggin...that means Thayer Coggin was already in existence and James Company could not evolve into Thayer Coggin.
From what I can read, Thayer Coggin started James Company after the war. Therefore, James Company was already owned by Thayer Coggin. His association with Baughman started in 1951 after the High Point show.
Does anyone know what year these recliners went from beign branded James Company to Thayer Coggin?

Does anybody know if the were originally made with the upholstery as pictures? Mine has loose cushions, but I sorta like the look of a solid chair.

The earliest version did not have the line across the head rest area. I've seen a square version with loose cusions attributed to Thayer Coggin that actually isn't Thayer Coggin.

Hello Keewee - I hope you still check this forum.  I have the recliner that you described as the earliest version that did not have a line across the head rest area.  My recliner is off white with the black footrest.  It still has the label under the front of the seat.  The label indicates that it's "Made By James, Incorporate High Point, N.C."  There is no "Date of Delivery".  However, there is this printed on the label – "Reg. No. Pa. 3801 (N.C.)

My recliner needs reupholstering, the Walnut isn't in too bad of shape but needs work, and it needs a little work on the mechanism that extends the footrest.  Before doing anything to the recliner I was trying to obtain information on it. 

In your post you sounded as if you're familiar, on some level, with the history of this reclining chair, Milo Baughman, or James Inc. and Thayer Coggin.  Which I have become familiar with through my researching.

However, your post is the only information that I've been able to locate that speaks to the chair that doesn't have a seam in the headrest area.  Can you please be of any assistance in helping me locate history and value of this recliner?

Thanks, in advance.  - Donna

@dmjimerson Our friend @keewee seems to have left us six years ago. Maybe he gets a notification now. But that's about all you can hope for. 

@dmjimerson Without pictures here to go off of it is difficult to tell exactly what recliner you are talking about.    The James Inc/Thayer Coggin thing is quite a bit more dicey  than how TC generally tells it.  James was first, no doubt, James focused on selling to a lower end clientele and mostly only sold lounge seating.  The association with Milo started in 1954, and shortly after that the Thayer Coggin brand was started because Milo thought it sounded more exotic (according to Thayer talking about it later).  Supposedly TC focused on a little higher end clients than the department stores James sold to, however you will find many many examples, especially on the recliners that bare dual labels of James and TC. The waters are further muddied here because in the 70's TC revived the James brand and it appears only recliners were sold as "james inc" during this time.   

The early recliners from TC were either Trio Loungers (3 positions) or Octo Loungers (8 positions), or "rock-a-lounge" (Rocked).  I have seen hundreds of these recliners and I don't think I could tell you a reliable way to determine age from the headrest, there were many, many version of recliners made by TC over many many years with most of them made at various points in the company history.  Tags are honestly the easiest way to get a sense of age on these IMHO.