Hans Wegner CH23 Chair. What To Look For?  

@davidhunternyc The cross joint at the backrest is a good indicator. It is quite complicated to make, so usually copies come without it. Since, as you said, the CH23 is a factory made chair - as opposed to the Cowhorn - the prices have always been lower. So it would have been quite difficult for a knock off producer to get this detail right  and still cut enough time and effort to sell the chair cheaper and still make a good margin.

As for value: I dont think there is a version more valuable than others, but you can compare the prices they fetched at auctions. 

@herringbone

The cruciform inlays cover screws that join the backrest to the posts, so not technically parts of joinery. Otherwise, I agree!

@davidhunternyc

Hard to see in the photo but, if the cord weaving is accurate and refinishing is not overdone, chair looks pretty great to me.

@tktoo Oh, is that so? And: Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Rear view CH23 Chair: 

Hans Wegner Stamp: 

 @davidhunternyc What is the mistake you think you are going to make? This is a vintage Wegner CH23, refinished, revowen. The only remaining questions are: Do you like it? And do you want to pay the price? 

Thanks for the reply. All I want to know is if there is anything wrong with it? Based on my own uneducated eye, it looks like a superlative example but I'm not an expert. Also, is there also another specific time period or a specific wood that is more preferable to collectors than not? 

@davidhunternyc

Again, I must agree with @herringbone. If you are looking to acquire an example of this chair for personal use, age and wood varieties are completely subjective. If you like it then by all means buy it. I certainly would if the price seems fair.

@herringbone

Yes, 'tis so. I looked it up and CH&Sons even calls them "cruciform cover caps" or some such on their website. And thank you! We had a wonderful Christmas as I hope you did, too. I'm exhausted, ho-ho-oh!

@davidhunternyc You’re right, I should have asked more questions. Like, do you need chairs for your dining room situation? Or do you want to ad them to your collection of exclusive chairs? If you’re  after collectibles, I‘m not even sure they are the right chairs for you because as nice as they are, there have thousands and thousands been made over the last 70 years and they all look (and cost) pretty much the same. But you post this because you want nice chairs, I can tell you that I would prefer teak ones because they would fit perfectly in my kitchen. But I don’t know about your kitchen. Maybe it has more of an oak vibe to it? That is something you should ask for yourself.

I remember you being kinda obsessed about the Cowhorn a couple years ago. That‘s a different story collection wise. Handmade, different makers over the years, you know. But with CH23, just make up your mind whether you want them in your home or not. 

PS: Nothing wrong with it.

I have a few thoughts. The original Wegner design concept for the CH23 was a white oak frame with laminated teak backrest. Wegner, and others, designed a few pieces in the 50’s that used local white oak for framing, with more valuable exotic contrasting teak for feature components (e.g. backrests, seats, and table tops). In 1961, the CH23 was also offered in beech/teak and all oak, but not all teak. Beech was the cheaper option, but not by much. There was a factory option for teak stained beech, and the wood on the underside of the chair looks like it might have been restained. The factory would not have used exotic wood or stained wood for the hidden seat rails.

The chair you posted does not have an oak or beech frame, but does have a fairly early heat brand. So it is not a typical CH23 from the time. It could be teak, or some other tropical wood. Maybe the non-oak frame is what made the chair seem “off” to you.

I personally prefer the oak/teak version of the CH23, and an early production with original cording was my first Wegner purchase a long time ago. We still have that chair.

@herringbone, as tk mentioned, the cruciform is a veneer cap for the screws. In the above photo, you can see that the grain patterning and orientation of the oak cruciform is clearly different than the oak framing below. There are some nice videos out there that show how CHS makes similar details. A thin wood plug is glued over the recessed screw heads, but still projects above the backrest or seat. A small handheld router is then used to shave the plug smooth to the adjacent wood surface. Here are 2 videos: the CH23 one skips the routing step, which can be better seen in the CH28 one.

https://youtu.be/JrgW-AvpnzQ?si=NBaZcGJZDpffYjpO

https://youtu.be/304dlDhdcyE?si=3PfzT8qKHp-9EmPR

@cdsilva Thanks! I‘ll have a look! And happy new year!