Long before Henry Ford perfected the assembly line for cars, American factories were mass-producing affordable “fancy” chairs, so named for their hand-stenciled decorations. Popular in the early 19th century, these chairs have a simple, sturdy form.

The best-known fancy chairs were made by Lambert Hitchcock in Connecticut from 1825 to 1852. Without a signature, however, it’s almost impossible to identify a Hitchcock chair, says Connecticut dealer Scott Silver. “Hundreds of manufacturers made a Hitchcock-type chair,” he says. To further complicate things, artists often worked at several different companies, taking their own stencil patterns with them. Says Silver, “There could be two factories making the same chair with the exact same decoration.”

One chair can run $100 to $850, depending on the amount of decoration and whether it’s part of a set. Be sure to consider seat condition when shopping, says dealer Jan Maggs. Fancy chairs usually have natural cattail rush seats (sometimes painted, sometimes not). The cost to redo a real rush seat that’s in poor shape can be $100 to $400.