Found my shop chair... $100 up in Ogden, UT. Person thought it was from 40s or 50s, but patent plate on back looks like 1923!

Koken was a German immigrant and who started designing these in late 1800s and the company ran until the 1950s. He designed the first reclining barber chair and the first hydraulic barber chair.

Year: Patented Aug 7, 1923

Rarity: Seems to be very hard to find. I’ve only found one exactly like mine with all the same features. So far I can find almost nothing about this particular chair on the vast internet. Koken was the biggest name in barber chairs, so the brand is very popular and there are many many vintage Koken barber chairs online. So, since I couldn’t find much about this style, I’ve scoured the internet and gleaned the following. If anyone knows more or anything else, please let me know. Thanks!

Distinctive features of mine:

  • Koken “Aujusto” footrest

  • Tin, enameled sides

  • Cast iron porcelain covered swivel base with casters

  • Wooden chair with “finial” type ends where chair legs used to extend.

  • Scoop back/neck area

  • Flat, thin armrests with porcelain hand rests

  • Wood (white oak)

  • Headrest, pleated leather.

  • Molded/shaped leg rest to cradle each calf.

  • Non-hydraulic.

My post about it in FB Groups bookmarked here to follow up later in case new info is added by anyone.

Research of other Koken barber chairs with similar features to mine above:

Different features than mine:

  • Four-legged chair or chair base.

    • I believe the full four legs, with casters on bottom of each, was the model prior to mine, and then they upgraded to the cast iron porcelain covered swivel base with casters while keeping the rest of the chair the same and just shortening what were once the legs to the finished “finial” type ends on mine.

Year: ???

  • Four chair legs

  • No Koken branded cast iron foot rest.

  • Unique wash basin option

  • Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/230241091138334/permalink/513724052790035/

Year: ???

  • Four chair legs

  • Aujusto footrest

Year: ???

  • Four chair legs

  • Aujusto footrest

  • Pleated leather headrest

  • Same patent plate on seat cushion as on mine (on this chair the seat cushion is turned around).

Source: https://pixels.com/featured/vintage-koken-barber-chair-saija-lehtonen.html

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Year: 1923 THIS IS THE ONLY ONE I’VE FOUND EXACTLY LIKE MINE!

Year: 1923

  • Hydraulic lift base

Year: ???

Year: 1917 & 1924 Koken Catalogs

Year: Patented Aug 7, 1923 (Filed Oct 11, 1922)

Year: Patented April 21, 1925

I haven’t been able to find the exact patent for mine, yet (with the tin sides). But these are close.

Year: Patented Dec 1, 1925