J.B. Mersman Table

Q: I have a table that was passed on to me by an aunt. It is 27 inches high and has three tiers, a round one in the center and two lower ones on either side. The table has four legs, flared, under a harp pedestal. There is a mark stamped on the bottom, a triangle within a triangle and the name Mersman. Can you tell me how old this table is and what it is worth?

A: J.B. Mersman owned sawmills in northeastern Indiana, moved to northwest Ohio in 1876, and began to make tables. By 1900 he had opened a factory in Celina, Ohio, and was making dining and library tables and beds. Mersman turned the company over to two of his sons and by 1927, after a series of name changes, the company was known as Mersman Brothers Corp. with warehouses in about eight major cities. The company specialized in medium-quality occasional tables—they made millions—and radio cabinets. Mersman Bros. was bought by Congoleum in 1963, sold to a private investment group in 1977, and stopped production completely in 1995. Your table was made in the 1940s and is worth $100 to $200.