Historic hardware catalogs can be helpful for dating houses. This door knob and plate are in a building I worked on here in Maine. Eagle-eyed follower Paul Woodfin noticed that it matches the Byzantine pattern knob and plate illustrated in an 1899 catalog for the Norwalk Lock Company.
The building was built in 1900, consistent with the date of the hardware catalog. The Norwalk, CT company, founded in 1856, manufactured locks and keys along with doorknobs, and door hardware.
Historic hardware is a character-defining feature. The hardware used in a historic house always reflects the time in which it was created. In early houses it might be hand-forged iron, elaborate cast bronze or brass in Victorian houses, or polished aluminum in a Mid-Century Modern house. Whatever it is, it is probably repairable (unlike modern hardware) and should be preserved. There are antique hardware dealers and restorers, many of whom will do work by mail.
Hardware is covered in Chapter 17 of Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners. The 720 page award-winning and best-selling hardcover book is available in bookstores and from online retailers (currently 32% off on Amazon! http://ow.ly/Uumq50zRjJ5)
Signed copies available directly from the author on this site, click here: https://yourhistorichouse.com/shop/.
Your local bookstore can order copies from their W.W. Norton rep.
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