Not Kitchenware: There's Another Antique Thrift Store Find Worth Hunting For

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From Le Creuset Dutch ovens to Corningware, there's no shortage of valuable kitchenware you could hunt down at a thrift store. However, these are far from the only valuable items you could hope to track down among the shelves and aisles of your local thrift shops. In particular, a barrister bookcase is a notable antique thrift store find that could end up being worth a lot more than you think.

Named after the English high-court lawyers who used to travel with their legal books, barrister bookcases are designed to look as though they are composed of individual solid wood storage shelves with a glass-fronted door. Early models used to be modular and even had side handles that allowed the barrister to transport their bookshelves to and from court. They eventually transformed into single furniture pieces, but the individual glass-door shelves remain, allowing for optimal organization and a clean, classically sophisticated look.

These bookcases have been around since the late 19th century and are still made by furniture companies to this day. A brand new barrister bookcase, like this Amish Sheffield Barrister, will retail for around $1,500. Prices aren't much cheaper in the online auction house world, where antique barrister bookcases can easily climb to prices upwards of $4,000. As such, nabbing one for a few hundred (or even less) in a thrift store could just be the find of a lifetime.

While it might cost less to build your own furniture piece (you can even DIY a stylish bookcase using wood pallets), picking up an antique barrister bookcase could be more practical than you might think. As a standalone piece, their size tends to be 4 or 5 shelves tall and only a few feet wide, so they're bookshelves that really work for small spaces. This is especially true if you find a modular one that can separate into individual shelves. These are great not only for storing books, but also for music, movies, and special display items.

In terms of identification, there are a few notable makers to keep an eye out for, including Globe-Wernicke, a late 19th-century American furniture maker who specialized in modular barristers. Cases made by Globe-Wernicke will have identifying stickers with the company name printed on them, along with the pattern design and lumber grade. Many barrister bookcases are made from high-quality solid woods like oak and mahogany.

Another notable manufacturer is the Gunn Furniture Company, which was very popular in the 1920s. As such, some of their barrister bookcases will be built in the simpler Arts and Crafts style of the time, as opposed to the more ornate style of a Globe-Wernicke. A Gunn barrister bookcase will also have a triangular "GRM" label, which likely stands for Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the company was based.