English 1800s Georgian Period Carved Oak Table with Lift Top and Turned Base

An English Georgian period walnut table circa 1800 with rectangular top, beveled edges, single drawer, slender turned baluster legs on ball feet a...

An English carved oak side table from the 19th century, with lift top, serpentine front, slender fluted legs, weathered appearance and peg construction. Created in England during the 19th century, this small oak side table...

An English Georgian period oak mule chest from the early 19th century, with lift top, three drawers and brass hardware. Created in England during the Georgian period in the early yea...

This English oak table, circa 1800, is a fine example of Georgian-period craftsmanship, blending refined simplicity with a clever, space-saving design. Crafted in rich, time-worn oak...

An authentic English pub table from the 19th c., featuring a moulded round top of mahogany attached to an under-tier of cast iron with three cabriole legs showing cartouche cameo por...

Antique Victorian Eastlake parlor table, circa 1880s. Made from walnut with an oval white marble top. Base features a turned center sup...

Antique oakwood side table with beautifully carved details. Additional information: Country of manufacture: Belgium Period: 1800s Dimensions: 100 W x 65 D x 63 H cm Condition: Good ...

Beautifully time-worn, antique, Southern European, chestnut wood end or side table. This relatively small size antique table is a joy to look at and the history of this kind of table makes it very interesting as well. Pay tables or paying tables were initially used by tax collectors and later in time (in the latter part of the middle ages), when most cities started to have their own currency, came the need for 'money exchangers'. A lot of the first money exchangers in 'early Netherlands' came from the Italian region of Lombardy and their name for these paying tables was 'banco'. Yes, it is this where also the English word 'bank' originates from. Pretty soon these money exchangers, who mainly serviced businessmen and travelers, also started 'safekeeping' and lending money. These tables therefor are at the very root of banking and just like some banks in this day and age, some of these earliest 'bankers' did not keep enough cash in their tables to be able to pay out when clients needed their money. This sometimes would lead to a lynching whereby the table of that particular money lender would be broken into pieces. The Italian word for such a broken table...