Architectural antiques
Antique Door Hardware
Door hardware is where a lot of the character of an old door lives, and it is also where a lot of the frustration lives when a piece is incomplete. Knobs, backplates, locks, and hinges were made in enormous variety, and matching or completing a set is easier once you know how the parts are named and measured.
Rim locks and mortise locks
Two broad families cover most interior hardware. A rim lock mounts on the face of the door in a box and was common on earlier and simpler doors. A mortise lock sits inside a pocket cut into the edge of the door, which is why old doors carry that long rectangular mortise even when the lock is gone. Knowing which the door was built for tells you what will fit it now.
This page is one of several under the architectural antiques guide. If you are buying a door and its hardware together, read that overview and the doors page alongside this one.
Knobs, roses, and escutcheons
The visible set is usually a pair of knobs on a shared spindle, a rose or backplate behind each knob, and an escutcheon around the keyhole. Victorian and Eastlake hardware ran to cast, patterned bronze and brass with deep relief; later hardware is plainer and often stamped. Cast pieces have crisp, heavy detail and weight; stamped pieces are lighter and the pattern is shallow. Neither is wrong, but they belong to different doors and different prices.
Original finish matters. Old bronze and brass develop a patina that many collectors prize and that stripping destroys. Think hard before polishing a piece back to bare metal, because you cannot put age back on.
Measuring so parts actually fit
Three measurements decide whether hardware fits a door. Backset is the distance from the door edge to the center of the knob spindle, and it is the one people forget. Spindle size and shape decide whether a knob will seat. Door thickness decides whether a mortise lock and its spindle are the right length. Measure all three before buying a replacement knob or lock, because a beautiful set that does not fit the backset is decoration, not hardware.
Hinges have their own traps. Old hinges were sized and finished to match, and a mixed set of hinges reads as a repair. Count the screw holes and look at the leaf size when you are trying to complete a door.
Common questions
Should I polish antique brass hardware?
Usually not all the way to bare metal. The aged patina on old brass and bronze is part of the value to many buyers, and heavy polishing removes it permanently. Clean gently and stop before you strip the surface, unless a piece genuinely needs it.