The environmentalist movement popularized the saying “Reduce, reuse, recycle” in the 1970s, but the sentiment goes back much farther than that. Historically, people avoided buying new items to save money, or simply because said new items were not as readily available to purchase as they are today. Reusing and recycling materials was done out of necessity, too, but the effect of saving resources remains the same. Rug making is one of the best examples.

Throughout the 19th century, American families had many ways of transforming fabric scraps into useful rugs. The earliest were tongue rugs, consisting of overlapping tongue-shaped scraps that completely covered a background. Button rugs, made from circles of fabric, let the background show. Penny rugs were also made from small, flat fabric circles, but, like tongue rugs, they completely cover the backing fabric.

Despite their name, penny rugs were rarely used as floor coverings; they were more likely to decorate a table, bed or mantel. Fabric scraps could also be made into pictorial hooked rugs, pulled through the backing with a hooked tool, or into braided or crocheted rugs. Rugs like these are still made by hobbyists today, and antique examples sell as folk art. This hand-sewn penny rug, probably made to be used on a table, sold for $125 at Hyde Park Country Auctions.

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Q: I am looking for assistance in appraising a rare antique 25-inch Handel table lamp. We also have several additional antique lamps and stained glass.

A: Handel lamps, made from about 1885 to 1933, are prized for decorative glass shades. They were made in several styles, including leaded glass reminiscent of Tiffany lamps, but their reverse-painted designs are the most distinctive. Handel lamps typically sell for high prices, usually more than $500. Some sell for several thousand dollars. The shade’s size, shape, design, and base material can affect the value.

Because Handel lamps are often very valuable, we recommend contacting a national auction house specializing in decorative arts. They can provide free appraisals or advice. They may also be able to provide information about your additional lamps and glass. If you get an appraisal from an auction house, you are not obligated to sell with them.

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Q: I have an odd table with a round top on a stand with three splayed legs. Under the tabletop, there are carved panels with diamonds and crosses. The legs have ridges on them. It is dark wood. I have asked a lot of people, and no one has any idea what it is. We thought that with the crosses on the side, maybe my grandmother got it from the church. Can you give me advice on how to identify it?

A: Your table is interesting; it sounds like it combines multiple styles associated with different time periods. Because of this, it was probably made in the early to mid-20th century, when there were many furniture revivals, and makers sometimes mixed furniture periods. Tables shaped like yours, with a round top and pedestal base, are often called “drum tables.” They were first made in the early 1700s or 1800s and are associated with Regency and Empire styles.

Most early drum tables have drawers underneath the tabletop, and the tops often rotate. Drum tables with a decorated frieze (the vertical face just below the top, also called an apron), especially carved or molded decorations, were usually made later, often in the late 19th or early 20th century.

The decorations on your table sound characteristic of the gothic or Renaissance Revival styles. They were very ornate and frequently included motifs like crosses and spires. That made them popular choices for church furniture, so your grandmother might have gotten your table from a church. As is often the case with antique furniture, it will be difficult to prove without documented provenance or a label or a maker’s mark. Some furniture made for churches is marked as such, and some antique furniture makers were known to create pieces for local churches.

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TIP: Natural dyes were used in early rugs, but the chemical aniline dyes aren’t new. They were used as early as 1870.