Niles Chicago Jet Black Antique Doorknobs

Sometimes called porcelain doorknobs these are not porcelain at all.  They are made of pottery clay which is then fired with a black glaze.  The antique hardware catalogs refer to them as “Jet” knobs.   Because of the unique shaft these doorknobs will not fit standard mortise locks.  This line of hardware was made by the Chicago Hardware Company with the lock design patented by Milton & Sidney Niles in 1878 and 1880.  The design allows for doorknobs to be installed without a spindle and is now referred to as “Niles Chicago”.  There were minor changes to the design subsequent to the patents but what remains the same is that the locks, doorknobs and escutcheon plates are all constructed to work with this design only.  They cannot be interchanged with other hardware manufacturers’ products.

You can find escutcheons and mortise locks to go with these knobs by entering the keyword Niles in the Search box to your left.

The knobs are in excellent antique condition with some normal scuffs, scratches and flea bites to the glazed surface.  As you can see from the photo, there is nothing substantial.  A couple have some of the original gold/brown varnish on the shafts but it would be below the doorknob collar and not visible.
 
2-1/4” diameter