Rocking Chair

My questions about the rocking have shifted as I've been enlightened about the chair.  Although I still know little about this chair, I now have some sense of what it's perhaps about.

My question now has become one about the importance of the chair relative to its design, etc. and its possible "place in history" (as it were). Now, having seen and to an extent compared literally hundreds of rocking chairs, I've seen a few (but very, very few) other rocking chairs that seem unique in their own regard (though unlike my chair), so maybe unique itself doesn't matter all that much? But at what point does it become important to preserve such a piece?

Damaged