I just inherited 8 chairs from my grandmother. I am told she bought them in 1957-58 in northern California.
We are trying to figure out if they are Eames chairs. They do not have the logo, or a sticker. They have been in my family since 1958, and I think they were new at that time. We are interested in either restoring the legs or replacing them and want to make sure that we aren't destroying the value if we do anything to them. The only identifying marks are a silver/gray paint. It looks like the numbers are something like:
039 8434M 1 and a circle with two words and a 3 in the middle. I will post a picture of the one with the clearest stamp. Please let me know if you think these are Eames chairs, or anything you might know about these markings.
Thanks!
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Hi kela,
Rest assured that these are Eames chairs, and your dates are correct.
The silver paint looks like a remnant of a Zenith Prime or Summit Prime stamp (Summit Plastics Production) which is associated with the last generation of Zenith shells, and is also consistent with everything else you said. It is common for shells from 1955 to 59 to have no embossed markings or labels.
Other than the fact that the bases are original to the shells, the bases themselves are not of high value. They have the plastic glides that began and became standard in 1957. You might save them if you plan to get different bases. (Just in case you happen to become a "purist" at a later time, or end up selling them to one who is)
The shells look like they are in great condition, and it's cool that they have been in your family for their whole lives! The story is half the fun.
Hope this helps!
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