@cdsilva-- Thank you for your constructive response. I do like some of the Lane pieces; others are really junk. Some of the styling calls to me, sorry if that offends some of the culture snobs. These particular pieces are quite sturdy and the lines are great. This site is the first where I've run across someone unwilling to help, but quite willing to judge and name-call. To call me a "pothead" is judging me by my screen name, when in fact, my last name is Stone, and my first initial R; Stone-R, get it? I don't drink or smoke anything, not even coffee; shocking, I know. I suppose retrolampguy got his sensitivities inflamed by assuming my drug use, and then my adding the word "Lane" put him over the top. He also decided that I was trying to make a backdoor sale...retrolampguy must need another shot of that bottle of tequila he posts about. Probably my mis-wording of the original help request was cumbersome; I apologize. I was not asking for someone to price my item, I needed info on the series name so that I could do further research into its value. Using the series number on the bottom did not bring up any hits at all. After looking at hundreds of images on Google, I've come to the conclusion that it is a Tuxedo line variant, the only difference being that the rosewood veneer inserts are not present. It's funny how some people look down on Lane furniture, when it does sell quite well. Check ebay or 1st Dibs for recent prices and see for yourself. Thanks for taking the time to respond instead of trying to troll...
The lady doth protest too much methinks! I couldn't give a crap what you do or don't drink, snort or ingest.
Anyway to continue to beat a dead horse: In your first post you state that you know the maker, the model name and the date of manufacturer.
That's pretty much all there is to know! Then there are 10 lines of BS before we come to the raison d etre of the post: "I need to determine what they are and the approximate value..."
So, enough with the faux outrage!
This post really turned out to be a great one! It has comments from all the usual suspects, cussing, humor, outrage, just a really good read.....
...and just because I hate Lane, doesn't mean I wont pick it up for the right price, restore it, and flip it to someone with really poor taste, so that I can put the profit into my PK-80 Day Bed savings fund!
Oh lord.
I heard a really naughty joke today. My pants were popular, and then I passed out.
Best,
Aunt Mark
ps I don't corner the market on morality, I just like good smoke, decent vodka. and Hollywood Squares. I've been to a rodeo. Be my friend.
plus I had something else to say,,,but I forgot.
retrolampguy--- how do you reconcile your statement 'I couldn't give a crap what you do or don't drink, snort or ingest.' with your previous post 'that's EXACTLY where the Texas pothead should post'? Also, you are mistaken, I do NOT know the Series name, just the Series NUMBER. My search of the internet came up dry, that's why I turned to DA, hoping someone with product knowledge could help me. Again, the Tuxedo line has the bowties, mine doesn't. Sorry if you felt the 10 lines of descriptive "BS" weren't helpful to you, but I'm guessing you'd be squawking if I'd not included enough info, too. Your obvious area of expertise is lamps, which I respect, so why comment on Lane furniture? Who appointed you guard dog of DA? It must be tough to be a bitter, lonely old man who only finds relevance in attacking others while perched behind his keyboard...Some may find your acerbic comments amusing, charming, even ("Honey, look at this! There goes retrolampguy again!"); I just find them...sad. By the way, I really liked the picture spanky posted of you...it explains a lot.FTW
Speaking of photos, here you go:
The way that Lane parodies visible joinery, like the inlaid veneer dovetail shapes in Acclaim, or the veneer butterfly joint shapes in Tuxedo is why I detest Lane. It is dishonest.
On the upside, which does not begin to make up for the downside, for me, Lane furniture is actually very solidly built. And I am sure that there is a small fortune to be made from finding and restoring Lane, provided that you can find it a pittance pricing.
I have only bought one piece of Lane furniture ever, which was an Acclaim coffee table bought to trade for a B
Lane's not so bad. It's a gateway drug to more hard core stuff.
Agreed! it's fine for what it is, and for many, that's enough. Not everyone can jump in at a higher level and not everyone even wants to. And Lane doesn't even scratch the surface of "really poor taste", but then I live in John Waters-land. I know from bad taste.
@leif ericson
Thanks for your comments.I thought much of Danish MCM design incorporated veneer work, am I wrong? Looking to get educated here. Anyways, if you can look past the veneer surface of these particular tables, the balance of the piece is solid wood. They are VERY sturdy; you could stand on them if you chose to do so.
Where you are wrong, is in how you interpreted Leif's comments, not your MCM designers use of veneer. The Danish did not do veneer dovetails, or other false 'representations' of real joinery, that is what Leif is talking about. Not the use of Veneer.
Also, just because "you could stand on them if you chose to do so", this does not necessarily equate to high quality, or even sturdiness over a period of time ..... and it definitely does not equate to quality of design. The reason most Lane pieces are not held in very high esteem, is because of the quality of design, not because of the quality of construction.
So if your primary goal in acquiring a piece of vintage furniture is its sturdiness, tank-like qualities, and ubiquitous representation of an era, then I think Lane is a great choice. If your desire is the acquisition of a small slice of creative beauty, then Lane is probably not the correct choice. It is obviously very subjective, and based on personal preference and bias. I would not worry about defending your fondness towards Lane, the people sharing your position, numerically speaking, far out number the dissenters.
What everyone is trying in their own ways to tell you, Stoner, is that no matter how unusual, anything made by Lane is still only just that - made by Lane. Not rare, not special, not high-value.
If you like them, though, that's awesome. We should foremost collect items that make us happy, but let's try not to kid ourselves.
Ten years ago I bought a pair of sturdy, solid walnut and leather vintage lounge chairs made by Gunlocke that are super comfortable, in great shape, and look fantastic in our TV room. A perfect fit, really. They'll easily outlast me, but, if I ever decide to part with them, I'll be happy if I double my investment by getting $20 apiece for them ...which is probably about what they are worth.
I know. I shouldn't brag. Sometimes I can't help it. :^)
Thanks to all (especially zephyr) for the encouragement and the generally gentle (attempt at) education. I suppose we can't be saved from our tastes, kind of like when parents tell a daughter to stay away from the Bad Boys. There's just no accounting for taste. What I wonder is how many DA members have discounted a piece that piqued their interest after finding out it was made by Lane or some other mass-producer? I think we all have soft spots for pieces that others can't believe we like, and as others have pointed out, we shouldn't have to defend those "leanings". I'm also wondering if there are any Lane lurkers who are afraid to come forward because they don't wish to be branded as lovers of low-end style? As for myself, I like some Lane designs, and have made money on them because they cost little, and it isn't hard to find someone who will buy them. Pieces can be purchased in the $5-$20 range, and eventually sold for ten times( or more) than the original price. This posting was an attempt to determine what Series name the numbers "949" represented, to help with future pricing, and I thought surely someone would know on DA. I still think so.Thanks again to all..
Once you know what the good stuff looks like, Lane and comparable manufacturers are pretty obvious. So no, I don't think there are a whole lot of people thinking "ooo, this is nice! oh wait, it's Lane, forget it."
There was a brief window a long time ago where I liked the big fake dovetail tables a lot. I think it lasted about a week. Luckily for me, MCM wasn't yet super hot here so I was able to get much nicer stuff for cheap. Like an 80" Svend Aage Larsen rosewood sideboard for $175. Sigh....those days are over!
Wes, you're up to 28 posts for a Lane ID thread that had no photos to begin with, and already provided the model number in the initial post. I'd consider that a success in and of itself.
I must admit, I still don't know what you're looking for. Whether your tables have an actual name attached to them, or is simply style #949, is not going to affect what someone is going to pay for them.
Good luck in your collecting.
In the development of any art form, the thing being born starts as a revolution against the excesses of the dying forms. It is a revolution that returns to the fundamentals and looks to create in a new direction. Then in the early development you see the new thing struggle to take shape, and eventually you find a point or points where it is in its prime, fully developed, and then it develops its own excesses and dies.
In this thread we are discussing a form of excess. Excess can develop through an over emphasis on the outward appearance of the thing, the "look," without an appreciation for the thing itself. In this case the "look" of Danish Modern was generalized as dark woods, with joinery as a focal point, and a relative simplicity of form, single curves and organic shapes. And this was Lane's business model. Acclaim, with its false 'dovetails', was the huge commercial success.
When you analyze a Lane Acclaim piece you realize it is a shadow of something else, and you can't get any depth of understanding until you turn and look at that other thing that is casting the shadow. This is why there is frequently not much to say about it. To talk about it is to talk about something else.
I apologize for being intimidating. Your words are just as valuable as mine. Perhaps more valuable in fact. Good questions are worth far more than good answers.
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