Russel Wright - Conant Ball "Young American Modern" Dining Chairs  

Frame: yes

Finish: maybe

Fabric: no

The chairs are original, there would be little reason to produce fakes, as they are just not worth that much (far less than what first Dibbs is asking).

I agree with everything tk says above, except I am quite sure the finish has been altered. The scratch on the back of the seat is darker than the rest of the finish, combined with the fact that these chairs are maple, means someone added something after the chair was scratched. It is probably just oil, but pretty hard to say without seeing the actual chairs. By the way, these chairs should not be oiled, it will not proved any benefit.

The big versions of two of the photos clearly show a tinted clear finish of some kind on the underside. I don't know what was on these chairs originally but given how this tinted finish didn't quite reach some tight spots in some joints and its uneven look in other areas, I'd guess it's not original. The scratch could have been touched up with any one of a number of products made for that kind of thing (which rarely live up to their hype!)

You can test the finish pretty easily and go from there if you want to refinish the chair. Nail polish remover (acetone) will dissolve lacquer within seconds. Rubbing alcohol will dissolve shellac almost as quickly. If neither of these two solvents do anything to the finish, then it's polyurethane or varnish, both of which require a chemical stripper for removal.

If you love the chair and want to keep it, it might be worth the time and effort needed to refinish. The fabric on the seat is easy to switch out.

Thank you, Tktoo, Zephyr, and Spanky!

I appreciate your time and your valuable input and advice!! I'm so happy I found this site.

I plan to sell the chairs for $10 each as I neither have the time to repair them nor the space to keep them.

Some context:

A neighbor was moving out, and I offered to help and saw that he had an amazing claw foot table and these two chairs, and he was planning to throw them out. I suggested to sell them instead, and he told me to keep the profits. I researched the table and found that it's worth more than $300 if repaired and polished and had 3 sleeves as it's extendable, but I ended up selling it for $80 as I needed it gone.

As for the chairs, I saw how well the frame is built and put together and figured I'd research and ask, so thank you again!

Cheers,

Mona