The Fish That Got Away  

... and who donates 500 pounds of marble to the goodwill?
Even if you're not a fan of MCM, you'd have to recognize that a hunk of marble that large must have originally been a very pricey piece of furniture.

Its NYC. People here throw...
Its NYC. People here throw money away left and right. A part of me is glad it was sold....this way I don't have to deal with trying to move the damn thing. I've looked at some detailed pictures of this table-they match up perfectly

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. - Gore Vidal
Caco,
Your story of the Nelson bubble lamps reminds me of the Gore Vidal quote above.
She did what she thought was correct and the owner agreed.
Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong.

@Ark
SMH.

Last year I purchased a...
Last year I purchased a Willy Rizzo travertine dining table in the south of France. It was an auction and there was a set of 8 chairs around the table that were up as the preceding lot. The chairs were ugly as hell but you could see they were a quality item and unusual in a good way even though I would never live with them. I was going to have a punt on the chairs but I decided in the end to keep my money for the table (which I bought) The chairs sold for 800-900 and a few months later while looking at a catalogue I saw a set of 6 of them with an estimate of 5-7000 that went on to sell for 12000. While I have no regrets about not owning the chairs the cash windfall would have certainly helped.

x

Vintage Damage--
The desk sounds intriguing-- can you post a photo?

He shrugged it off,but I betcha
he's churning inside-wow-whatta score!!

This story only partially...
This story only partially applies to the thread topic: When I first was furnishing my home, I cam upon a pair of first-run Jacobsen Swan Chairs -- the ones with the bent wooden legs rather than the metal spindle. They weren't thrift-store cheap, but still a steal at $600 each. I did get one of them (triumph!!), but for some unaccountable reason, left the other behind (tragedy!!)

Similar brain malfunction
I had a similar experience with vintage Eames DTR folding tables.
Several years ago at the Herman Miller company store, I found a rack of about 10 of them in both the large and small sizes. I think they came out of the company's corporate retreat. They'd all been well used and most had veneer chips and broken leg clips. I picked out the only three perfect ones, and happily paid the $10 apiece asking price.
An hour later, I returned to my senses, but the remaining tables had not waited for me.

Frem Røjle
we are have been haunted a number of times by Frem Røjle dining sets in junk shops with a SOLD sticker on them! you just know that someone purchased it for £35 and is going to spend the next 2 years stubbing cigarettes out on it before skipping it in favour of an argos delight!!

Hate/Love
Why I both hate and love Craigslist. Needless to say, I didn't get this. I also didn't get a Florence Knoll marble topped credenza for $75... *sigh*

I'm skeptical
It's always some amazing, rare, valuable chair on craigslist for $50. Not $100, not $200 not $25, but $50. This time it's a Chieftain chair, last time it was a Papa Bear chair.
I don't much see the point, but I think someone is having fun pulling people's chains.

I suppose if you were curious...
I suppose if you were curious about how many other people there were in your area who were knowledgeable, and actively seeking the same stuff as you on Craigslist, listing a Papa Bear chair or Chieftain chair for $50 would probably give you a good idea, based on the responses you got.