I guess with the 100th birthday of Charles Eames about to reach a mile stone. I have noticed the demand for the original arm shell chairs going through the roof.
I know there are several companies out there that make the reproductions and we have discussed it in the forum before,
.Everyone that reads this forum knows that i am in the business of redoing vintage furniture.. so i don't even have to say the company name cause we don't need the plug or more business .
For about the last three months you would think these shells that people have been buying on ebay for a little nothing have doubled and tripeled in price. I am wondering if the ones who are buying these shells are doing it cause of the 100th anniversery of Eames birth.??? and someday they feel they will become so valuable (that would be nice) or i guess the the last original batchs that were made by Herman Miller made in the mid 70s are all gone from the 1000's of Universities that had them in every class or common ,( that is where the bulk of them came from) have been so at the schools Public auctions . I get at least 10 emails a week from interested customers wanting t o have a shell redone or buy one out right. and the funniest is all the moms and Dads expecting a baby want them done in either pink or blue for there Baby room. with a rocker base. I wish i were rich enough to be like Hermnan Miller and give them one free.
I have also noticed on ebay the Japanesse are not buying the shells
like they were ( i guess once you corner the market what is it to leave a few shells for the rest of us)
Sadly
Sadly, I think the boom has come and gone. When the shells began to be picked up as part of the current modern trend they were easy to find: dumpsters, old school houses, renovated hospitals. But, like anything with a limited supply...
In addition to lots of shells going overseas to the west (Asia, Japan, etc) I know more than one person who buys up shells in America and ships them to Europe for resale.
In thinking about the past thread of Modernica and the new production Vitra chairs I've come to like the newer productions. I would like to see Vitra offer some more colors than the current ones.
the market I think
is cyclical on these things. For me, Eames armshells were like the gateway drug to collecting. It's like the first thing people get hooked on, and go crazy collecting them because of all the colors, variations, and relative accessibilty. Then they move on to bigger and more often than not, more expensive things, and forget about armshells for a while. Maybe sell off their stockpile of shells to other new collectors, to help finance the bigger purchases. Then later, after breaking the bank on Ponti and Prouve, I rediscovered them again. They are like comfort food: pleasing, familiar, nothing fancy, and I feel very "at home" sitting in one. So now, I want them again.
That's just my experience anyways. I wanted them, and started collecting them. Then I got too many of them and got bored with them. So I got rid of them, and forgot about them. Then I started to miss them. So now I want them again. Who knows, the Japanese market may be going through this very same cycle.
the_beloved
wow you and i are agreeing on every thing today. i am even agreeing with Lucifersum... That was the chair that got me hooked and I started buying a crazy amount on ebay . When i found out no one could recover themafter looking for a year. i suddenly found a guy who could .. and that is how i started one of the many business that i own. ( My Retro Redo is by far one of my most favorite business but far far far from my most profitable. (sad but true )
Thank goodness for my Family business
or i would not be able to have so much fun with what i love to do.
I think Lucifer is right the Asians
did try to corner the market and now there are so many good looking ones out there . but of all the calls that come this way h they all want the original ones.. cause most people want 1 or 2 accent chairs with some kind of cool
Girard designs on it, (makes them feel they are a a member of the team).
and as i tell them , they to will get addicted !!!! . so watch out. It is just starting and a $300 shell chair is a mild fix as The big stuff is a coming ( all of us design addicts know that to be a true statement.
I also try to offer the Modernica fiberglass shells for large
contracts Like Architects offices and law firms cause it it hard to get 10 or 12 with the same color base.
No problem recovering them it is just so hard to find multiples of any color.
So next time you see a poor old tired worn out Arm shell in a dumpster or on the curb . Pick it up take it home and give it some Love
cause that is the one that more than
likely started it all for us design addicts.
any ideas
I received 15 arm shell chairs for a project today and the first time after many years looking and buying them this batch was different , The had the wire in the back and there was no crimp cord. the chair was not foamed like the 1000s that i have had i just hadto cut the back and the cover came right off It was such a shame the shell had deteriorted on the inside from tape they had ues and it was faded
any body have any idea when these shells were made by herman miller? i think early 60's but why would they be so different .
The weak US dollar
is probably a huge contributing factor to these shells doubling or tripling in value on eBay.
When I left Canada 4 years ago, the Canadian Dollar was only worth 60 US cents. I was quite surprised to learn that today the Canadian Dollar is almost equal to the US Dollar (at 94 cents), and is projected to reach parity in a few months. That's a huge difference, and those eBay armshells are always sold in USD.
I can only assume the Euro is strong too, yes?
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