Original 1956 Eames Lounge Chair. Custom Order Wood?  

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You wouldn't get leather for $200. You could get bonded "leather"/polyurethane fabric for that though.
And isn't this chair just begging for "wet look" grooved red polyvinyl chloride?
+1 for conditioning, that's it-

Although...
"conditioning" is moisturizing via probably silicone and waxes, which are actually practically never desirable
this is probably not the right category for slimy surface treatments, it's not the stupid 10 year old leather "Chippendale Style" thing that you slather silicone all over
leif's mention of the concept of restoration vs. conservation is very sensible

Dear Joshlamiel, have you...
Dear Joshlamiel, have you made up your mind about selling this wonderful piece? Saying it's once in a life time is a stretch, but it certainly is a rare piece of beauty. If it was you, it'd be probably on my will.......

Hey Kin. . .
Yes, I've decided to try and sell it. I put a reasonably high price on it, which is basically the price I'm willing to part with it.
I also noticed I didn't respond to your earlier comment about no markings on the inside of the chair. There are two faint markings. The top panel seems to have "671" written on the inside in red crayon, or some other very faint type of marker. (I might be wrong about the number.) The seat panel has a different number written in it (14?) in the same marker. The back lower panel and the ottoman have no markings in them. I asked a Herman Miller rep about this, but so far no response.

Very interesting; if you...
Very interesting; if you never showed us the actual images of the whole chair, I probably would have guessed the panels didn't come from a matching set due to the different numbers. I have a 670/671 from the same period and the markings on all the panels match. I don't know if it's crayon or chalk though. Another interesting observation on my old chair (maybe on other old ones too) is that the shape of the seat panel where the shock mount is placed is narrower than the newer chairs; also, same thing about the "wing" part of the lower back panel.
Anyway, good luck with your sale!!!

Panels
Yes. The panels not have matching markings is curious, but the wood is so bizarre - and so clearly matched - that the lack of markings doesn't bother me. As far as I understand, they marked the inside of chairs for quality control, to make sure the chair was all constructed from the same veneer. Maybe that wasn't an issue with this chair, because the panels are so different looking, they didn't feel the need to make it all.

Replace the feet?
Hi all. I have another question about "restoration". On eBay, I've seen sellers offering replacement rubber glide on feet for the ottoman. Some are clearly marketed as reproductions/replace my parts, but some are listed as "original" or "new old". One seller claims he found the feet in a box in an old hardware store. Given that a few of the feet on my chair aren't in good shape, should I buy replacements? Any way to tell if they are actually originals? I would obviously keep the old ones, but I thought replacing them might spruce the chair up a bit.

The general answer to the que...
The general answer to the question is: it depends. If you end up selling it to a person who cares about having things look new, then replacing some hardware would make sense. But then why would such person buy a vintage piece such as yours if they have that in mind? On the other hand, if your buyer appreciates originality, then leave it as is as long as they're still functional.
As to the ebay products, if they say they're original, you should count them as original; or else, you'd be protected by their policy and be entitled to a refund.

leif and onno
Sorry, I've been away from this thread. I think EamesHead's comments on Dec 9, following yours, agree with my feeling. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I've been looking at this design for 60 + years -- anything can become stale in that stretch of time ? It does seem that this one chair stands for all the designs which both the "in" group and the "out"ers take for granted as a safe bet to demonstrate their loyalty to modernism. If so, that's a lot to bear for any object. Plus, most people seem to find it comfortable.
One of its charms is that, while being entirely logical in its structural design, and in its rethinking of a means to provide traditional lounge-chair comfort, it is a far more complex form than, for instance, the Barcelona chair or any of the "competing" MCM lounge chairs by other architects of the day. So, it can be read in several ways simultaneously -- a fact guaranteed to increase its appeal ?

I understand that moles are inevitably going to enter into a forum that is basically dedicated to the appreciation, acquisition and sale of products, but I am still baffled by how they can be so fucking bad at their jobs. Marketing takes more than keystrokes, dipshit.