Original Eames RAR rocker base?  

"I don't know a lot about...
"I don't know a lot about the Eames rocker base. I've looked in the forum for old threads, but I'm more confused than I was when I started."
He sounds like an expert on eBay.

Doesn't he, Krenit...
Quoted from the listing...
"For the uninitiated: the shell on this chair comes from the earliest plastics producer who made these revolutionary fiberglass shells for Charles and Ray Eames, a company named zenith plastics. The earliest models of these shells, produced for just a few years in the late 1940 and early 1950s, were formed around a rope, leaving a trace of the rope around the edge of the chair. In subsequent production, they perfected a molding technique without the rope, and these early models quickly disappeared. The rocker base base was only made commercially available in the earliest years, and was given as a gift to Herman Miller employees who had a baby through the 1980s: a perfect way to rock your newborn to sleep in style."
So there you have it. It's all there, for the uninitiated that is.

So, he came on this forum to...
So, he came on this forum to verify if his runners/base were original or not. Would it have been better for him to just list it as "all original" online without checking first? The guy didn't want to possibly mislead any buyers of the chair. I say thank you for coming, glad someone could help.
In case you hadn't noticed this forum is not what it used to be 10 years ago or so when I first arrived. It is now a forum to talk about mid-century furniture and Marks pants.

in my defense
Hi all,
I'm sorry that I have offended some people here or they are upset. I don't think I actually mislead anyone. I said quite early on in my posting that I buy mid century furniture, sometimes to keep, sometimes to sell. The admittedly high price on this chair means I probably won't find a buyer for a long time, and I'll have a chance to enjoy the chair for awhile. Even if I never get a buyer, that's ok. But if I do get a buyer, I can buy different pieces that I'm also excited about. Is this so horrible? Isn't that what most collectors do all the time? Trade up valuable pieces in their collections to acquire other pieces that they want? I thought that all sorts of people solicit advice on this forum ? dealers, hobbyists, enthusiasts, collectors, and amateurs. I appreciated all of the advice that I was given here, and didn't realize that I was prohibited from soliciting advice for a piece that I might sell.
As far as authenticity is concerned, I concluded that the base was original, based on comparing it to other vintage bases that had previously been sold (including a chair sold by Wright). But in the past, I have discovered pieces I acquired were not authentic and I never tried to list them as such. I try my hardest to make sure I am accurate in the descriptions of the items I sell. From my perspective, it's best to try and verify whether a piece is or isn't authentic, and I wouldn't want to sell something that isn't authentic. I have listed this as authentic and original because the weldings did not actually seem inconsistent with other bases of this vintage (and I posted several links to other similar examples). A repair also seems inconsistent with the overall good quality of the chair. And why would there be a repair done in the exact same way on all four tabs? Wouldn't a repair be necessary only if one tab broke? But, I have now updated the listing on eBay to voice possible red flags over the black screws as well as the weldings. I sincerely appreciate other people's help here. I too have posted helpful comments to contribute to the forum, such as questions about the Eames lounge chair with which I'm much more familiar. If what I am doing isn't Kosher, I will gladly stop. I figured other people here would also be excited about seeing a cool chair that I found, and could help me determine what about it was original or authentic.

thanks joshlamiel
I don't believe you were trying to deceive anybody.
For me personally, I liked seeing what you found, and I did learn something along the way. (And like I said, I had a pretty good idea that you were going to post the chair on ebay, as you had with other chairs)
But even if the pieces are interesting to look at, I think its still a bit painful for some of us to see certain aspects of these ID requests repeat themselves with a predictable evolution.
The "learning curve" itself is on full display in your description, and not in the best way. To an experienced buyer, there are some aspects that make it clear that you are a novice with regards to these chairs. That can't give a knowledgeable buyer confidence, and it could also mislead a newbie collector. Its just a slippery slope in some ways
The old adage: "a little information can be worse than none" comes into play here. So its frustrating for us to see our carefully calibrated guesses get so quickly wrapped up.
When you post something on ebay, you have only two things-- pictures and words. At that price, it will probably only be considered by someone who knows what it is - and what it might not be.
I guess the thing comes down to a sense of overall integrity or something, or just that some have seen this a lot and are a bit fried from it. Who knows?
Don't forget that not everybody here has a problem with it, and at least one person above felt you were trying to do the right thing by asking for correct info before you posted.
(And I was only kidding about the 20% commission!)
Thanks for your above post.

Hi norm.
I like mens pants and Hummel figurines.
Best,
Aunt Mark

Mark, Norm
The Hummel Market is on fire!
Not to mention men's pants.
As MCM wanes, something has to fill the worldwide hunger for good design.

Mark,We have one thing in...
Mark,
We have one thing in common then...and I'm a blue jean kind of guy if it helps narrow it down:)
Norm.
To the OP...i AM glad that you made the attempt to verify if they were original or knockoff runners.
Regardless, it would be nice if more sellers took the time like you did:)
As far as my comment regarding the site, it really has changed since I first came sniffing around here. I blame LRF:)

I picked up a pair of original rockers locally this weekend from the family of the original owner. So am I correct that the one base is a 1st gen with rounded edges? The 2nd was obviously repaired with what appears to be later mounts.

Hi Clayboard,
Yes at least the base on the left is an early first generation rocker base with double rounded tabs.
It is not uncommon, however, to find pairs of early rockers with only one having double rounded tabs, and the other having the later (squared off on one end) tab design.
This obviously happened because bases were added to shells at various times, and could have been older left over stock or whatever.
It is my understanding that the red rope shells were the last of the original 6 colors to be introduced, but I have seen the first generation double-rounded tabs on red rope shells before.
So repaired or not, I am guessing that the second repaired base probably still has the original tabs.
Hope this helps.

thanks eameshead...def helpful.