Barry
I think you're a wee bit naive if you think that the Roadshow producers don't put people on the spot to teach a lesson.
Last week a nice gentleman paid $17,500 for a "Fiske" cod weathervane only to be told by one of the twins that it was a fake and that it was worth only $500 as a 'decorative' object.
A few weeks before a young man brought on a Tiffany candle screen that the appraiser felt had been tampered with. She challenged him to prove it's authenticity, and even after he had (with the caveat that parts had been artificially patinated) she said she still wouldn't handle it in her shop because there were 'too many questions' about the provenance.
I don't think they always intend to humiliate people, but they do certainly intent to keep people from getting wildly carried away with their estimates. As one participant said "When you asked me to be on camera I knew what I had was going to be really good, or really bad!"
I saw that weathervane on TV
and I don't think the appraser was being snotty, mean or anything other than honest. They probably warned the guy up front that there's some bad news ahead, because the guy who owned the weathervane was not too upset.
I don't have to worry since I know my chair is genuine, albiet repaired and reupholostered.
I agree really really old pi...
I agree really really old pieces should be preserved.
but we have recovered hundreds of old chairs like swans Eggs, wombs , lots of Eames chairs with Girard
fabric and rock hard foam. .Those chairs are a mess and barely worth what the customer paid for them. I would not want them in my house. I have never felt the value has diminished cause they have a fresh new look with a original frame. I guess that is what makes the world go round.
In some cases,
the original vintage fabric can be saved and the petrified foam can be replaced. I think it depends on the stitching of the fabric, condition, etc.
In the case of my Grasshopper chair and ottoman, the fabric was an off-white nude silk with vertical piping every 4 or 5 inches. It was not original, it was bland and (to my eyes) not what I wanted. The problem with the chair was a creaky softness on one side, which turned out to be a poor repair to the frame. My reupholsterer removed the fabric and batting, fixed the repair expertly and used the fabric I chose. The piping and buttons are exactly the same as a vintage original.
I have consistently seen vintage chairs without ottomans being offered on eBay and at Wright Now for about $3000.00 or more (and they usually are recovered). The ottoman is scarcer, so I would imagine that they will estimate its value at about $4000.00.
As I'm not going to sell it, I'm more interested in seeing it shown on TV so people can view its amazingly forward-thinking design and a real alternative to the Eames 670/671 lounge chair and ottoman, which has become something of a stereotype.
As you said
a few posts back, "On second thought, I should've picked a more vintage fabric, but it look quite nice." I think the opinion registered above, that mid-century collectible furniture should be seen with its original upholstery, has some merit. And I would have thought that a reupholstered classic ought to have been done with a period-correct fabric -- among other reasons, so that viewers could see what it looked like originally ?
That said, I wish you well, and look forward to seeing you and the Grasshopper on my screen, one of these days. Bon chance !
Well.....
I was one of the only 10 people who's furniture was professionally picked up for the Antiques Roadshow here in Minneapolis, today.
I got there at 7:15AM and was told that two of those 10 pieces of furniture would not be filmed for telecast and my Saarinen lounge chair and ottoman was one of them. I didn't really care that much; it was early and I was less interested in telling my 'story' to the cameras. I was more interested in seeing a Grasshopper chair and ottoman spotlighted on the show.
I was given a modest valuation - $2,500.00.
I also brought my Nicolas Vlavianos 1971 brutal sculpture ashtray in and the metals and sculpture table didn't know anything about the artist and they were noncommited about its value. No matter.
I enjoyed going, not having to wait in line and I was out of there by 10:22AM!
Interesting sidenote; The Keno bros are no longer associated with AR since they signed a deal for a new show called "Buried Treasure" on Fox.
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