whoa...nothing is getting to...
whoa...nothing is getting to my head, I'm just sharing what I was told. I have already been offered 3x the amount you have estimated but I still want to keep it! Mostly because it has grown on me even in it's condition and I feel I may never be lucky enough to stumble on one again.
I still can't believe I almost sold it, it was listed for one hour in which I received 5 offers and I'm still answering emails interested in the chair.
I am new to this forum and had I known what I know now I would have never listed it. This is such a great site to share and learn information, so that is all I want ...
and your opinion and insight is always welcome!
also...my chair doesn't have holes drilled in the bottom but it does have the nails from the original labels, 4 for one large label and 3 for a smaller label.
I have to agree
I'd sell if you have a genuine offer of $3000.
It's a rare chair, and you may in fact never find another. But they are out there. And often in better condition than yours.
The most accurate valuation I can think of would be the recent Eames auction at Wright. They had three examples of this form. One was in good condition and sold for $5625 below the estimate of 7000-9000. The second has issues with the hide (not anywhere near as bad as yours) and failed to sell (I suspect that the reserve was too high). The last chair had been restored. The hide had been replaced and they did a good job, though it was just hairy hide not slunk skin (though the description says slunk skin).. You can't get that these days... and frankly why would you want to? The restored chair brought $1875. Below the estimate of 2000-3000.
You need to consider two things when looking at these results. These were sold to serious collectors though a reputable high-end auction house. You likely will not get the same buyers or results. Second, these prices reflect the 25% premium charged the buyer ON TOP of the hammer price. The consigner is also charged a 15% comision so if you sold it though an auction you will net considerably less than what the buyer pays. Same with eBay. If you sell it on eBay, after their fees, and the Paypal fees, you will have lost about 15%.
Bottom line. If you really have a buyer at 3K... sell it. Quick.
http://www.wright20.com/auctions/view_search/JKMK/JKML/617/LA/lcw/JX8M
I have had offers from $500 -...
I have had offers from $500 - $2400 from someone in Texas, But I no longer want to sell it, like I've said I have grown attached and want to keep it in my collection, do any of you collect...it's not all about making money. I do like to sell stuff I come across and rotate things out of my collection for fun because it's exciting to see people interested in the things you have found, but I always keep the things I love and I have really fallen for this chair. For me the excitement in collecting is in the hunt, I only paid $25.00 for it, I know it is in bad condition...but that's still exciting and to think that this stuff is still out there to be found!!! I have purchased items for retail but it isn't as gratifying as when you discover and rescue a hidden treasure, I have all kinds of stuff that have great stories attached to them like this chair and that's the best part of collecting for me as well as hearing about other peoples finds. Don't think I'm crazy for passing on any offers, I just want to keep it...does anyone understand that?
I did hear from Herman Miller and I will post their response for everyone who might have a similar item and find the advice useful or just plain curious.
I think for now I will keep the chair "as is" but I will look into what a conservator might suggest.
Thanks again for all your input, that's what's great about this forum...I'm going to start a new thread asking everyone to share their most exciting find...this one has become mine!
This is the email response from Herman Miller
Good day.
Congratulations on your new acquisition, that's a beautiful slunk skin upholstered LCW.
As for its date, slunk skin was offered between 1948 and 1953.
From the pictures of the underside of your chair, you have a Herman Miller produced example of the LCW (11 screws, instead of 12), which probably means it was made between 1949 and 1953.
The wood is walnut, which was offered from 1948 to 1958, and again from 1962 to the present.
That your chair is an authentic, factory upholstered slunk skin chair is confirmed by the presence of the four nails, which once secured the "required by law" upholstery tag on the underside.
Now, you ask about "how to fix it," and for this, I'm going to give you a detailed answer.
First of all, the wood is in great shape, and you should avoid doing anything to the wood.
Your chair retains its beautiful walnut finish, and you should leave that as is.
As for the hide, I wonder if you would bravely take what I think of as a Japanese approach?
Please take a look at this article, on the Smithsonian website.
http://www.si.edu/opa/insideresearch/articles/V23_Golden_Seams.html
Japanese antique connoisseurs did not throw away broken cups or try to make them look new. They embraced the cracks and the patches, and made them part of their cup's aesthetic.
You can take a similar approach with your chair. You can go funky with this, as you would a pair of beloved jeans, to which you add patches, or you can go conservative, and leave the holes, but secure the loose parts.
Sure, the hide is cracked and is missing in parts.
But much of the original remains.
Perhaps, with professional conservation help, you can stabilize the remaining leather, and then continue to enjoy the chair.
If you remove what remains of the hide, you have a "new" chair, which has very little value in the antique and museum worlds, two worlds where early, authentic, ORIGINAL CONDITION Eames designs are prized.
Please let me know in which city you live? You may be near a museum which has a first class CONSERVATION department, and from there, you can get some expert conservation help.
If a museum had a leather covered antique, they would not replace the leather, they would CONSERVE it, and see what could be done, according to serious, scientific, museum conservation standards, to stabilize what remains of the original.
I look forward to hearing from you again. I hope I can direct you to a conservation specialist that can help conserve your chair.
All the best,
VINTAGE EAMES
http://www.si.edu/opa/insideresearch/articles/V23_Golden_Seams.html
Lisa E
You wrote, "do any of you collect...it's not all about making money"
Yes. I do collect. And I have a rather extensive collection. I have also sold just as much as I've kept. As I'm sure you know, you can't keep it all. I got into dealing because I was collecting and could never possibly have space for all the nice pieces I've found. I have been very fortunate and been able to enjoy things while changing and upgrading our collection. I do also have pieces that I would never part with. I'm not trying to sound pretentious or boastful, just trying to explain why your comment rubs me the wrong way.
My first response was to not try and restore the chair or replace the hide. That has been echoed by the Herman Miller employee who responded to your query. My second response was to sell it if you actually got an offer of $3000 (which you indicated in your reply to tynellbuyer). I said to sell it because I thought that offer was more than the chair was worth. Not because "it's all about the money". I laid out my reasoning for a value on the chair based on recent auction results and I feel that is a valid tool for measuring.
If you are attached to the chair for whatever reason, by all means, keep it. I would simply point out that you had already offered it for auction on eBay (and yanked the auction, something you are not supposed to to and is not fair to interested bidders, but that is another discussion). It was reasonable for us to assume that you are interested in selling it based on your past actions. If you'd have said "I got this chair from my aunt and I love it but it has condition issues. What do you think?" I doubt we'd have suggested selling your chair.
Please don't make assumptions or cast dispersions on us for suggesting selling your chair. You asked for our advice and then told us how people were begging to buy your chair. Our response was fair and reasonable..
Hey peg if you read this enti...
Hey peg if you read this entire thread you would know that initially she did decide to sell the chair but changed her mind, nothing wrong with that, I have sold many things that I later regretted and wish I kept. Her reasons for starting this thread WAS to ask advice on repair or not to repair! Not, to sell or not to sell!
I believe it is a sellers right to change their mind and pull a listing at any point.
I'm new to design addict but from what I have read most of you all sound jaded, jealous and pretentious. "I'm not boasting", "Take the Money", "yanked the auction", all so childish..
GOOD FOR YOU LISA, for realizing what you had and deciding to keep it, if i saw it on EBAY I would have bid on it to win!
Good Luck, and just ignore the ones who THINK, they know it all!!
Michael
You wrote, "ignore the ones who THINK, they know it all!!" and you suggest that my remarks were childish?
I did read the entire thread. Even the part where Lisa Ericson said "yes, i pulled it because we accepted an offer but then decided to keep it" Could you please explain how it's ethical to accept an offer (agree to sell something) then change your mind? When I give someone my word. I stand by it. I'm not sure that a person should be lauded for backing out of an agreement as you said, "GOOD FOR YOU LISA, for realizing what you had and deciding to keep it," As I said before, if Lisa had never expressed any interest in selling her chair, I'd never had suggested she do so.
I'm also pretty sure that it's a violation of eBay rules to end an auction prematurely. There are exceptions, of course but one reason they do not want you to do it is because people will list items, make contact with a buyer and then end the auction to sell it outside of eBay thereby depriving them of the final value fees (and I'm not here to defend eBay, just stating the rules and reasons as I understand them).
I'm sorry if you think I sound jaded (may be true to some extent) jealous (no, not really) and pretentious (I went out of my way to explain that was not my intent. I don't know how else I can try and communicate my true attitude. I know I'm not a very good writer, but I try). I think that if you spend time here on the Design Addict forum, you will find some very intelligent, insightful, interesting people who know a great deal (not all, but quite a bit) about design, but who can also be very strong-willed and opinionated. But the discussion is largely civil and thoughtful.
I was simply put off by the suggestion that I (or we) were only concerned with money or the dollar value of an object of design. I wanted to point out how I did not think that was fair or correct. I think if you read the forum more that there is a great deal of discussion of the merits of design objects outside of their monetary value.
*edited for my poor spelling
OMG.... when did this turn...
OMG.... when did this turn ugly?
Pegboard modern, I never intended to rub you or anyone the wrong way with that comment, I was just expressing my opinion, how it's not about the money for me, maybe I worded it wrong, but no offense intended, really. And I take no offense towards the snarky tone that I have been welcomed with at DA.
Cheers..
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