O/T Old Furniture Value

John B. · Jan 5, 2015

I know this is way off topic but I trust YT
clients' opinions. My mom has these two old pieces
of furniture and I was curious of their value or if
there is a website to go to and look up such items?
When this wooden bench was at my Grandpa's house
yet I was little enough to crawl thru the arm
rests. It's been in the family a long time.

Thanks,
John

Billy NY · Jan 5, 2015

I'll bet that ornate piece, the bench, is worth something, tiger stripe oak, its a beautiful piece. I have an old mirror that I found in our old house, made of the same material, bevel glass mirror in it, really something the way that oak grain is.

John B. · Jan 5, 2015

I forgot to mention Billy that the seat flips up and there is storage below it.

SweetFeet · Jan 5, 2015

John B.,
You could take photos to some antique dealers and inquire about value - or auctioneers who specialize in selling antique furniture and get an appraisal.

Both are beautiful... but I would especially NEVER get rid of that bench. Wow!!! It's fantastic.

Billy NY · Jan 5, 2015

Wow, even better, boy would that go nice with a hat tree of similar material and workmanship in a foyer or entrance area of an old victorian home. If I had it my way, I'd have just that an old victorian with decor and furniture of that period, its really something to appreciate, of course some nice recliners and modern comfort would have to be incorporated. I have seen similar items locally, that were listed and would appear to have some good value, I'm no appraiser, but some of the old furniture I have seen in the past, the craftsmanship is incredible, a lot of it is affordable too, surprisingly given the age and how its made. Locally there seems to be a lot antique furniture, being an old industrial area with lots of period homes. Dealers aside, I have seen quite a bit on the antique listings of CL. Then you see pieces like these and usually, they are NOT affordable, LOL ! that one is certainly something. Hopefully someone can help you with figuring that one out.

oldtanker · Jan 5, 2015

Even back in that day you had factories pumping out furniture. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's valuable. This is a case where you have to get it appraised! Don't get dollar signs in your eyes. They may be worth a good deal and they may be worth 50 bucks. I'd bet at least the one has some value but I'm by no means an expert.

We have a relative who just went through this. One piece a rather plain dresser is worth a good deal. Was made by a cabinet maker in a small local town in the late 1800's. Basically one of a kind. They had several other items to include a very nice china cabinet, early 1900's, was valued at 400 bucks. Made in a factory in Minneapolis and they sold a good number of them.

I love the bench! It's fantastic!

Rick

Mike (WA) · Jan 5, 2015

Go over them very closely to try to find some identifying marks- usually on the back or underneath. Antique folks can often identify the maker by the marks, and that will get you a lot closer to getting a good estimate of value.

John B. · Jan 5, 2015

My younger brother has asked for the bench. He is the only one in our family of four that has the house for it. My wife and I built a new home in 1998 so it wouldn't look right. We have a spot for it but it would get sat on many times during the day. I wouldn't want that. Here is a picture of my mom's mom sitting on it at her house. I never knew my grandmother. The young boy in the picture on the left is now 65. All these youngins are my cousins. Grandma had 5 children, met grandpa who had 5, they got married and had 5 more. So there are many grand kids.

Rick Kr · Jan 5, 2015

John,

If you were close to Michigan I would buy the bench if I could afford it.

The chair... I saw a similar pair with leather back and seat instead of cloth sell for $450 each. The legs had a little more detail in the carving. To the right person if the chair is in good shape, I imagine a couple hundred.

Rick

Martin Reece · Jan 5, 2015

hi John,
I am a cabinetmaker by trade. That is a beautiful bench you have there. The chair is pretty nice also , but more common to find.
I would call an appraiser like Rick said. This will give you a more accurate value.
If you had to have this bench made today it would probably cost $8-10 thousand dollars and it would not be made as well as the origional. That being said my guess would be $3-5 thousand for it. The trick is finding a buyer that will pay that much. Doesn't mean it's not worth every penny. The chair being only one may bring as little as $100 or as much as $700.
If it were mine I would try and and find a spot in my house for it. Looks like you have some valuable memories with it and that's a lot to lose because once its gone you will liklly never find another one.
Just my 3 cents
Martin

John B. · Jan 6, 2015

Thank you Martin.

O/T Old Furniture Value

John B.

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Billy NY

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John B.

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SweetFeet

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Billy NY

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oldtanker

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Mike (WA)

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John B.

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Rick Kr

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Martin Reece

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John B.

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