BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions

Subject: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Big Mick
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 05:20 PM

So, as I clean out the house of one of my cousins who passed away, I am attempting to dispose of some furniture for my Mother, inherited the house and contents. I suspect it is Widdicomb or John Widdicomb (two different companies) and I suspect it to be pre WW2. I say this because the great Uncle who bought it was a furniture designer/wood carver for them during Grand Rapids, Michigan's heyday as the Furniture Capital, and he retired back in the 60's.

I am wondering if any Mudcatters could tell me the best way to approach selling them. Is Ebay a good choice? Is there a better online auction for furniture? How about Craigslist? (when I looked at it, it didn't seem particularly well suited for antique furniture).

All tips greatly appreciated and accepted. I don't think it is terrifically valuable, but it isn't garage sale stuff either.

HERE ARE PICTURES OF THE ITEMS. I know I have to retake them, as my sister didn't quite get the focus right. I will do that, but I am posting these to give you an idea of what we are talking about. There is a William & Mary style bedset (twins) with the chest and vanity you see. There is also an oak dresser that is separate and not a part of the set. Curiously, I can find no makers marks or labels on the bedroom set, I suspect this is because Uncle Gus worked for them.

Not much musical about all this, but I just be some Mudcat minds will have something for me.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 05:44 PM

I would contact a LOCAL auctioneer first, or LOCAL antique dealers. eBay is probably NOT a good choice for furniture because of the shipping charges.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 06:54 PM

Beautiful furniture let me say.... would suggest that you get a few antique furniture dealers in first to make offers on the furniture, making it clear that you are 'shopping around for the best price'... then approach a reputable auction house to see if they can do any better... bearing in mind that they take a percentage off the selling price...(in the UK around 15% and 10% off buyers on hammer price so roughly 25% here).
You can then consider whether to sell to the best offer.
Best wishes, Mike.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 07:08 PM

You can sometimes get appraisals by emailing photos to auction houses.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: curmudgeon
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 07:17 PM

My post to this thread seems to have gone off into the aether. Mick, did you get my PM?

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Bobert
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 07:44 PM

All these pieces are vaneered pieces from the 20's (possibly late 30's... The "oak" isn't really oak... It looks to have poplar sides which dates it to 20s-30s as opposed to the golden age of oak which was pre-WWI...

I hate to say it but none of these pieces are tremendously valuable and there are lots of this period stuff out there...

I doubt if an antique dealer would be intersted and furniture, unless it is high end antique, won't sell on ebay...

Find a collectables consignment shop and see what they charge to sell stuff... Most will get 30% to 40% of the selling price... The chest of drawers is about a $300 piece... Same with the vanity and mirror... Okay, maybe $350... I couldn't see the others too well but what I see of them they also fall into the 20's/30's vareered "Empire" style and are not rare...

BTW, the rounded legs of the "oak drsser" is "Empire" style as are the rounded balls on the legs of the other pieces...

Wish I had better news but I do know antiques... Grew up with 'um and am completely surrounded by them...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 08:36 PM

You can also send pix to www.whatsitworthtoyou.com and, for ten bucks, they'll send you a written appraisal.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 08:53 PM

Mick, I agree with Bobert.

I have some furniture that isn't particularly antique that I'd like to sell; you'd be surprised what people will buy and ship on eBay but you need to have more than a passing familiarity with boxing up furniture and shipping it as freight and that is a lot of work to go to for these few pieces.

I tried Craig's list to sell one set of cabinets, but it took only a few minutes and treading on some invisible "rule" to have some member make my listing vanish. I had to re-list an edited sale's listing and realized right then that the inmates run that asylum. Go there at your own risk.

There is a little consignment store I pass by on my way to work that I've stopped in a few times. They might recognize me, but whatever, they have reasonably priced pieces that seem to move through there (the one's I've really liked and could afford already had a "sold" tag on them). He asked me to send him a photo of the cabinets, so when the eBay listing (local pickup only--this considerably reduces your buyers also, and it didn't sell) I emailed him the photos. I'd suggest visiting a few of those stores with good photos of your furniture pieces and see what their expectations and charges are to sell your items, if they like them.

One piece of advice--NEVER SELL TO THE APPRAISER. I've seen them list things way low that they wanted for themselves when they thought no one was interested in the estate and they could buy the stuff for a song. Happens a lot more often than you'd think. Here is a great story I heard a few weeks ago on Weekend Edition Saturday, about how Alice Furlaud was taken advantage of by an unscrupulous appraiser. Seller beware!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 10:24 PM

I agree that Consignment stores, if they are run by the right kind of person, are a good place to sell well-made non-antique. I visit them occasionally, and sometimes find that useful chest, etc. that fits in with my furniture, or that my kids need.

We have a couple of auctioneers here who will schedule good quality furnishings and rugs, etc., 3-4 times a year, along with the handful of 'antiques' that they find over time. Lots of people are looking for particular pieces; usually there is enough competition that the knock-down price will satisfy the consigner and the auctioneer.

Hard to tell from the pictures, but your pieces are in proven styles. Widdicomb furniture was mostly hardwood core, with/without veneer- new quality pieces are expensive and furniture made in the first half of the 20th c. is often better.
Widdicomb (John and the other, name purchased by John Widdicomb Co.) pieces are better than the stuff now showing up in most furniture stores.
Here in western Canada, good used furniture is brought in for sale, since most towns were small until the last 60 years, so there isn't much to draw on.
Bobert is right for the east coast (checked a bit in GA a short time back), but here, the chest would bring $500. Chests and solid bookcases are always in demand here. So much now is particleboard core, and the cheap hardwood oriental imports warp in our semi-arid climate.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: olddude
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 10:54 PM

I agree with Bobert with the exception of the oak dresser, to my eye it is much older, seems mission style to me and more valuable. Bobert take a peek at it again at the legs, the thickness of the wood.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 01:57 PM

No, that's not Mission, Olddude. I think empire is correct also. It's too wavy.

This is a typical Mission style dresser.

SRS.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 03:00 PM

SRS is right, it is that "Empire" style of the late 19th and early 20th c. Tons were sold.

I have a chest of that type in the basement in which my wife stored fabrics that she insists should be kept for the kids (and will be the first stuff they pack off to goodwill shops). I think I paid $50 some 50 years ago, but it would bring about $500 locally now. Not because it is getting to be about 100 years old, just normal inflation!

Stickney, I believe, acquired Widdicomb a few years back.

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Big Mick
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 12:04 AM

Great stuff!! I knew I could count on the folks here.

I believe the dresser is oak, and I will check again. I will also be posting better pictures that I took today.

The purchaser/owner of this stuff was a furniture designer/wood carver for the company, and he loved the good stuff. That bedroom set is a beauty if one is into the William & Mary style of furniture. Not many are, because of the ornate nature of it. My Mom confirmed it was from the late 20's or early 30's.

Mom is no lightweight on this stuff, and she figured about $250.00 for the dresser, and about $400 - $450 for the bedroom set, so she is in the ballpark based on your comments here.

Thanks for the heads up on Craigslist, and on Ebay. I was hoping someone would have other ideas for online auctions that would get the pic's in front of a larger audience than a consignment shop. Problem with consignment shops in this area is that they are all reducing their furniture stock due to the economy screwing their sales.

Great tips and observations, and I will take more if you have them.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Antique furniture styles/auctions
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 12:27 AM

You could run it on eBay as local pickup only. That would give you broader exposure--I figure more people look at eBay than look at Craig's list for a lot of things. It's much better organized and more easily searchable. You might want to do research--search on large pieces at eBay and see how sellers advertise the shipping, and do some research. But it is expensive and a lot of work even if you have a shipping company do it. The local pickup bit means people can drive in from wherever, it's up to how much they want it and how far they're willing to drive.

Don't sell yourself short with one of those 99 cent auction starting prices. You don't know enough about the market or the buyers to be sure someone would be willing to bite and bid it up where it belongs. I'd list a chest valued at $500 maybe with a starting point at half of that at the lowest. Are you trying to get top dollar, or are you trying to move it out and just get something for it?

SRS