Featured Article on falling prices

mid 18th-century eastern shore virginia, paint decoration is MIA

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As an example, the boring,old Broyhill china cabinet on the left was posted recently on Craigslist in Texas for $100, while the hip, cool, vintage media credenza on the right was sold on Chairish for $900.

 

Also on Craigslist

 

Oh how lovely !

 

My first china cab EVER and, I never even considered what they are normally used for, displaying china.

 

Aha. Same cabinet then.

The "good part" doesn't apply to 70s mass production.

 

@James Conrad The auction on these two huntboards just concluded and as you predicted interest was high and both sold for top dollar.

 

Yes, I don't doubt it.
Designer ladies & housewives are on this form like a bad habit as it fits their decorating "plans" perfectly with today's fashions.

 

I am sort of watching the same auction as it has a pilgrim century chest of drawers, I am interested in its sale price. I have a related Boston chest (bird) and although mine isn't in as good of condition, still very interested to see what this chest is worth as of today.
Boston chest of drawers C. 1680 in walnut. estimate 30k-50k

 

IMO, three things are happening. Change in decorating trend to simple minimal by younger generations. The Ikea look. At least in the USA, a flood of antiques and collectibles caused by the BOOMER generation is now downsizing or their estate is being sold. And of course, money follows the demand. For the past few years, Chinese antiques, and I use that term loosely, have gone thru the roof. In 20 years, there might be a demand for furniture strippers to strip off the milk paint on true antique furniture.

 

YIKES! The above pilgrim chest sold for $90,000 USD hammer + BP
That's a chunk of change for a 5 drawer chest of drawers!
And puts a smile on my face when I think about the bird chest.

 

It looked like it might go at $55 but those last minute bids really bumped it up.

 

Yep never fails, at least when I am bidding it seems.
Some peckerwood ALWAYS seems to just hang in there at the last moment with another bid.
Just happened to me with a corner cupboard recently, you think you are a winner at Fair Warning! and you are thinking HAMMER IT DOWN MAN! HURRY UP! and just before he does hammer it down another bid comes in.
Only the strong survive in those "stall" situations.

 

"STALL" in this case means the auctioneer is giving everyone a pause to consider their particular situation, resources, etc.
It's in his/her best interest as well as the consignor to pause/stall so it often happens when an object is highly contested.
Additionally, it clears out the riff-raff so only the real players are left, usually only 2 peeps.
HATES IT! but it is what it is which is always very frustrating to the underbidder.

 

And makes the seller do a happy dance when the hammer falls! It's good to know that a nice hunk of unpainted wood furniture can sell for a decent price, even now.

 

OH BOY! does it ever I bet.
As an underbidder most of the time, it's totally insane to be yelling at a plastic box sitting on your desk for the hammer to fall during a stall/pause but, I've done it more than once, that's for sure.

Well, 90k for a chest of drawers is much more than decent I would say, almost insane is more likely!

 

Naturally, 90k is chump change compared to this chest of drawers which sold for
3 million USD not so long ago and holds the record for a single piece of painted American furniture.

Robert Crosman, 1729 chest of drawers

 

Not my personal taste, but I wish I'd been the one selling it!