Featured 1920's Restored mahogany ladies Secretary

I would love to know more about this beautiful piece of furniture. It is marked on back D435 MHG. It stands 55 inches tall 24 inches wide and has a depth of 15 1/2 inches. Because it was filthy dirty and in disrepair my neighbors have fully restored the piece. The small pull drawer on the left is a modern replacement. The brass fasteners were removed and polished. They appear to be hand punched. everything seems tightly fitted there is not a lot of play. Also, the hole in the back of the cabinet was there at the time of purchase. My friends added the clock. I don't see any areas with heavy traffic from use.

The left door has "2" punched into the top. Purchased for $25 in a yard sale in Southern Calif.

 

What a great buy. It's beautiful!

 

Hope you don't mind....I posted it full figure!!

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Wow. Most beautiful

 

Your opening entry talks about things we do not see in the single picture. Please post pictures of the interior and the back.

 

Is it actually a 1920's radio cabinet minus the radio ? To me , it looks like the doors were added later to replace the original Radio Doors. Lot's of these have been repurposed over the years . The hardware doesn't fit the style to me . Just my take on it .....

 

I just don't see the legs saying that.....
they look overdone for a radio....

imo.......

 

I will post more pictures as soon as I figure out how to resize them. I got lucky with the first picture.

Thanks for everyone's reply so far.

 

Still trying to figure out the new Iphone 13

 

How do you post pictures in the body instead a thumbnail?

 

Use Full Image instead of Thumbnail.

 

While very similar to a radio cabinet, I don't think this was ever one. I think the organizers and pull-out writing surface preclude this. Wonder if the back organizer was once mounted higher. All the empty space above it is odd. The MHG on the back is a finish designation for mahogany. The cabinet itself is a mixture of woods with a mahogany veneer face. I know a lot of work went in to refinishing this, but I hate to say that it is not a very sympathetic restoration. The coloration should be more uniform, and the hardware is too shiny. Looks like some veneer may have been stripped from the drawer front. I don't mind the addition of the clock. It is a clever way of dealing with an unfortunate hole.

 

They sometimes call these Secretaire Cabinets, and I think, with the best intentions, they've done the wood a great disservice. I'm puzzled by the hinges, but I would also say a 20th century uncertain-style-revival piece.

 

Any ideas on value? Any free appraisal that I could contact?

Is $1100 out of the question for an asking price for a Frankenstein piece? At first I thought @ $300 because of the replaced wood and pieces. When the hardware was removed from the piece there was no evidence of different hinges.

What is the best venue to sell it? Auction. online

I'm in southern California.

Thanks again for the responses

 

You are probably in the right place to get good money for it. Here in my semi-rural Midwest location, even the $300.00 would be too much. The hardware is correct for it. It is an Asian inspired piece, and those hinges are S.E. Asian or, perhaps, Indian. That said, it also almost has an overall Spanish feel to it and that might be a better way to market it in S. CA. I think the $1100.00 is too much for even CA. You might fish for a high price on ebay, as other sellers seem to do the same. Appears to be hit or miss with a relatively low sell-through. Otherwise, a local listing on fb marketplace or craigslist at a lower price might be the way to go.

 

how much did your neighbours ask 4 their work.?

Is the 1100 bucks needed to pay off yer new phone??

you can ask whatever amount you think you're entitled to.......& depending on how long u wish to hold on to this nice piece of brown furniture.....

 

I am asking that question here and trying to make an informed decision.

 

Hi David. Southern California here too. @verybrad is one of our furniture gurus and he is also a retail seller, so he has ears on the ground. Now that you have some idea as to what you have, you may try searching online for completed sales. Ebay had at one time had completed sales through Advanced search and Live Auctioneers, which is free to join, can be searched by checking price results for simliar pieces. As verybrad says location drives the market price, so these sources will not be helpful in gauging the possible sales prices here. I don't sell except for things I have owned and am replacing and then only on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslst, and those prices tend to be low, so I can't be of any help.