Featured Pier Mirror

Hey all:

Just acquired this pier mirror for our household. Renaissance Revival ca. 1875, walnut and gilt with age-darkened burl panels. 100" tall. Near-perfect condition. Probably an old U.S. midwest piece from Illinois, Michigan or Ohio. Bought from a St. Louis estate.

Replacement value at $1200. Sound about right?

 

very nice....

 

Lovely ! $1200 sounds a little hopeful in this market,here in n.fla Id see it more $600-900,and thats a tad hopeful too.

 

Good to know, thanks!!

 

Lovely piece!

 

OTOH the poster is probably looking for a full retail replacement value. Around here, the $600 mark sounds more like it, but it might get the full boat in some markets.

 

Thanks everyone! Prices for comparable pieces on "Not-to-be-mentioned-Bay" are anywhere from $1K-$1500. Now, we all know these prices are optimistic and that in Missouri, for example, the Victorian Depression has hit and it would likely be less than that. The thing is that, around here, pier mirrors very rarely even come up for auction. Perhaps in the northeast U.S. they are more ho-hum, but I go to most of the auctions between Kansas City and St. Louis and I'll see maybe 2 per year.

So....if I was on a nationwide search to buy a new one with, say, a one month deadline, I'd probably have to pay something like $1K, maybe $1200 to replace this one.

Now if I chose to sell this one here, I'd expect to get something like $600 at a good auction around here, on a good day.

Does all this make sense? Or should I just insure it for $600 and call it good?

 

Hi,
Thanks for the good laugh. When I first moved to Brooklyn into a brownstone, I had no pier mirror. The ones around here were 5 grand and up. I went to Philadelphia and bought one for 700 dollars. I wrestled it into the Amtrack train and brought it back to Manhattan. Then on the F train to Brooklyn. I can not believe I had the nerve and the muscle to do it. Thanks for the memory jog.
greg

 

Insurance is generally full retail rather than auction prices.

 

I'm glad you've found humor in this. It also goes to show how prices can differ. How tall is yours? I can't believe you did that by yourself. It's incredible! At 100" (not the tallest of them by any means) it took 2 grown men to get ours into the van, then it took my wife and I together to move it to its final home, screw it together, and get it situated. It probably weights 150 pounds, but the height and subsequent bulk is the real killer. You must be strong as hell!

 

"Insurance is generally full retail rather than auction prices."

Kind of what I thought. Sounds like I better go the $1200 route.

 

Hi Ghopper,
It was 10ft 5" and I bet weighed 150 lbs. I was a much younger and stronger man at the time. Another time I brought a huge Queen Anne upholstered chair from Philly. When I was on the subway with it, a woman sat down on it, why did I not think of doing that. She was quite disturbed when I got off the subway with it.
greg

 

Stronger is right. What a feat!

 

Hi,
Stairs no problem, long flat areas were a problem.
greg