Featured Need help with gossip chair/bench/seat

Hello! I inherited quite a few antiques from my mother and I really have no clue about how to go about selling or pricing them. I want to move things as quickly as possible, but I also don't want to let something go that was worth a lot more than I knew. I've done some homework, but still need some help. The cheapest one I can find that is a reproduction is around $2k. I don't know if this is a reproduction or not - I found one very close to this one, but the upholstery is different. Any help is appreciated! It is 55"W x 44"H x 24"D. I put about 6 hours into cleaning this, mostly on the wood getting into the crevices.

BTW, when you put Google Lens on a picture of this, it shows you can order them from all kinds of places (Walmart included!) for $2000+

 

You might find this interesting or you might not. https://www.messynessychic.com/2020/01/30/a-brief-compendium-of-the-conversation-chair/

 

Brian - I should probably wait a while to see what kind of audience I'm dealing with here, but it you watched SNL in the early '90s, it reminds me of the "love toilet" LOL. Still, that's pretty cool...I had seen something similar, but I didn't realize it was such a big thing. Can you imagine taking all the phones away from the kids and giving them one of these? "You can use the 3-seater this weekend if you keep your homework and chores done." LOL

 

007-You're dealing with a 70 yr old hipster here who occasionally still feels pretty 'Bondish'.

 

Not sure why you are calling this a "gossip" chair
since there is only room for a single person. I was expecting something with 2 seats like the ones shown in Brian's link.

 

Bakersgma

As I said, I don't know jack about antiques. I had a lady tell me it was called a gossip chair, so that's what I've been going with. Also, when you google it, everyone else is calling it the same thing.

 

LOL I think we can be friends.

 

Just because a group of sellers have labeled something with a particular name - which often happens when sellers borrow names or other information from others because "it sounds good," does not make it correct. Not arguing here. We see listings with borrowed labels and other "factoids" that are not supported by logic all the time. Go back and look at Brian's link.

 

I think they are calling it a gossip bench because it's to sit in while you're talking on the telephone. Back in the olden days when telephones were attached to the wall by a cord.

https://mbwfurniture.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/antique-periods-victorian/

 

1. Already looked at Brian's link.
2. Literally everything I've seen researching this thing has called it a gossip chair/seat/bench, so forgive me if I got it wrong. I don't have time to study the etymology of everything I come across.
3. Not arguing or trying to start anything, but it seems like you're looking for something to prove me wrong about. If Home Depot is going to call it a gossip bench, then so am I.
4. What would you refer to this as?

 

Yes, this. Now that she mentioned it, I do recall someone explaining it to me like this. The table for the telephone is where I believe the name "gossip ____" came from.

 

Are you going to have a big yard sale, estate sale, Facebook marketplace?

I looked around a little bit and I do see what you mean people are trying to charge $2,500 for these. I don't know if they actually sell for that much money or not.

I don't know people, do you think this is made 1950-ish through '70s?

 

This one's pretty. I have an account but I forgot my password. Someone with an account could see the price it sold for.
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...ephone-bench,-h-43-,-w-52-,-d-65-c-cbefeee195

 

The inside of the drawer doesn't say Victorian, and the design says it was made for a corded phone. I'd think post-WWII but made by someone who cared.

 

Victorian "style".
https://search.brave.com/images?q=Victorian telephone gossip bench&spellcheck=0

 

I think it was made in the 80s when excess was best decorating wise. The demand for ornate then outpaced the market. I think a lot was made in places like Malaysia . I like it myself,it'd be perfect in a front hall to put on shoes and as a catch all. It look much better made that the crap they offer today.Just remember Brian,something is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. Theres zero way anyone is going to pay any more than a few 100 for that ,even if it were genuine Victorian. When you price too high it scares buyers from even stopping to look.

 

I'm not overly concerned with holding out for a high price. Sure, I want to get as much as I can for it, but I'd rather price it low enough that someone buys it in hopefully less than a month versus leaving it listed for 6 months because I wouldn't come off a few hundred bucks. That's what I'm doing here - trying to find that balance. I have a lot of pieces and I want them gone! Lol...I've been at this by myself for well over a year and I'm just really ready to be finished. I'm not even close.

 

LauraGarnet02 -

I swear I answered this, but I can't find it anywhere. I probably typed it out and deleted it. Anyway, yeah I was kinda shocked to see them at so many places (Walmart and Home Depot for starters - lots of others) and for the price they're asking. My cousins need to sell a lot from their parents estate too, but I don't really want a bunch of people coming to my house, nor do they. We're trying to find a place where we can take most of the larger things and have a 3 day weekend sale. Make a list of everything then promote it for about 3 weeks. Something like that. Oh, and I've been using Facebook Marketplace and a little on Offer Up.

 

I thought it was because in the way back when time....either there were more than 2 folks on the line ( Party Line ) , or the operator could listen in on your discussion..

,,,

one ringy dingy....two ringy dingy.............