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okazaki

Need help with some antique furniture

Okazaki
10 years ago

My dad wants to sell this furniture that belonged to my grandmother and we need to know more about it.
Here's what I already know :
- it is made from rose wood
- it is biedermeier furniture (not 100% sure on this one)
- it was made in the early 1900s
- it might be from Austria

I searched the internet and couldn't find this exact style anywhere.














This post was edited by Okazaki on Sun, Apr 27, 14 at 12:30

Comments (6)

  • chibimimi
    10 years ago

    I'd call that Eastlake (ca. 1880), not Biedermeier. Are you sure it's rosewood? On my monitor it looks more like walnut.

  • mfrog
    10 years ago

    I agree, not rosewood & not Biedermeier. It's Eastlake as Chibimimi says, Eastlake parlour suite, C1880's - 1900 with a bit of Art Nouveau thrown in, the asymetrical style of the chairs along with the carved spandrals would put it in the late 90's for me.
    Rare to have the entire set, these sold well 15 years ago, but I won't buy them at this point, it's not a big seller.
    They were made in many variations, you could search the internet for years & probably never find the exact match. HTH, mfrog

    Here is a link that might be useful: eastlake parlor suite

  • Okazaki
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for your answers, well, my grandmother and her sister said a few years ago that it was rosewood and Biedermeier since the sister got also some similar furniture and I think it was bought around the same year.
    However, maybe I'm wrong, afterall I don't know almost anything about these pieces, just from what I heard.

    Could you estimate a value ? We are going to sell them and we had some guy come and see them, he's supposed to tell us about the furniture and I suppose buy it ? maybe ? And if that's the case, I'd like to know what is it worth. I wouldn't like giving away something with 20 times less the price it's worth.

    Thank you for your help guys ! :)

  • duluthinbloomz4
    10 years ago

    Google Eastlake Parlor Suites - lots of it for sale on Ebay, etc. Keep in mind the asking price is often world's apart from what the seller might actually get.

    To my mind, this would be a hard sell today - unless someone is restoring an old home and wants period pieces to furnish it.

    Sometimes you have to cut and run. If you've done a little research and your appraiser makes what you consider a somewhat fair price, (or at least one you could live with since you have no money invested in the set to begin with), I'd be tempted to grab it.

    I'm sure there are those out there who don't feel the same as I do and those who will store things hoping for the top dollar that never comes.

  • mfrog
    10 years ago

    You will have to find out what the local market is. Me telling you what Eastlake sets go for on the West Coast of Canada has absolutely no bearing on what they sell for in Romania, where your profile says you are.
    At this point, I would not pay more than $200 for the entire set as I know that I am going to have a hard time getting more than $500 canadian dollars. Sorry I can't be of more help than this. mfrog

  • chibimimi
    10 years ago

    A rule of thumb is never to accept an appraisal from people who want to buy. They have a conflict of interest -- if they appraise it high, they have to offer you something close to that, so they tend to appraise low.

    Another rule of thumb is that dealers will only offer you 50% of retail value. That's because they have to make a profit on it, and may have to hold it for a considerable time before it sells.

    As mfrog says, it's impossible to give you a price estimate since that is very dependent on your market. Google "Eastlake parlor sets" in your area to see what they are going for locally. Or hold on to it for a few more years to give Victorian furniture a chance to recover in value.