Hello AT,
Here’s a picture of a mid-century modern coffee table that I inherited from my family home. Can anyone tell me if it's worth anything or how I could tell. Were pieces like this signed and does that mean anything?
Thanks, Catherine
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Is this the table Scrappy girl used to clean with windex and color on as a Scrappy kidlet?
this looks like something that could go either way. it's a pretty table, and if it's in good condition you could probably get a couple hundred for it on craigslist.
on the other hand, it's only likely to be "worth" something if there's some kind of stamp or mark that proves that it comes from a sought after maker or designer. i mean, just by looking at it, this could easily be repro or from a current collection that draws on midcentury influences.
To find what similar tables sell for, you can do a "completed items" search on ebay and use keywords like eames+coffee table+glass.
This table looks like something by Lane Altavista or Drexel.With minor wear, and no damage to the glass, I suspect it's worth around $300. But glass tops can be prohibatively expensive to transport, in case you're thinking of selling it through eBay. Good luck.
yes, i thought i'd seen this table before.
The inch plus glass fishtail top makes me think of George Nakashima or on of the other guys in studio furniture.
Might google any marks you find to see if it is a treasure.
Mid century modern coffee table - $200
Beautiful mid century modern coffee table. Wood legs. Glass top.
Goes well with Eames, Thonet, mid century modern, Eero Saarinen, 1950s, Breur, atomic, 1960s, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, retro, Knoll, Herman Miller, Buckminster Fuller, case study,Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto, Rudolf Schindler, Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray, George Nelson, Hans Wegner, Craig Ellwood, Russel Wright, space age, Edith Heath, kitsch, Eva Zeisel, design.
$200 o.b.o. Pick up only.
Antiques Roadshow!! Is that show even on still...?
It is Scrappy-girl's table! If there was a stamp on it, I probably scrubbed it off with Windex when I was eight! But I'll take a look when it comes out to play after my painter is finished. And I'll definitely look on eBay using those search terms. Thanks so much for the help.
I've been wanting to ask a similar question, but feared baring my ignorance. When browsing used furniture stores, how do I know if I'm looking at a Thonet chair or George Nelson bench? Do you know these things just by training the eye? How can I learn to tell value, origin and authenticity?
Most good mid-century designs are marked, but it's also helpful to peruse eBay, modern auction houses as well as visiting antique stores to see and learn. In addition, most mid-century stuff has been well catalogued/documented etc., and a lot of info is available on the web.
As I stated in my smallest coolest entry (see link), lots of really great stuff was made at that time by quality furniture manufacturers utitlizing "less-than-famous" designers.
At the end of the day, it comes down to whether you love the piece or not. I don't care about the designer's name as much as I care about the design. (...and hopefully a good designer appreciates that sentiment, because it is the ultimate compliment to his work!)
On the other hand, if you are merely concerned about dollar value because you want to sell it, eBay is a great way to get the best price because a LOT of knowledgeable folks are perusing it all the time.
PS -- my guess would be that this is not Lane Altavista, but you never know (coffee tables in my pics are kind of their signature pieces) -- Lane was very open to experiment in their day! Your coffee table looks like good quality, IMHO.
... meant to say "compliment to to his or HER work" -- mea culpa!!!
Whatever it is, I think it's cool as all hell, and the glass top makes your eye not have to stop very abruptly, so it's great for a small space.
It's one of thousands of generic, mass-manufactured, non-designer tables cranked out in the US from the 50s through 70s. Clearly mass produced, and, in my humble opinion, not a well thought-through design -- the legs clearly are meant to evoke something original, but poorly done. And the top doesn't really fit -- if I had to guess, I'd say not original to the base.
Definitely NOT anything even vaguely well-known.
A good place to post questions like this is at the "Forum" section at designaddict.com -- similar posts every day, and participants are very well informed.
If you like it, good for you and keep it. Beauty is in the owner's eye. But it's no hidden treasure. Guaranteed.
Lane was probably a longshot. Most of their tables feature their trademark dovetailing on both ends of the (wood) tops, but they did do a few quirky lines.
Regarding how to find the authenticity of a MCM item, I think researching the history of a piece is a good start. You can often find the available colors, materials, construction techniques, and the exact dimensions of an authentic item if you search long enough.
I think the iconic pieces were the ones that tended to get replicated (LCWs, tulip chairs, slat benches, barcelona chairs). Often certain companies specialized in specific reproductions. There are a lot of Knoll-esque tulip chairs by a company called Burke, for example. There were also a lot of slat benches coming out of the former Yogoslavia. If you look at what's out there in the used market for long enough, you'll start recognizing the different varieties of reproductions.
Just bumped into this Lane piece on eBay that is quite reminiscent of yours, but with a wood top:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Danish-Mid-Century-Modern-LANE-Cross-Table-Eames-Era_W0QQitemZ200029844773QQihZ010QQcategoryZ63588QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Looks like a Kagan knock-off.