Charles & Ray Eames Table & Chairs Set, ca. 1970
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GUEST:
I acquired this from a very dear friend of mine after her father's estate sale. It didn't sell at the estate sale, and she offered it to me.
APPRAISER:
And how long have you had it?
GUEST:
26 years.
APPRAISER:
And what did you pay for it at the estate sale?
GUEST:
I paid $100 for this.
APPRAISER:
You've brought in a set by Charles and Ray Eames, the famous married design duo that was very prolific. There's a few reasons for their success. One is they were very inventive in their use of materials. They were known for their connections and how they brought materials together. And in this case, we have what's known as the aluminum group chair set and a dinette table. The chair set was designed originally as outdoor furniture, but it became extremely popular. And because it's lightweight and very functional, people started using it for their patio sets, dinette sets, and even in their formal dining room. And in fact, I have a very similar set in my dining room. It was first designed in 1958, and it's still in production today. This set I believe was probably made in the late '60s or early '70s, because of this color vinyl.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Being from Los Angeles, I would describe this color as Dodger blue. They were available in brown and black and tan, but I think there's something about this particular shade of blue that expresses the optimism of that postwar American period. Just bright and optimistic and colorful. And interestingly, the vinyl has really held up over all these years. Each of these chairs has a molded stamp in the aluminum underneath that says, "Herman Miller," which is good because that tells us it's authentic. But it also gives us a little bit of a clue as to when it was made, because that stamp changed slightly over the years.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRASIER: In the late '60s and early '70s, this was what the stamp looked like. The table actually has a little medallion underneath that says, "Designed by Charles Eames." And if you look at this example, there's a paper upholstery label here with an address in Los Angeles. This dates it from that late '60s, early '70s period as well. If it didn't have the label and it didn't have the stamp, we could still tell by the quality of the vinyl and the patina on the aluminum. This set has been in continuous production since it was designed in 1958, so that means there's a lot of them out there. So when you have that many pieces out there, you would expect these things wouldn't be tremendously valuable because they're still making them today. Interestingly, each one of these chairs sells for about $1,300 new.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRASIER: So if you went to Herman Miller today, this set would cost you quite a bit to buy brand new. What do you think would be the case, if these are worth $1,300, how much would an older vintage one be worth? Is it worth less than what a new one is worth, or is it worth more because it's vintage and more collectible?
GUEST:
You know, I'm going to say maybe more.
APPRASIER: In this case, it's worth a little less.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The marketplace being as it is, and because there's so many examples out there, this set would probably bring between $3,000 and $4,000 at auction. Collectors are just starting to realize that the older ones are probably a little bit more desirable and a little bit better, and I expect that to go up. I can't believe that a good old survivor like this is worth less than the cost of one new today.
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