1937 Ginger Rogers's Reproduction Metamorphic Chair
GUEST:
It was a personal item from Ginger Rogers, whom I worked for for 18 years. I got it from the estate after she passed away.
APPRAISER:
And you have some documentation that goes with it?
GUEST:
I do. She was building a new home in Beverly Hills in 1937, and I found the invoice receipt from the furniture maker with this chair listed on there. So that was pretty cool.
APPRAISER:
And how much was it in 1937, do you remember?
GUEST:
$95.
APPRAISER:
What did you pay for it?
GUEST:
Truthfully, I don't remember. It was with a group of other pieces of furniture, but I imagine it was around $100.
APPRAISER:
How was it working for Miss Rogers?
GUEST:
Well, it was an experience that I'll never forget. I got to travel with her all over the world, and meet all sorts of famous and interesting people. I got to go to the White House several times, the Academy Awards. So it was quite an experience. And besides that, she was a very, very nice person.
APPRAISER:
As you know, it's a reproduction.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
It's not an antique piece. It's a reproduction of a style that was very popular in London in the early 1800s. It was first published by the firm of Morgan and Sanders in 1811. It would appear to be a Regency armchair, but it isn't, it's a metamorphic library chair. It has a secret.
GUEST:
Yes, it does.
APPRAISER:
It was designed to be used in the library of a fine home where you could sit and read in the chair. Or if you needed to reach the books on the higher shelves, it becomes steps.
GUEST:
A ladder, woohoo!
APPRAISER:
A ladder. (chuckling) How cool is that?
GUEST:
It is very cool.
APPRAISER:
If we take a quick look at it here, we can see it's got a modern piano hinge. It was made by Albert Wein in California in 1937.
GUEST:
Yes, he made all of the furniture for her brand new house, so he made about 50 different pieces of furniture all with this... I guess it's honey curly maple?
APPRAISER:
The wood is maple, yes.
GUEST:
Oh, okay good.
APPRAISER:
As a reproduction chair, without the provenance, it's not worth very much. It's a very cool as a piece of metamorphic furniture, collectors love it. But it's maybe $400 as a reproduction.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
The value here is in the story. So I would say in a retail situation, this chair would sell for in the $1,500 price range.
GUEST:
Wow, I'm sure she'd be very pleased. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
Now if you could find a photograph of Miss Rogers sitting in this chair.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER That would boost the value even more, to maybe $2,000 or more. If you could find an old video of Miss Rogers coming down the chair backwards in high heels, that would boost the value more.
GUEST:
That would be terrific.
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