Adrian Pearsall Chairs, ca. 1960
GUEST:
I inherited them from my grandmother. In the early '60s, her and my granddad built a Mid-Century Modern house in Texas, and all of the furniture she kept until she passed away about ten years ago. And these were in her fancy living room, and we were never allowed to sit in them, except at Christmas or family photos. And they had a fabulous upholstery, more Mid-Century, this green stuff. And when we inherited them, it was all, like, sawdust. It had very much... horrible. But the first night we brought them home, my cat, which-- there was never a cat in my grandmother's house-- but the cat immediately jumped up and hung on them and flopped over. So they're very used in our house…
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
…unlike in my grandmother's house.
APPRAISER:
These chairs are obviously Mid-Century Modern.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
I mean, they say Mid-Century Modern about as loudly as you can say Mid-Century Modern.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And these chairs are made out of teak. They're done by Adrian Pearsall…
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
…from Craft and Associates…
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
…which was a company out of Pennsylvania. Adrian Pearsall started his company in 1952, and he sold it in 1968…
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
…and so my guess is, these chairs are from the mid-'60s or early '60s.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
The Mid-Century market has really moved forward…
GUEST:
Mh-hmm.
APPRAISER:
…it's one of the few markets in the antique world that has really been enthused, and juiced up by the youth of America.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Kids love-- our children, people in their 30s and 40s-- love Mid-Century Modern. Prices have come up. The width and breadth of the things collected has really expanded immensely.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
When I started doing Mid-Century Modern, we always looked at this furniture as being kind of second-tier.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It was always wonderful, always stretched your imagination. But today, it's really come to the fore of American collecting. These chairs are especially wonderful, because they're so graphic. They're so sculptural. They're so wonderful. Adrian Pearsall, here you are.
GUEST:
Right, right.
APPRAISER:
And Craft Associates did a lot of work, and they borrowed heavily, sometimes, from other people's designs.
GUEST:
Right, right.
APPRAISER:
Do you have any idea what they're worth?
GUEST:
I have no idea at all. We have a matching dining room table and four chairs…
APPRAISER:
Wow.
GUEST:
…and a few, all with the same teak legs, and then a side table, and we use them every day. So they're beyond worth, because we love them so much. So I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
Well, at auction today, these two chairs, just these two chairs…
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
…would probably bring between $2,500 and $3,000.
GUEST:
Wow. That's amazing.
APPRAISER:
It is amazing. And, as far as your cat goes-- I did not forget your cat.
GUEST:
Oh, and the dog.
APPRAISER:
And the dog, I did notice that.
GUEST:
That's the dog's favorite chair.
APPRAISER:
So one thing that makes, I think, Mid-Century Modern different, and I think will change, is, at this point, people love it so much that condition, or changing, like, the fabric on this...
GUEST:
Right, right.
APPRAISER:
...makes no difference whatsoever in the value.
Appraisal Details
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