Chippendale Side Chair, ca. 1770
APPRAISER:
You didn't own this chair at 8:00 this morning. Now you do-- what happened?
GUEST:
I was out driving around this morning, getting myself a cup of coffee, and I saw a garage sale. So I saw the chair. I thought it was old.
APPRAISER:
What'd you see about it that said it was old?
GUEST:
Well, I just felt the top here.
APPRAISER:
Okay, this stuff, okay.
GUEST:
It just felt nice, it felt old.
APPRAISER:
Okay, all right-- you looked under here. I'm looking at the back here, I'm looking at this... I'm looking at these through- tenons coming through the back. Old color, right?
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
So how much was it?
GUEST:
Two dollars.
APPRAISER:
It was two dollars.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Two dollars, though?
GUEST:
Two bucks.
APPRAISER:
(laughs) Did you ask for a better price or anything?
GUEST:
No, no, I didn't.
APPRAISER:
Two dollars, this morning.
GUEST:
This morning.
APPRAISER:
Right here in town.
GUEST:
Yup.
APPRAISER:
This is incredible. This is what keeps all of us out there looking, to have stuff like this happen.
GUEST:
Definitely.
APPRAISER:
This is a circa 1770 Chippendale Philadelphia chair. Through-tenons are typical Philadelphia. Through-tenons, these seat rails are coming through the back leg. The original finish, this 200 years of grunge. This pure splat is a wonderful splat. I'm going to look inside here. Can I rip this open?
GUEST:
Yeah, go ahead.
APPRAISER:
Are you sure?
GUEST:
Yeah, go ahead.
APPRAISER:
You only paid two dollars, so I'm going to... This is just the scrim, so... And what you've got here-- look at this. (straining) That's the original... That's the original yellow pine seat frame, 1770, same date as the chair, marked number two from the set.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Look at this. This is chair number one from the set. You see that little mark?
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
So you got chair number one, seat frame number two, on a Philadelphia chair with an old finish for two dollars-- you know what it's worth?
GUEST:
I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
About, easily, $1,500, easily.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Easily $1,500. Another little touch, there's a name on the back. Did you see this?
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
This has an incised name. " Foulke?"
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
That's one of the oldest Philadelphia names. This is probably an early owner that scratched their name on the back of the chair.
GUEST:
Fantastic.
APPRAISER:
Is that cool or what?
GUEST:
Yeah, I, I had no idea.
Appraisal Details
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