Antique Prices Keep Falling

[Phil Pascoe]

Richarnold - "O tempora, O nitro-mores)?



I know. Dreadful. I'll get my coat.

 

[richarnold]

Richarnold - "O tempora, O nitro-mores)?



I know. Dreadful. I'll get my coat.

:lol:

 

[Mike.S]

That price is probably realistic, but it is an insult given the additional information about the chairs. Hang on to them - you won't regret it long term.

Dickm - Agreed. I appreciate your thought and previous advice.

P.S. Had to Google the O Tempora 'joke' before I understood it....I think (Cicero rather than GCHQ, though either might fit).

 

[Tierney]

If the alternative is the tip or the fire, then it is fine to cut it up and re-use the timber.

DT

 

[sawdust1]

Hi all, about 26 years ago i was friendly with the chap who ran the local auction house, all the old unsold furniture that was destined for the tip
was left outside the back door. He let me collect anything i wanted, for years i collected masses of unsold furniture that i broke up to re use the
decent timber and burnt anything else on the wood burner. Stopped in the end as their was to much ply. The best thing i found inside a wardrobe
was a purse containing £300 in good money and £100 that was no good, as it was on the way to the tip i said nothing.

 

[MMUK]

Personally I don't think dark furniture suits unless you have a proper period house to keep it in. Your modern every-man/woman houses (shall we say Victorian era to the present) that we normals reside in are just too small for dark furniture. Dark furniture makes room seem much smaller as theydon't reflect the light in the way paler furniture does.

 

[JimB]

Personally I don't think dark furniture suits unless you have a proper period house to keep it in. Your modern every-man/woman houses (shall we say Victorian era to the present) that we normals reside in are just too small for dark furniture. Dark furniture makes room seem much smaller as theydon't reflect the light in the way paler furniture does.

I don't agree entirely. What you say is valid if you try and furnish in one style only and try and fit in huge Victorian stuff into a small room but there is nothing like an older feature piece especially if it has meaning for you. Of course, it can have the disadvantage of making modern stuff look rubbish. :shock:

 

[MMUK]

I do see your point Jim. However, I wouldn't personally pay "antique" money for a chair, for example - I'd be afraid to sit in my investment :lol:

And I am a fan of light and airy. Not quite minimalist but uncluttered and I do like things to match. Hence my putting my foot down with my parents over their new kitchen - all new integrated appliances so everything looks uniform and absolutely no extra dark country cottage oak, it just doesn't suit the house. After all, I'm paying for it and doing the job and I did give them a choice on the worktop. They'll like it once it's done.....

 

[Sawyer]

I can also imagine the likes of Oak Furniture Land making a dent in the market for antiques - appealing to those who value the idea of solid construction but in a contemporary style. My in-laws have a piece from a similar company and it is simply awful; basically scrap wood glued together, no concept of wood movement in the design and generally poor making.
DT

There won't be much of their stuff floating around on the antique market of the future, with what hasn't disintegrated of its own accord, having been discarded as ugly tat. Meanwhile, with so much harm being done to the livelihoods of many a fine craftsperson, let's hope there will still be enough skilled makers around to meet demand, when and if trends change in favour of real furniture again.

 

[bugbear]

For example he points to the collapse in the formal domestic dining room as a factor whittling away the demand for sideboards, formal dining tables, and sets of chairs.

Heh. Obvious when pointed out. Thanks.

BugBear

 

[JimB]

I do see your point Jim. However, I wouldn't personally pay "antique" money for a chair, for example - I'd be afraid to sit in my investment :lol:

And I am a fan of light and airy. Not quite minimalist but uncluttered and I do like things to match. Hence my putting my foot down with my parents over their new kitchen - all new integrated appliances so everything looks uniform and absolutely no extra dark country cottage oak, it just doesn't suit the house. After all, I'm paying for it and doing the job and I did give them a choice on the worktop. They'll like it once it's done.....

The kindest thing to say of our furniture is eclectic. We do have the advantage of an oldish (by Australian standards) shabby house with twelve foot ceilings so can pack quite a bit in.

 

[MMUK]

I can also imagine the likes of Oak Furniture Land making a dent in the market for antiques - appealing to those who value the idea of solid construction but in a contemporary style. My in-laws have a piece from a similar company and it is simply awful; basically scrap wood glued together, no concept of wood movement in the design and generally poor making.
DT

There won't be much of their stuff floating around on the antique market of the future, with what hasn't disintegrated of its own accord, having been discarded as ugly tat. Meanwhile, with so much harm being done to the livelihoods of many a fine craftsperson, let's hope there will still be enough skilled makers around to meet demand, when and if trends change in favour of real furniture again.

Hmmmm. Oak Furniture Land :evil:

Has anyone seen what is inside them or how they're made? Solid oak it maybe but table legs, for instance, are made up from hundreds of individual pieces stuck together like a Lego set :roll: It's all the waste offcuts that proper craftsmen don't use :evil:

 

[bugbear]

Hmmmm. Oak Furniture Land :evil:

Has anyone seen what is inside them or how they're made? Solid oak it maybe but table legs, for instance, are made up from hundreds of individual pieces stuck together like a Lego set :roll: It's all the waste offcuts that proper craftsmen don't use :evil:

I imagine they've made a LARGE investment in automated machinery that will work
with small stock (branch wood), working it down to normalised sizes,
then glueing back up into usable pieces for furniture.

This (in effect) gives them access to a source of raw materials
that nobody else is competing for, hence the low prices.

It's similar to what Ercol did, when they found a way
to season and stabilise Elm for furniture use (long ago).

BugBear

 

[morfa]

Hmmmm. Oak Furniture Land :evil:

Has anyone seen what is inside them or how they're made? Solid oak it maybe but table legs, for instance, are made up from hundreds of individual pieces stuck together like a Lego set :roll: It's all the waste offcuts that proper craftsmen don't use :evil:

Sounds about right. You might as well just buy furniture out of plywood if you're using that stuff. Looks orrible as well, all those little bits of wood stuck together (with nasty chemicals and high pressure as well?) to make some kind of odd patch work.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I actually find it offensive when Oak Furniture Land describe their furniture as solid wood - it's random bits of wood stuck together in the same manner as is blockboard, chipboard and plywood - nobody refers to them as 'solid' wood :evil:

For me solid wood furniture is composed of components made from single pieces of wood, (table tops, large panels etc. are obvious exceptions).

Regards Mick

 

[bugbear]

Hi

I actually find it offensive when Oak Furniture Land describe their furniture as solid wood - it's random bits of wood stuck together in the same manner as is blockboard, chipboard and plywood - nobody refers to them as 'solid' wood :evil:

For me solid wood furniture is composed of components made from single pieces of wood, (table tops, large panels etc. are obvious exceptions).

Regards Mick

Sounds more like a gray scale than a yes/no thing to me, with carved from a single block at one end
and MDF at the other.

I'm sure there are people who think jointed table tops are a sign of cheap work.

BugBear

 

[dickm]

It's similar to what Ercol did, when they found a way
to season and stabilise Elm for furniture use (long ago).

Was never sure about the style of Ercol stuff, but it was properly made. About a decade ago, one of their sideboards came up in a charity auction in one of the villages near Milton Keynes, and didn't get a single bid. Was very tempted to buy it as an investment, because Ercol prices seemed to have bottomed out then, and it seemed likely they'd start to rise as people recognised their quality. Probably just as well I didn't buy.............

 

[JimB]

[/quote]
Was never sure about the style of Ercol stuff, but it was properly made. About a decade ago, one of their sideboards came up in a charity auction in one of the villages near Milton Keynes, and didn't get a single bid. Was very tempted to buy it as an investment, because Ercol prices seemed to have bottomed out then, and it seemed likely they'd start to rise as people recognised their quality. Probably just as well I didn't buy............. [/quote]
It's a bit generic classic if you see what I mean. We couldn't afford when first married but have a few pieces now picked up very cheap secondhand. And, as you say, well made.