We have a settle that is mission style among other mission pieces. We would like to sell our furniture but we are not sure of the make or value of the pieces. Any suggestions on the value or make of the attached picture?
Thank you...

Have your pieces been refinished? It looks like through tenons on the front support/legs of your couch. Massive wood, great grain, awesome design.

Could you give us length, height, width, etc. so that those of us with catalogues can look it up for you?

Bev.

I've combined your two messages into one - just to keep things organized; Freds comments from the other message below:

FZweig
Member
Posted 04-18-07 09:51 AM Hide Post
Kathleen,

What a great piece. It looks as if the upholstery is original Very massive construction and I am certain someone here may be able to give you a clue on manufacturer and even possible value.

Thanks for sharing and please show us anything you have. It is such a treat to see what is out there.

Fred
Posts: 529 | Location: Tucson, AZ | Registered: 01-19-01

Great looking pieces.

Quick checks of reference matches - The settle has the Gus look but the tenons aren't exactly right, but it could be a Lifetime model 614 3/4. Dimensions would really help and the number of slats along the back (assuming slats and not a rail). It looks like maybe a repair along the top of the front rail, or is this original - looks like a glue joint? The daybed looks to be bang on for an L&JG Stickley model 292. Are the tenons pegged on this one - hard to tell in the pic? Dimensions again would help.

Here a re dimensions-
Daybed 30"w, 81"L, 28"h
Settle 36"w, 78"L, 30"h
Here are some new angles of each piece.
Also, here is another piece we have - Morris chair.
Thanks...

Kathlene,

You can send these unwanted pieces of furniture to me. I will even pay for shipping.


These are great pieces. Hope you have great luck selling them.

Fred

Fred,
Do I sense some sarcasm? There are a few more pieces would you like me to send them as well? Are you truly interested or are you simply admiring?

Kathleen

The daybed dimensions are off by 1 inch in the length and the 2 L&JG catalog pics I have are just a teeny bit different re tenons and pegs but that little bit of front post taper is the same. I'll have to check for copy-cat makers here. The settle dimensions don't match Lifetime so more checking needed here as well. The Morris is great and dimensions for this would also help because there are several possibles here - this is a classic shape/design copied my many companies. If I were closer to L.A. I would be in my truck right now....

my immediate impression on the chair is J.M. Young, but i am probably wrong.

great stuff. dont understand why anyone would want to get rid of this.

Kathlene,

These are truely wonderful items and very desirable. I am certain that I could not afford to purchase them and my wife would kill me since we barely have room for the furniture we already own. Keep posting the images.

Fred

For those of you wondering. My hubby purchased our home 8yrs. ago with the furniture. While we appreciate the style, it is not our choice and we are starting a family soon, so it is time for us to have what we find cozy and enjoy.
Kathleen
So, does anyone have ideas of value or best way to sell our pieces??

Have you done a thorough inspection of the pieces from top to bottom and inside and out to check for any labels or makers marks?

Kathleen,

Fantastic furniture!

Folks are going to be hesitant to give you estimates on values for the pieces although someone may go back and look through old auction results for the major auction houses. Just in case you are completely unfamiliar with the value of Arts and Crafts furniture, you are going to get something like 5-10K total for just these three pieces.

Please post more pictures of other pieces. You probably won't get too many people just outright making offers on this forum on larger pieces like these due to shipping and their high cost. Smaller pieces may be another story. More pics!

Others probably have better input but your options for selling include: Ebay, craigslist, private A&C dealers, and the major A&C auction houses. Maybe others can fill in the pros and cons of each. One issue is how much time and effort you want to put into getting the most possible money out of your furniture. If those are not major concerns a local A&C dealer is probably your best bet. If one is nearby and has the resources they will probably buy up your whole lot. However, depending on what others figure out about the makers you may want to turn to an auction house or other option if you have a real high value piece... comments from others? I'm just throwing out general info here.

more pics!

Here is a picture of one of 2 rocking chairs we have. I will begin my thorough check on all pieces for markings, but in the past we have not found anything. I have contacted Jim at Detelich Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. Anyone familiar with him? Oh yeah, and what kind of labels or maker marks should I look for?

Wow, more great stuff.

You are looking for decals, paper labels, or branded marks, from a couple square inches to a few square inches, on the back, underneath, or inside rails or legs. After a bunch of searching I can't pinpoint the settle or the Morris chair exactly but they are obviously good pieces. The daybed has to be L.&J.G. Stickley - auction price $4000.00, from Rago/Craftsman:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/s/lot-330659.html?q=L.%2...raftsmanauctions&t=a

I'm going to guess that the settle and Morris are Cortland/Phoenix/Karpen type 2nd tier companies and value range for each is $2000.00 - $3000.00. This range would be a tad higher if we could peg a big name but nothing LJG Stickley/S. Bros./Lifetime/Limbert/Young seems to be an exact match from the catalogs (would be higher still for Gus Stickley, but no luck here).

From the looks of the background in the rocker picture, you have an even bigger collection. As a result, give the big Arts and Crafts Auction houses in the east a try, because it might be worth it to ship the lot at once. The one to start with is: http://www.craftsman-auctions.com/

..I'll see if I can find that rocker - a pic without the back cushion and on an angle from the side would be best

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecat:

You are looking for decals, paper labels, or branded marks, from a couple square inches to a few square inches, on the back, underneath, or inside rails or legs.

Maybe even smaller than that if there is just a remnant of a tag remaining. Paper labels (tacked or glued), metal tags, decals, even brandings or stampings. Even the absense of a past label that may have left a distinct shadow could help narrow down the shape of an original label. Use a flashlight, as some decals (such as Gustav's red 'A' vice) can disappear into the stain/grain sometimes and hide from the eye.

quote:

After a bunch of searching I can't pinpoint the settle or the Morris chair exactly but they are obviously good pieces. The daybed has to be L.&J.G. Stickley - auction price $4000.00, from Rago/Craftsman:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/s/lot-330659.html?q=L.%2...raftsmanauctions&t=a

Don't get too excited, as that auction price was based on original finish and condition with a decal.

quote:

I'm going to guess that the settle and Morris are Cortland/Phoenix/Karpen type 2nd tier companies and value range for each is $2000.00 - $3000.00. This range would be a tad higher if we could peg a big name but nothing LJG Stickley/S. Bros./Lifetime/Limbert/Young seems to be an exact match from the catalogs (would be higher still for Gus Stickley, but no luck here).

Is it me, or does the settle have a modern reproduction look to it? Almost a shiny lightness in color and crispness to the edges. It doesn't have that aged look like the daybed does. It's too bad it doesn't have more details to make it easier to identify. It's almost plain looking (with the exception of the through tenons). The morris chair in contrast has the long front and back corbels as well as the matching pairs of pyramid through dimples on the paddle arms, which taper in the back with a bar style rod on square top pegs. Are the back slats horizontal or vertical, and how many of them?

quote:

From the looks of the background in the rocker picture, you have an even bigger collection.

I had the same thought...for someone that isn't partial to A&C style, you sure have a lot of it, enough to make the rest of us collectors envious. If you end up buying something brand new instead, keep in mind that most of today's furniture is no where near as good of quality. I saw a local news story where they went and bought a bunch of expensive new furniture from high end places like Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, etc. and then torn it apart to see how it was made, and of course it was all cheap materials. They even found cardboard as framing supports inside some sofas. Most of the modern furniture woods are asia continent species (where the factories are now located) and tend to be high moisture fibers (due to their wet local climate overseas) which then flake and crack after being in north american climate after a while and dry out. Caveat emptor...

This daybed looks pretty good in terms of original finish - can you confirm that its never been overcoated or refinished, might be tricky if you don't know what to look for, but maybe the past owner left you with info? The lack of a mark doesn't really matter too much if a good auction house confirms the ID and provides this with the invoice to the buyer.

The settle does look a little on the newish side but its pretty big and how many shops are making something this big with so much 1/4 cut, these days - not many I assume but you never know.

I checked a couple refs for the rocker but nothing popped up as a clean match.

Hi, guys. I see everyone has been busy today drooling over all of this furniture.

To find the shop marks, lift off the bottom cushions on the chairs, etc., and check the inside back rail. Often, a stamp or logo is hidden by the cushions. Turn the furniture upside down and look in every nook and cranny. Any evidence of a manufacturer could increase the value of your furniture.

It is possible that the settle is a modern Stickely reproduction piece. They use the grain like that and often tweak the measurements just a bit. Their modern finishes are very shiny.

The big auction houses make trips through the US picking up items. So that would take care of shipping the furnitue.

But seriously, think about keeping the furniture. Just get more cushions made to child proof them. When the little ones start teething, oak is a lot harder, doesn't show the teeth marks as much as softer woods and will hold up well with a house full of kids. The furniture is heavy enought that they can't push it across the room. The smell of spit up and old apple juice never comes out of fabric. It just wipes off leather.


Bev.

You all crack me up..

They are beautiful pieces...

I am 38, so I don;t reall remember this but I am told that 20-30 years ago.. mission pieces were sold dirt cheap and even discarded.. A lady I worked with told me her mother had given her a whole Prairie set.. I guess it was 8-10 pieces of furniture.. and she ended up selling it at a yard sale..

I think the point here is 'you don;t have ordinary furniture' .. so don;t sell them as ordinary pieces.. although selling the pieces, you may be kicking yourself later.. If you go to the library, learn a little about the pieces you have.. you will really develop an appriciation. I have my 2nd child on the way as well.. and know how kids can be.. there are really no sharp corners for a child to get hurt.. and Lord knows the way it is built.. there is no way a child can hurt the furniture!

quote:

Originally posted by HouseOfYesteryear:
You all crack me up..

..sort of like circling vultures...LOL

I like the comments about child-proofing, but I think it's the big kids doing the drooling!