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Arts & Crafts on Ebay: September 2007
Lots of A&C copper, furniture & various knick-knacks of interest to Arts & Crafts collectors and aficionados up on Ebay this week. I’m not including prices since I’m writing this on Monday and by the time it goes up on Tuesday morning, the current bids may all be a bit higher than they are now; I did try to select only what I thought were underpriced / good bargain items.
copper: Lots of copper, some nice and some crap. Ignore all the "I was told this was Roycroft but it’s unmarked" claims (or this guy, who inexplicably includes the word "Roycroft" in the name of an Joseph Sankey copper pitcher) – they diligently marked all their pieces, and while some of these unmarked pieces are nice items, they are not Roycroft so don’t be tricked into paying a premium for them. Same goes for the folks who list items as "Stickley era" or "possibly Gustav Stickley?" – they’re just using the shotgun approach to get as many people to see the listing as possible, and while you can’t fault their sales acumen, you certainly shouldn’t give money to these ethically-challenged dealers. Here are some attractive pieces which seem to be sold honestly and without the tricks listed above:
- hammered copper platter, 13 inches, nice patina
- hammered copper vase, 8 inches tall
- hammered copper vase, 5 inches tall
- hammered copper urn, Mexican, enormous – 4 feet deep and 32 inches wide!
- copper box with oversized lid, attractive but needs some TLC
- hammered copper candleholder marked JHD or JD
- copper and glass table lamp, Meyda Tiffany (contemporary), after a Roycroft design
furniture: Again, avoid the folks who have no idea what they’re selling. If it seems too good to be true (a Stickley Bros. armchair for $100?), it probably is; there are many dozens of cases of unscrupulous dealers affixing labels or making fake marks on unsigned pieces to drive the price up, so be careful. The following pieces seem to be listed accurately and fairly:
- pair of Limbert chairs – one armchair, one rocker, with vinyl cushions (needing replacement)
- wall mirror with shelf and attractive trim, 36 x 24 inches
- loveseat / settle / sofa, attractive upholstery and spindle sides
lighting: You would be amazed (or maybe not) at the number of jerks who list their cheap made-in-China knockoffs as a "Dirk van Erp original." However, not all ebay sellers are ripoff artists:
- copper and glass table lamp, Meyda Tiffany (contemporary), after a Roycroft design
- oak & mica table lamp, very pretty design and materials
- floor lamp, oak and mica, octagonal shade
architectural salvage & etc.
- entry door & sidelights – pretty windows & shelf/lintel
- heavy copper doorbell from Restoration Hardware, new in package
- copper doorhandle & kickplate originally from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin
- mantel, dark stained oak with pretty detail, from 1906 Kentucky house
- wall clock, New Haven Clock Co.
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September Craigslist finds, west coast-centric
It’s interesting how some communities really embrace Craigslist and use it regularly, and some areas hardly touch it. I’ve noticed that many of the midwest and southern states use it rarely – mostly only for employment and rental advertising, while even small cities on both coasts have extremely active Craigslist communities. So, just in case you were wondering why I give short schrift to certain parts of the country in these monthly reports, that’s your answer. Meanwhile, today’s crop:
- library desk with shelves, interesting detail, excellent condition: $950, San Ramon CA
- sideboard with good grain and unique round mirror: $365, Hollywood CA
- Limbert dresser, good condition & nice hardware: $900, San Jose CA
- armchair with high spindle back & leather seat, signed Stickley: $450, Santa Ana CA
- partner desk with shelves and "tug-of-war" drawers: $650, Santa Cruz CA
- pedestal / plant stand, attractive grain: $275, Portland OR
- rocker, leather seat & nice wide slat back: $250, Salinas CA
- rocker, slat back, with velvet seat and back: $40, Tacoma WA
- library table & side chair with some interesting details: $150 for both, Templeton CA
- armoire with interesting detail, mirror on door: $1850, Spokane WA
- settle & armchair, Stickley, matching upholstery: $2500, Northridge CA
- dining table and four spindle-backed sidechairs: $500, Molalla OR
- piano bench designed after a 1910 Stickley design, very attractive: $450, Estacada OR
- cabinet doors or entry door sidelights with pretty stained glass: $275, Seattle WA
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Arts & Crafts on Ebay: August 2007
There are plenty of interesting pieces of A&C furniture and ceramics on Ebay right now – almost 50% more than I usually see up there, with some neat Roycroft pieces and pretty tiles too. Maybe people are cleaning out their own collections this summer, or trying to cover the costs of their rising mortgages by selling off family treasures (I hope not!). Here are some items closing soon that caught my eye:
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Arts & Crafts ceramic tile on ebay
I’ve been getting lots of emails asking for more links to interesting items for sale – on Craigslist, Ebay, at auction or wherever. So this week and next I’ll be posting a lot more like this.
Today, pretty A&C tiles on Ebay – some in bulk, some in frames, some individually:
- green Nouveau patterned tiles (set of 10)
- blue / green Maijolica tiles (set of 10)
- A&C green tree motif tile, "odd inq" mark, 6×6
- another "odd inq" 6×6 tile, this one in a dragonfly motif
- a third "odd inq" tile, river and pine motif, 4×4
- two-piece Van Briggle tile frieze – 100-year-old pattern in new tile, in an oak frame
- pretty little table with four pieces of Malibu or Catalina-style tile inset
- very sharp mourning dove / olive design Motawi tile in a wooden frame
- green/gray relief tile, pelican motif, in an interesting frame
- octagonal cuenca pine / sunset motif tile
- green gingko leaf motif tile, 4×4
- lily-of-the-valley motif tile, 4×8
- gingko design relief tile, green, same maker as previous, 6×6
- reproduction of Grueby design, trees in landscape motif, wood-framed
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Craigslist: Stickley, July 2007
Plenty of Stickley – some contemporary, some antique, and some needing a good amount of TLC – available on Craigslist this week. As always, be careful that you are buying the real deal and aren’t being taken to the cleaner; unless you are confident in your ability to discern authenticity, stick with buying from a reputable dealer.
- very pretty rocker with Nouveau inlay design; Rhode Island – $595
- spindle-sided Morris chair; Palm Springs – $750
- more spindle-sided Morris chairs, these with leather cushions; Los Angeles – $650 for two
- Morris-style rocker; Niantic CT – $850
- rocker & armchair, cushions need work; Palm Springs – $1500
- #729 drop-front desk; Santa Barbara – $2999
- slat-sided Morris-style recliner with custom southwestern upholstery; San Diego – $100
- L & JG side chair, simple design, circa 1910. Seat needs reupholstering; Reno – $385
- #818 server / sideboard; Portland OR – $950
- Quaint Furniture rocker, needs refinish & arm repair; Seattle – $125
- #89 / 91-224 spindle-sided love seat / small settle; Washington DC – $2000
- red label (Stickley Handcraft) rocker, original seat, needs cleaning; Hudson Valley area – $350
- Stickley Bros. metal tagged armchair, slat back, sturdy; Richmond VA – $475
- set of 4 ladder-back sidechairs, Fayetteville stamp; Long Island – $300
- set of 4 wicker-seat sidechairs, need refinish, partially recaned; Brooklyn – $40 each, all for $150
- contemporary Harvey Ellis series cherry, copper & maple dresser; Albany NY – $1500
- red / gold Fayetteville (Stickley Bros.) label drop-front desk; Pittsburgh – $990
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on sale at Amazon
I spend an hour or so a week browsing various online retailers (and Ebay and Craigslist) looking for decent deals on furniture and other items. Here’s what I found on Amazon yesterday:
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Stickley on Craigslist, June 2007
A few choice bits of Stickley from around the country:
- 5 sidechairs, $4000; Las Vegas NV
- Stickley #818 server by Mitch Gillilan, $950; Portland OR
- spindle sofa, $1595 and spindle cube chair, $895; Eugene OR
- 2 armchairs, 4 sidechairs, $3500; Seattle WA
- #729 writing desk, $5900; Santa Barbara CA
- 2 green-upholstered spindle chairs, $1000; San Fernando Valley CA
- rocker in need of repair & refinish, $225; Seattle WA
- Gustav high-back rocker, needs refinish, $650; Hopewell NJ
- wall-mount plate rack, $550; Minneapolis MN
- panel settle, $4000; Minneapolis MN
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Craigslist finds, May 2007: West Coast Edition
Plenty of nice stuff out there if you know where to look. Included for your edification, several bits & pieces of Arts & Crafts furniture, architectural salvage and other related items that I’ve found using the terrific Craigslist search engine Crazedlist.
- refinished Limbert dresser with original copper hardware, $1000 (San Francisco CA)
- document or sample cabinet, $340 (Santa Cruz CA)
- Gustav Stickley ladderback chair, $475 (Santa Cruz CA)
- L & JG Stickley "postal desk" and rocker, $500 ea (Glendora CA)
- set of 4 early Mission Revival / Craftsman side chairs and 1 armchair, $350 (Ventura CA)
- Stickley #729 writing desk, $5900 (Montecito CA)
- round pedestal dining table, $600 (Sherman Oaks CA)
- set of four c1925 Stickley side chairs, $3600 (Las Vegas NV)
- set of two contemporary Stickley spindle-back armchairs, $1300 (Del Mar CA)
- contemporary glass-top Stickley coffee table, $250 (San Diego CA)
- L & JG Stickley armless rocker, $500 (Portland OR)
- another Stickley armless rocker, this one with new-ish leather seat, $250 (Portland OR)
- Stickley Bros. rocker, needs minor repair, $225 (Tacoma WA)
- drop-leaf Mission desk, $275 (Alameda CA)
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for sale: real estate update, May 2007
A few homes that struck me as I was browsing new (to me) search engine Oodle, which lets you look at classifieds at almost every major newspaper in the US (and plenty of not-so-major papers):
- just under a million dollars gets you 2,300 (very pretty) square feet in Pasadena CA;
- about the same amount brings a 4,200 square foot maple, cherry, oak, pecan, stone, brick & stucco bungalow on 100 acres in Royal AR;
- …and a bit under $200,000 gets you a beautiful wood-shingle bungalow in Coos Bay OR;
- a big, beautiful bungalow with two rental units in Long Beach CA for $939,000;
- modest 1922 bungalow for $340k in St. Petersburg FL;
- an equally pretty two-story bungalow for only $76,000 in Fort Wayne IN;
- another one of those just-short-of-hideous faux-Bungalow McMansions; this one is $1.7 million in Chevy Chase MD;
- nicely-restored bungalow for $718,000 in "mid Los Angeles" CA;
- updated & restored bungalow with nice landscaping for $549,000 in Portland OR;
- modest stucco Spanish Revival bungalow in Tucson AZ for $275,000; and a
- very representative stucco Craftsman bungalow in Oakland CA for $539,000.
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new books, April 2007
A number of books which look like they’d be very interesting to Craftsman (and other old-home) aficionados have been released recently. I’ll try to get my hands on copies of some of these for full reviews. If you are a publisher and would like to have your book reviewed here, drop me a line.
- Vintage Cottagesby Molly Hyde English
- Dream Porches and Sunrooms by Michael Snow
- The Green Self-Build Book by Jon Broome
- Arts & Crafts Furniture by the editors of Wood Magazine
- Cabinetmaking: Design & Construction by William P. Spence
- The Homeowner’s Guide to Managing a Renovation by Susan Solakian
- The Reclaimers: A Complete Guide to Salvage by Sally Bevan
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh: The Complete Furniture, Furniture Drawings & Interior Designs by Roger Billcliffe
- Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings by Edward S. Morse
- California Mediterranean by Melba Levick
- Rustic Fireplaces by Ralph Kylloe
- Wooden Houses by Judith Miller
- The New Bungalow Kitchen by Peter Labau
- Wood: Contemporary Houses in Wood by Joaquim Ballarin
- Creating a New Old House by Russell Versaci
- Craftsman & Other Timeless Dream Homes by Designs Direct Publishing
- California Romantica by D. J. Waldie and Diane Keaton
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