Wednesday, April 29, 2009
ORIGINAL FURNITURE DESIGNS VS. NEW COPIES
The Financial Times of London checked prices to see if it was better to buy original 1920s-60s furniture or 2009 copies. Much of this furniture has full patent protection for the designs. Some copies are authorized by the original maker; others are unauthorized knockoffs that may be of lesser quality. The new licensed Egg chair by Arne Jacobsen sells for about $4,675, the "inspired by" knockoff for about $1,170. The new licensed Eames lounge chair and ottoman goes for about $8,750, the "inspired by" knockoff for about $730. An old original 1950s chair in excellent condition is an investment that will hold its value (an original old Eames lounge chair and ottoman in perfect condition sells at auction for about $7,000). A new licensed or "inspired by" chair is just used furniture with low resale value.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
"A new licensed or "inspired by" chair is just used furniture with low resale value. "
While a new reproduction piece, licensed or not, may have low resale value, it is not, strictly speaking, "used." That seems a confusing way to put it.
The best source I've found for authentic vintage 1950s, 60s & 70s modern furniture and accessories is the MODERNICUS company in Alexandria, VA. You can view a selection of their current offerings at www.Modernicus.com.
If you want to buy a chair to sit in, a knock-off is OK. If you are a collector, then you want the original. My favorite example is the Mies van der Rohe “Barcelona” chair. There are some documentable very early versions that do bring a premium, and current ones that are produced to Mies' original specifications still sell for half of the retail price at auction. I have seen the knock-offs that show the welds around the X-frame and weigh half of what the originals do, and some that have shown rust. At least they are recyclable.
That said…
I do trust the Kovel's depth of knowledge and experience, but having been in the fine arts and antiques world for 30+ years I have learned never to tell anyone that "an original old” ANYTHING "in excellent condition is an investment that will hold its value”
You can buy an Eames chair or a painting for similar reasons ~ to own and enjoy. No one can tell us what it will be worth in 20 years. My guess would be if you bought $10,000 worth of chairs today that you would have had a great value of use in 20 years, and break even for inflation, but if you bought $10,000 of a fund to track the stock market today, you would be ahead of the game (or at least have had the opportunity to sell for a good profit).
What did ever happen to the Beanie Babies market?
Post a Comment