How on earth to sell this object?
July 12, 2012 7:37 AM Subscribe
How best to value and sell a beautiful, large, fragile antique desk in the suburban Chicago area?
Asking for a relative! My relative has inherited a very tall antique desk. It's somewhere over 100 years old, has a roll top, drawers and compartments in the base and a very tall, fragile, glass-fronted cabinet as the top half. I assume that it was made by a skilled provincial carpenter, as it is nicely made, obviously not mass-produced but does not have inlays or gilded trim or anything Robber Baron-ish. It belonged to our wealthy immigrant side of the family (although the money was lost in the 1930s, there are still plenty of oddments around), but was made in the US and purchased in the Chicago area. I don't know if there is a maker's mark - it's a bulky piece and can't really be moved without a lot of effort. It's in good condition.
My relative does not want to keep it - it's exceedingly bulky, fragile and hard to move, and thus does not fit at all with my relative's lifestyle - also, lord knows we have inherited plenty of material objects of sentimental value from that side of the family.
My relative lives outside Chicago and does not have a car. What is the best way to get as fair a value as possible for the desk? If we sell it ourselves, what is the best way to figure out an asking price?
Asking for a relative! My relative has inherited a very tall antique desk. It's somewhere over 100 years old, has a roll top, drawers and compartments in the base and a very tall, fragile, glass-fronted cabinet as the top half. I assume that it was made by a skilled provincial carpenter, as it is nicely made, obviously not mass-produced but does not have inlays or gilded trim or anything Robber Baron-ish. It belonged to our wealthy immigrant side of the family (although the money was lost in the 1930s, there are still plenty of oddments around), but was made in the US and purchased in the Chicago area. I don't know if there is a maker's mark - it's a bulky piece and can't really be moved without a lot of effort. It's in good condition.
My relative does not want to keep it - it's exceedingly bulky, fragile and hard to move, and thus does not fit at all with my relative's lifestyle - also, lord knows we have inherited plenty of material objects of sentimental value from that side of the family.
My relative lives outside Chicago and does not have a car. What is the best way to get as fair a value as possible for the desk? If we sell it ourselves, what is the best way to figure out an asking price?
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You can call a local auction house and see what they have to say about it. They can move it to the auction, and deal with all of that mishegoss for you.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:13 AM on July 12, 2012