Fifteen minutes later my phone rang. If I wanted the hutch I could come get it now. As in right now. I told Mr.Dickey he had a job to do and the two of us jumped into the truck and headed to the other end of the Portland area suburbs. He wasn't happy.
We arrived at the address and saw this:
I nearly died. It was beautiful. The wavy glass; the details. My hear stopped beating for a second. The man getting rid of it had stored it in his garage and had planned to do something with it, but never got around to it. They were moving and he didn't want to haul it up to Seattle with him. It did have some damage which is why it was free.
I can fix most of this.
The inside opens up and the drawer pulls out to reveal a little secretary style desk. It also locks. In fact, the entire case locks. He even had TWO keys to go with it. Does it get any better than that?
I will be honest. I want to keep this piece. Part of me looks at it and says I don't even want to paint it. I just want to polish it up and do a little repair and keep it as it is. I think this piece is a good example of my style. It has my name all over it. However, I don't know where I would put it. It is pretty big. I have a few places I could eventually put it, but not at this moment. I have some thinking to do.
In the meantime, I was hoping people could come up with some ideas to help me decide what to do. Would you paint it? Paint part of it? Some things to consider: It is solid wood in some areas, but veneer over solid wood in others. The glass won't come out without a fight so each pane would have to be individually taped. The glass also makes it a little difficult to see what is inside. Also, if I did fix it up how much should I ask for it? China cabinets are a dime a dozen on Craigslist. Some are free and other people are asking over $1000 for them. I am not sure if they are selling for that much, but what would a good price be for this? Would it sell? Decisions, decisions, decisions. Help me.
*I posted a question on Ask Experts about the value of this and one response says it is worth at least $1000. I told Mr.Dickey this and he said, "Well don't paint it and keep it." I think I have made a decision.
Wow and WOW! Lucky you. That is a thrilling find! I wouldn't paint it - it seems so regal in its current state. I think you could put it on craigslist for $500 or so - I don't think I'd pay $1000 for it. But I troll the free section of craigslist, too, so I'm not an exemplary buyer! Have fun with it!
ReplyDeleteMaggie
www.crunchydiva.com
It's beautiful! If I were you, I would polish it up, and probably would make some light colored pop-in peices for the back of the shelves to brighten it up a bit. (You know, where you cut out cardboard or something stiff to the size of the back of the shelf and cover with fabric or paper) (Visiting from MMS) :)
ReplyDeleteThis piece is absolutely stunning! I guess I'd look to gather some information/history of the piece. Can you see who the manufacturer is or is it so old there is no stamp embedded in the piece with identifying marks? If you determine it is a high end piece, how adept are you at refinishing? If you decide not to keep it, do you have a venue to offer custom work? It is a big piece, but there may be a buyer out there who has the perfect spot, need, design for such a piece.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it...and keep us posted on what you decide!
It is Maddox piece. An on line expert said it was from the 1950s-70s. I think it is older....most likely the thirties. I am going to clean it up and keep it. I will be getting rid of two pieces to do so, but I think it is worth it!
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