Art Modern Era Furniture Strong on eBay

The market on eBay for all-things-Modern continues to generate interest among collectors and designers as indicated by several recent successful listings for mid century designer furniture. In the last two weeks alone, several choice examples of Eames / Herman Miller chairs and lounge / ottoman sets have sold on eBay. What follows are a few examples of those as well as some other Mid Century Modern items of interest. (click any photo for a larger image).

This set of Four Original Charles Eames designed Dining Chairs, manufactured by the Evan s Products Company Molded Plywood Division, sold for a Best Offer of $4639 on Oct 30th. These chairs were extremely popular in the 1950's so many of them have survived. However, they do bring a premium when preserved as sets with the original finish in good condition like these chairs.

Two good examples of the iconic #670 Eames lounge chair & ottoman sets sold recently on eBay. First, a Herman Miller Eames Rosewood Lounge Chair Ottoman with black leather upholstery and bent rosewood in excellent condition, sold for $5000 (Buy It Now) on Oct 31 and an Eames Rosewood 670 Lounge Chair/Ottoman with gray upholstery also designed and built by Herman Miller, sold for a Best Offer of $3,000.00 on Nov 2nd

Eames lounge chairs continue to draw interest and there are usually at least one or two available on eBay every few weeks. If you are considering acquiring an example, always look for those that are good to excellent condition, and of course, think eBay first!

It's always a bit disconcerting to find items on eBay that are considered "antique" and were also manufactured during your childhood. Although not quite considered "Art Modern", this molded fiberglass and tubular steel 1960's Pop era Laverne Tulip chair, designed by Erwin and Estelle Laverne, is nonetheless a top example of hard-to-find 20th century design. It sold for a Buy It Now price of $2900 on Oct 31. The chair, which swivels on a tubular stell base, would be the perfect foil for Barbarella.

Another highly sought name in Modern furniture, this pair of Milo Baughman Tufted Armchairs sold for a Best Offer of $2100 on Nov 2. They chairs have been professionally reupholstered in appropriate fabric to match the period. Considering the cost of a good upholstery job, these chairs were a definite good deal.

The increasing interest and prices for good Danish Modern furniture is exemplified in this set of six John Stuart Dining Chairs by Arne Vodder that sold for one bid of $1800 on Nov 1 Though the prices for Danish Modern have risen dramatically over the last decade (remember when thrift stores couldn't give this stuff away?), the best examples are still affordable and available, at least for now.

And finally, another icon of the Modernist design era, this single Zenith PAW Eames Herman Miller Shell  Chair circa 1948 sold for a Best Offer of $1500 on Oct 29

As the seller stated in their description: the "...Shell is an extremely early (c. 1948) rope edge example..." the condition of the wood base and plastic shell along with the superb sage green color make this a highly desirable example of the type.

You can always find current listings for Art Modern furniture and decorations by using the keyword "modern*" as a search term in the Antiques > Furniture category. This will display a wide range of furniture of every type and from every designer/manufacturer where the seller has used the word "modern" in their title, which mid century sellers most do. To explore a larger selection, including listings without the word "modern" in their titles, navigate to the Antiques > Furniture category and select "Mid Century Modern" from the option drop down list under Furniture Finder.

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Next time in the Antiques & Collectibles News...Antique Cameras and Film

By the way, this is the first edition of The  Antique and Collectibles News, a new column here on The Chatter. In this column, we will share news of recently-closed auction listings of interest on eBay for a wide range of categories in Antiques and Collectibles. We'll also publish general news and information about the antiques and collectibles business on eBay. In the future, we'll add additional columns and articles focusing on other eBay categories.

If you are an expert in a particular field of collecting or dealing in antiques and collectibles, enjoy writing, and would like to contribute content to this new column, please contact Griff at griff@ebay.com. All submissions will be considered.