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.