I have a civil war era bird's eye maple bedroom set. The set includes a bed with a tall headboard and a footboard, two mirrored dressers, and a cane rocker. I was told by the antique that I had recane the chair that he estimated the value around $4000. How in the world do I sell this thing. We really need the money for more practical items (like a cream separator and butter churn). I want to sell it before it gets damaged (I have 4 small children). I doubt I would have much luck selling such an expensive antique in local papers. Does anyone have experience selling and know how I can get top dollar for this set?

-- Tiffani (cappello@alltel.net), March 07, 2002

Answers

Find a reputable antique auctioneer in your area. They'll be able to give you a value and sell it for you. Or, you could find an antique consignment store. It may sell quicker through an auctioneer, but you're not guaranteed to get what it's worth. Each auction is different depending on the buyer's present. I think you can set a minimum low bid. You're also paying a commission to the auctioneer. You may get a better price through a consignment shop, but it may take longer to sell and the shop will take their percentage. You could also contact an antique shop to see if they'll appraise the items for you (usually about $50 fee for this) and then take that information to list it in the newspaper or find some antique magazines and list it in those. I do know that birdseye maple is extremely sought after by collectors. I need a new bedroom set, but also know that I could not afford it! Good Luck.

-- rose marie wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), March 07, 2002.

Sell it on ebay. Get a appraisal the go for it. Don't worry about shipping or delivery just state in the ad that the buyer is FULLY responsible for making arrangments to claim the purchase within 30 days of sale. Always get your money first, don't accept cash unless you are an expert at detecting counterfiet. Good Luck!

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), March 07, 2002.

Hi Tiffani, I used to have an antique shop and would have given my eye teeth for your bedroom set. I can't really give you much good advice about how to get top dollar, but I will say this...do not sell to the person who appraises your set. Most reputable dealers will not appraise what they want to buy or offer to buy what they appraise. With an antique of this quality perhaps you should contact one of the large auction houses, such as Southeby's. Do not trust small local auction houses, sorry...I am sure there are honest auctioneers out there, but they are few and far between. The dishonest dealings in the antique business were one of the reasons I quit, I cannot live my life that way. "Top dollar" is hard to count on unless you sell privately. The antique dealer or auction house HAS to make a profit to stay in business and it has to be substantial to make the time, space, advertising, etc worthwhile. How long would you keep a job that paid you just what you spent for travel to work and lunch? Do look up some of the good auction houses online, I think that some will do free appraisals of truly good items. I love birdseye maple and your set sounds gorgeous, I wish it could be mine. Good luck.

-- nancy (stoneground@catskill.net), March 07, 2002.

What ya askin for it and where ya located? Cindy

-- Cindy (hollo@bitwisesystems.com), March 07, 2002.

Tiffani--don't sell without all the info! There is a stand for sale on e-bay for $3900 from the 1840's. Your pieces are worth so much! Why not e-mail that seller, who appears very reputable from his ratings and ask his opinion. He is from the Providence RI area.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), March 07, 2002.

Sounds beautiful!

I agree that you should contact Sotheby's. I would also search Ebay's completed auctions to see what similar items from that era have brought.

Sotheby's used to charge a large commission, something like 40%. Probably still do. Ebay charges a fee, but nothing close to the percentage that you would pay to a big auction house. Then there is the problem of transporting the furniture to Chicago or New York or whatever one of their branches Sotheby's wants to sell the piece from.

What I would do first is take some good, sharp photos. If you do not have much experience with photography, find someone who does. Sotheby's will ask to see photos, and you also will need photos if you put it on Ebay.

So, compare the response that you get from Sotheby's, and the results of your Ebay research.

If you decide to put it on Ebay, make sure that your photos are big enough and clear enough to show the grain of the wood, the construction details, and any flaws. If you need to spend some money to get good photos, it's worth it. I've seen some very dark, blurry pictures on Ebay that really fail to communicate anything -- at all -- about the items for sale. Also, it might be helpful for you to buy and / or sell some smaller things on Ebay before you offer your big item. Some folks won't bid on an item if the seller has no feedback.

Another option is to sell the suite at a consignment house in a larger city. I don't know how much percentage these places charge. Make sure you know how much you want for the set. Don't rely on an appraisal from the person who consigns it. They may underprice it just to make certain that it moves.

Above all, be very wary about selling to an antique dealer, no matter how "nice" he or she is. If you do sell to an antique dealer, remember that they normally pay 1/3 of what an item retails for or less... sometimes WAY LESS. Wear you kevlar gloves when shaking hands with them, or you may wind up missing a few fingers!

Best of luck!

Jenny

-- Jenny (jnjonline@earthlink.net), March 07, 2002.

You said you had had the rocker recaned, this will lower the price considerablely have the other pieces been redone or refinished. Are there any dings pieces missing or changed handles. Top money are paid only for the best. Yours could be worth much more than 4000 or much less. Get the professional photos and take them around to good dealers and see what the response is. Several times I have had really unusually items to sell. The wife spends a couple of days doing photos and having them professionally developed. NOT WALMART OR ONE HOUR! and she is a semi professional photographer. I spend a day in the book store looking for ads from upscale shops that specialize in that item. One was a 1890's indian basket, so I got the addresses of several indian artifact shops that only handled the top end of collectables. They were located all across the USA. Sent each a set of 8 photos. Got replies from all 10 that I sent the photos to and found a buyer at my price. Course I had to sell at wholsale but I would never have found a buyer at retail. Cost over a hundred just for the photos but nine of the shops offered to pay for their photos if they could keep them for their collection. Wife considered it a high praise and was glad tolet them keep them. Don't get in a hurry, take your time and if I can help email me

-- David in North Al (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), March 07, 2002.