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WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was surprised to learn just how much his grandmother’s chairs were really worth, after nearly chucking them out.
Expert Jad Attal was presented with two chairs by a guest on the PBS daytime series who had inherited the pieces of furniture and was curious to know their true value.
But if it wasn’t for his fiance stepping in, he wouldn’t have anything to take to Antiques Roadshow.
“I think the Eames chairs are from the 1960s or so”, he said.
“My grandma gave them to me when she was getting older and moving into an assisted living home.
“They wouldn’t fit in my car, it’s a small coupe, and I was trying to throw them away, and my fiance luckily said: ‘I’ll take them apart and put them in my car.’
“So I brought them home and they’ve just kind of been sitting in my studio. My grandma paid $5 for them.”
Read more: Antiques Roadshow guest annoyed as he ‘unfortunately’ can't sell pricey heirloom
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When asked by Attal if he had an idea of what time period they were from, the visitor predicted 1960s.
“They’ve been around my whole life, I’m 42, she’s 95, and I remember these chairs at her house.”
But to his surprise, they were created several years before this, with Attal explaining: “So they are by Charles and Ray Eames. They’re a little earlier than you think, they’re 1949.
“So the design came about in 1947. It was a MoMA design competition.
“It was about good quality, modern design and low expense, so cheap furniture for the masses but great quality.
“What makes these chairs special is that they really are from 1949. Really the earliest iteration of this chair.”
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Attal commented that he knew they were an early edition of this make of chair, because of several factors.
These included the early label which stated: “Herman Miller-Zenith Plastics collaboration in 1949”, as well as the pucks, also known as shock mounts, on the bottom.
These would allow for the base to be taken off and interchanged with other bases.
It was also the colour which gave it away with Attal presenting a flashlight to demonstrate how translucent it was.
He said: “If we had a sunny day, you’d be able to see this without a flashlight but you’ll see here a little bit of transparency in the grain.
“And almost immediately, that was changed in the latter generations, because they went to darker colours. This colour was called parchment.”
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While he commented on how the chairs were in “great shape”, the expert did point out a fault.
“Now, I did notice of the two chairs, this one here has a crack. That affects how collectors appreciate the chair.
“However, you should be pleased that you didn’t put them to the trash.”
The guest said he believed they were worth somewhere between $500 and $1,000.
To this, Attal concluded: “You’re pretty close. They’re a little bit more, even though there is a crack there.
“Had they been in perfect shape, the auction value would have been about $2,000.
“Now, due to the crack here, we’re closer to about $1,500 for the pair.”
Smiling, the guest replied: “Wow, cool. Not bad for five bucks.”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on PBS.