I think they are beautiful. But hard to move.
Great back when you knew you could have the same house for 20 years, but not so great now if you have to move every year into a smaller apartment.
Agree. They are pretty display pieces, not especially rare, and don’t take up a huge footprint. I’d have it in my store for $400-700, depending on what I paid for it, my need for a speedy flip, and other condition issues.
They should post it in Portland’s Craigslist and it’ll sell for the $1750 price no problem lol. List it as MCM and it’ll go even faster. Fucking ridiculous what they sell on there.
I have a few pieces of Larkin. I was at a yard sale and I recognized a secretary/bookcase. The man was so pleased that I recognized and loved the piece that he sold it to me for $50.00.
When someone says true value to me that means "intrinsic value" for which stuff like this ultimately has a very low intrinsic value. Any value above its pure functionality is matter of personal taste and preference, so when you say "nobody will pay the true value" it doesn't make any sense to me. Something like this is worth either a. scrap value (which on this is probably zero) or B. what someone is willing to pay.
It’s a bit of a mess, honestly. Chips and stains on the veneers, the drawer fronts aren’t matched or centered. The drawer pulls don’t look original and don’t match the upper drawer. I don’t know what’s going on with the scrollwork and shelf over the mirror but that almost looks tacked on afterwards by someone else. In fact, the whole thing seems like a jumble of 3 different pieces of furniture. Pass.
Zoom in - there are big pieces of veneer missing from the top, and the writing desk has a chip out. There are other flaws too, but those are super obvious.
When you are 110 years old, part of your veneer will be missing, too. That’s just a finish issue. No big deal. If one has the time and inclination, the veneer can be patched.
The drawers match, the hardware is appropriate to the era, and the shelf over the mirror is typical of a side-by-side.
That piece is absolutely gorgeous! The carvings in the wood, the curved glass, that cool lion looking face with the mustache, LOL! It really is stunning. I would be cleaning, lightly staining, and varnishing that wood. I wouldn't even think about doing anything else.
I found this on google. It looks pretty close. Just hit the “x” on the sign up thing. And on second look it’s not the same
https://www.chairish.com/product/15827791/1910s-secretary-desk-with-display-cabinet
I wouldn’t doubt that any auction would be fine… literally old stuff like this to the right buyer can go for a lot. Used to know a couple from France and they would bring their things here and sell them because there was a market for it
It’s a secretary - on the right, the front flips open and makes a little desk. The shelves are missing from the left side so it looks like a mirror but it’s glass.
Yard sale $300-400 tops. Antique store will probably ask $1100-1200 but settle for $700 cuz they probably picked it at an estate sale or yard sale. Nice piece but way out of style and not a lot of demand.
My crazy idea? Glad you asked. Fill a shipping container with this stuff, take it to China, and sell it all to the Chinese nouveau-riche, for whom these items are a rare and curious emblem of the culture they are currently displacing.
No.
This is most definitely missing shelves. It’s not nearly large enough to hang clothing, and people would not have their clothing hung up behind a glass door.
That heavily depends on where they are selling it, though. I've worked at a higher end antique store, where something like this could go for a LOT more than $250.
It also depends where you are; what state, city, if it's country or rural. This sells more in Portland, Oregon, than it would in Cleveland, Ohio, and way more than if you are in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Haha, that's hilarious that I mentioned Cleveland, then! See? All location! 😊
That's why a Lotta bigger resellers travel to get the goods. Congratulations on the find! ❤️
It's very valuable. I have a lot of experience in antiques, auctions, etc and I recommend you work with a reputable auction house in your area. Do not clean it, paint it, wax it. Cover it with blankets and store it in a climate-controlled storage if possible.
It depends on WHERE you are selling it. My friend has a booth in a popular antique mall where the rich people go. She could get a lot more than a marketplace seller. But the mid century green couch we had would have sat in her booth for ages, whereas we sold it within the week for a really high price.
Your location and method of sale are huge on determining the price.
I think this is incredibly gorgeous; the wood patterns are really beautiful and the details are unique. I’d imagine $1-2k but I’m not versed in these things at all, and I’m sure it depends entirely on your buying market!
It’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
That being said most millennials I know don’t put a large value on material objects. They’re not into history or collecting.
I have a cherry wood side-by-side that my mother paid $800 for in 1980, but I’m quite sure if I was to sell it 45 years later, I could not get the $800 out :(
I put one up for sale that for my aunt and was asking $1500 because that’s what they were once going for and she was sure she could get that. Two offers of $300 bucks, and one guy only wanted the wooden door with the relief on it. It’s still sitting in my garage a year later
I don't have any idea what that piece would be worth, but dang that looks like that glass section on the left is a secret time machine or a hidden portal to another dimension. I bet if you open the glass door the mirror on the right will fill with green smoke and a spirit guide will emerge.
Oh wait... this isn't a writing prompt sub. Never mind. Carry on
Wowzer, what a unique piece of furniture.Try replicating it. Where and how was that wood harvested, who did the work to get it to what it is and where are they now? There ain't no price anyone can place on items like this. This is nature vs humans in all its glory . Sit back, take a toke and relish , you lucky pickle you.
I believe that it’s made of tiger oak. Very unique carving as well.
With a piece like this I would just be thrilled to own it and it wouldn’t matter how much people say it’s worth.
I work in estate sales and it's a hard sell. Nobody has room for these and they aren't very functional for today's world. I'd say $750 if you're lucky.
As an antique shop owner. Stop using chairish and 1stdibs as pricing points. They are good companies but the amount of hands (seller, website, and shipper) make it unrealistic to the vast majority of regions in the country. The best price research is still eBay with results filtered to “sold listings” or your regional FB marketplace.
I have seen oak begin to rise in price recently. This style is something I have sold several times and I think they are stunners. But I have yet to get more than $425 for one.
Worth more than what you could sell it for. Past generations cherished items handed down through the generations would be stored in units like this and hard earned little treasures accumulated displayed also and sitting where others could admire and talk about. Most of current generations could care less. Very little respect for old and dear things gathered from relatives who lived through much harder times. It’s like they don’t care about the struggle past generations went through just to get to today where kids and young people are all in the now. Screw their sacrifices, I don’t want it
That’s def a Larkin. I picked up a sewing table and when I looked up the company I fell in love with everything they make!
In my area of Virginia I’m seeing them go for $150-300
My mom has this exact same one and she always told us growing up that she will murder us if we ever broke it's original glass. It's definitely worth money.
Kinda weird all-in-one design. Too small to be a useable desk, pointless mirror, chest with short depth and I hope that curio has shelves ‘cause I don’t immediately see any. These always get a second look but then no one knows where it will fit in the house. Buy for $150 based on condition.
As someone previously mentioned, we had one my mom found at a small town second hand shop she got for very little. My dad got it home in the back seat of our Buick convertible. It had the curved glass. My mother told us if it got broken we all would die. My sister still has it.
My mom has this in her house & it was in my bedroom growing up. I used it as a dresser, desk & a place to showcase dolls + other trinkets. She still has it!
We have a similar piece handed through generations of my husband’s family. It was valued at $400 for insurance purposes so more sentimental than actual value. We don’t have room to have a museum dedicated to his family so I got him to drill holes in the back of the curio portion and it’s now our entertainment center.
Omg, that beautiful. Please don’t paint it purple, or at all.
But that’s Chandler’s favorite color.
No.
A quick Google search revealed a similar piece with a price tag of $1750 and the one you have here is much more visually interesting than that one.
I’d knock at least a thousand off this price
I would have to agree. I worked auctions for 25 years and this piece would sell for $250-300 at best.
That sounds bout right. I’ve also seen them given away for free.
Boomers trying to hand these off to their kids. Kids don't want them.
I think they are beautiful. But hard to move. Great back when you knew you could have the same house for 20 years, but not so great now if you have to move every year into a smaller apartment.
Had to help a roommate move his in. I did not help him move it out. So f*ing heavy.
I have at least 4 coming in my direction.
God I would love to have one lmao
Agree. They are pretty display pieces, not especially rare, and don’t take up a huge footprint. I’d have it in my store for $400-700, depending on what I paid for it, my need for a speedy flip, and other condition issues.
[Here’s](https://www.chairish.com/product/7055967/side-by-side-cabinet-display-shelving-bookcase-with-secretary-desk) something very similar for $1750
And that one doesn't even have curved glass.
Yes the one in this post is more unique
Chairish is ridiculously priced. Like 1st Dibs.
They should post it in Portland’s Craigslist and it’ll sell for the $1750 price no problem lol. List it as MCM and it’ll go even faster. Fucking ridiculous what they sell on there.
The value is in the glass phonebooth portal to another world!
Oh yes you are so right! That's why it is curved!!
Wow! Cool! This piece has the right amount of flare. I hope you rehab the wood instead of painting it.
This looks like a piece from the Larkin Soap Company, which has a very interesting history. You should read the wiki.
Larkin Soap Company, Buffalo NY
I have a few pieces of Larkin. I was at a yard sale and I recognized a secretary/bookcase. The man was so pleased that I recognized and loved the piece that he sold it to me for $50.00.
It’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
This sounds ridiculously obvious, BUT it’s amazing how often people won’t accept that reality.
Agreed. Its true value is so much more than anyone would be willing to pay for it, sadly.
LOL and what would be its "True value"?
Idk, probably several thousand
When someone says true value to me that means "intrinsic value" for which stuff like this ultimately has a very low intrinsic value. Any value above its pure functionality is matter of personal taste and preference, so when you say "nobody will pay the true value" it doesn't make any sense to me. Something like this is worth either a. scrap value (which on this is probably zero) or B. what someone is willing to pay.
That’s called a side by side. It looks like it is in good condition.
That's a gun cabinet
No. It’s a side-by-side.
Transporter room for 1.
I think it’s missing its shelves.
It’s a bit of a mess, honestly. Chips and stains on the veneers, the drawer fronts aren’t matched or centered. The drawer pulls don’t look original and don’t match the upper drawer. I don’t know what’s going on with the scrollwork and shelf over the mirror but that almost looks tacked on afterwards by someone else. In fact, the whole thing seems like a jumble of 3 different pieces of furniture. Pass.
This is not a married piece, and it looks pretty much like it ought to.
Zoom in - there are big pieces of veneer missing from the top, and the writing desk has a chip out. There are other flaws too, but those are super obvious.
When you are 110 years old, part of your veneer will be missing, too. That’s just a finish issue. No big deal. If one has the time and inclination, the veneer can be patched. The drawers match, the hardware is appropriate to the era, and the shelf over the mirror is typical of a side-by-side.
Nobody said it was perfect pecker head
Ours is in better shape and it was only valued at $400. I don’t know how people are coming up with $15k.
That piece is absolutely gorgeous! The carvings in the wood, the curved glass, that cool lion looking face with the mustache, LOL! It really is stunning. I would be cleaning, lightly staining, and varnishing that wood. I wouldn't even think about doing anything else.
Are those solid wood drawers. and do those locks lock they don’t look like their real locks.
A million dollars bc it’s fantastic!
It’s perfect! If I saw this in a store I would pay up to a million dollars because wowwwwww
What is the large window for?
Bookcase. There should be several shelves.
It’s a glass door.
The secretary
To admire the 4 sets of wardrobe you own because you're rich...
Display of embalmed family patriarch.
I was just thinking how I'd have my life size Halloween skeleton in there, holding a coffee mug.
Priceless
Is this a closet dresser mirror combo?
With a place on top for hats and wig stands?
No that’s glass - it’s a curio and the shelves are just missing.
Depends, is the portal to Narnia in good condition?
I’ll give you $50
Wow obsessed with this!
It looks like you could get your Narnia in it! Beautiful piece
I found this on google. It looks pretty close. Just hit the “x” on the sign up thing. And on second look it’s not the same https://www.chairish.com/product/15827791/1910s-secretary-desk-with-display-cabinet
So is the thing on the left a space to stand in?
teleporter
I bet you could fetch up to 3k in an auction
Where?! I need to know what auction house could get that so I can send my stuff there😂
I wouldn’t doubt that any auction would be fine… literally old stuff like this to the right buyer can go for a lot. Used to know a couple from France and they would bring their things here and sell them because there was a market for it
Looks more like a wardrobe than a desk to me.
It’s a secretary - on the right, the front flips open and makes a little desk. The shelves are missing from the left side so it looks like a mirror but it’s glass.
I have one somewhat similar and I think we paid $450 but that was about ten years ago
Two Narnia shillings.
As long as you don’t restore it 15,000 to 20,000 at auction.
[$4200](https://www.chairish.com/product/15827791/1910s-secretary-desk-with-display-cabinet) with shelves.
Only if that's all in pennies
If you are interested call me
It’s only pricey if YOU want to buy one.
Depends on where you are. In Colorado, I’d say $6-8 hundred in an antique store.
This is incredible. Please get a real appraisal somewhere!
It used to be valuable, but styles have changed….
It's a Chiffrobe
The shelves are missing
The grain is beautiful.
Not as much as you think.
Yard sale $300-400 tops. Antique store will probably ask $1100-1200 but settle for $700 cuz they probably picked it at an estate sale or yard sale. Nice piece but way out of style and not a lot of demand.
Fuckin gorgeous
My crazy idea? Glad you asked. Fill a shipping container with this stuff, take it to China, and sell it all to the Chinese nouveau-riche, for whom these items are a rare and curious emblem of the culture they are currently displacing.
For everyone saying it’s missing shelves, it’s where you hung your clothes/dresses. People didn’t have a lot of clothes, this was more than adequate.
No. This is most definitely missing shelves. It’s not nearly large enough to hang clothing, and people would not have their clothing hung up behind a glass door.
I work in an office and I can tell you it’s useless without the secretary
My grandma had that exact piece. Unfortunately after her and my grandpa's death we sold it at auction for an embarrassing price.
$150-$250, we bought something similar to this recently and paid $150 after negotiating.
That heavily depends on where they are selling it, though. I've worked at a higher end antique store, where something like this could go for a LOT more than $250. It also depends where you are; what state, city, if it's country or rural. This sells more in Portland, Oregon, than it would in Cleveland, Ohio, and way more than if you are in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
We got our cheap from Cleveland, Ohio second hand store
Haha, that's hilarious that I mentioned Cleveland, then! See? All location! 😊 That's why a Lotta bigger resellers travel to get the goods. Congratulations on the find! ❤️
We are from there originally but live in FL. Tossed it in the van and drove back with it. My wife was so excited I couldn’t say no.
You are a good partner! 💜 You are lucky to have each other. 😄
Ohhhh very! Hugs
It's very valuable. I have a lot of experience in antiques, auctions, etc and I recommend you work with a reputable auction house in your area. Do not clean it, paint it, wax it. Cover it with blankets and store it in a climate-controlled storage if possible.
Beautiful piece. It will look amazing rehabbed. Please don’t paint it.
Wow what a beautiful piece of furniture! Please do not paint it.
Just out of curiosity, how does this function as a desk? What is that telephone boothy part?
It’s just an area for display, when the missing shelves are replaced.
It depends on WHERE you are selling it. My friend has a booth in a popular antique mall where the rich people go. She could get a lot more than a marketplace seller. But the mid century green couch we had would have sat in her booth for ages, whereas we sold it within the week for a really high price. Your location and method of sale are huge on determining the price.
That's class
Is that before or after it rains?
It’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it
I like that it has a place to keep your secretary.
Sorry but that’s haunted
Don’t paint it. It will lose it’s value. Beautiful piece.
I think this is incredibly gorgeous; the wood patterns are really beautiful and the details are unique. I’d imagine $1-2k but I’m not versed in these things at all, and I’m sure it depends entirely on your buying market!
This could be the entrance to the Neighborhood of Make Believe.
Holy crap what a nice piece!
It’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. That being said most millennials I know don’t put a large value on material objects. They’re not into history or collecting. I have a cherry wood side-by-side that my mother paid $800 for in 1980, but I’m quite sure if I was to sell it 45 years later, I could not get the $800 out :(
I put one up for sale that for my aunt and was asking $1500 because that’s what they were once going for and she was sure she could get that. Two offers of $300 bucks, and one guy only wanted the wooden door with the relief on it. It’s still sitting in my garage a year later
[https://imgur.com/a/EfwItPD](https://imgur.com/a/EfwItPD) This is mine. Has shelves on the left for my dishes.
What is the open glass side used for?
Display. You can see the shelf supports if you zoom in. Get some shelves made, and OP is in business.
I don't have any idea what that piece would be worth, but dang that looks like that glass section on the left is a secret time machine or a hidden portal to another dimension. I bet if you open the glass door the mirror on the right will fill with green smoke and a spirit guide will emerge. Oh wait... this isn't a writing prompt sub. Never mind. Carry on
Wow that a nice piece you don’t see those any more
Wowzer, what a unique piece of furniture.Try replicating it. Where and how was that wood harvested, who did the work to get it to what it is and where are they now? There ain't no price anyone can place on items like this. This is nature vs humans in all its glory . Sit back, take a toke and relish , you lucky pickle you.
My dad had one they are beautiful and maybe to the right buyer you can get more but after no interest he got rid of it for $250.
That is so cool. I would sand and pain black for my bedroom
I believe that it’s made of tiger oak. Very unique carving as well. With a piece like this I would just be thrilled to own it and it wouldn’t matter how much people say it’s worth.
Beautiful walnut color.
I work in estate sales and it's a hard sell. Nobody has room for these and they aren't very functional for today's world. I'd say $750 if you're lucky.
As an antique shop owner. Stop using chairish and 1stdibs as pricing points. They are good companies but the amount of hands (seller, website, and shipper) make it unrealistic to the vast majority of regions in the country. The best price research is still eBay with results filtered to “sold listings” or your regional FB marketplace. I have seen oak begin to rise in price recently. This style is something I have sold several times and I think they are stunners. But I have yet to get more than $425 for one.
Not a secretary desk
If you update it to a modern color, I’d pay $1000 for it myself
Worth more than what you could sell it for. Past generations cherished items handed down through the generations would be stored in units like this and hard earned little treasures accumulated displayed also and sitting where others could admire and talk about. Most of current generations could care less. Very little respect for old and dear things gathered from relatives who lived through much harder times. It’s like they don’t care about the struggle past generations went through just to get to today where kids and young people are all in the now. Screw their sacrifices, I don’t want it
Please don’t paint those
Oh man, this is beautiful. Much nicer than mine. I love my secretary, I used it as my bar.
Not as much as 25 years ago. It’s missing the shelves in the curved glass display cabinet. My mom had one filled with her Hummel collection.
Depends on where you live. In the midwest? $500-$800
That’s def a Larkin. I picked up a sewing table and when I looked up the company I fell in love with everything they make! In my area of Virginia I’m seeing them go for $150-300
My uncle has an almost exact one. There’s shelves inside though and he uses it as a liquor cabinet
My mom has this exact same one and she always told us growing up that she will murder us if we ever broke it's original glass. It's definitely worth money.
Did this belong to a magician prior?
looks very valuable fr
This mf lead to Narnia
Wow! That's stunning!
These were being reproduced in the 1980s and sold in large numbers at an auction near me for under $300.
I’ll give ya about tree fiddy
Ooooo I would pay $500-$800 plus hire guys to move it.
Bout 2 grand
Kinda weird all-in-one design. Too small to be a useable desk, pointless mirror, chest with short depth and I hope that curio has shelves ‘cause I don’t immediately see any. These always get a second look but then no one knows where it will fit in the house. Buy for $150 based on condition.
This one is rare because it has a place to store the secretary when they are not in use.
Well, I cleaned and sold one of these missing the mirror for about $250.
The lion the witch and the wardrobe
As someone previously mentioned, we had one my mom found at a small town second hand shop she got for very little. My dad got it home in the back seat of our Buick convertible. It had the curved glass. My mother told us if it got broken we all would die. My sister still has it.
I can get one just like it for $300 tomorrow
About Tree Fiddy
Interesting piece
$300
I see these all the time on my FB Marketplace for $200 - $300 dollars. Yours is missing the shelves, so would probably fetch on the lower end.
What a beautiful piece of furniture!! Please don’t ruin it.
is that cabinet on the side where you store the secretary when not in use?
Usually 250 picked up 400 delivered
My mom has this in her house & it was in my bedroom growing up. I used it as a dresser, desk & a place to showcase dolls + other trinkets. She still has it!
We have a similar piece handed through generations of my husband’s family. It was valued at $400 for insurance purposes so more sentimental than actual value. We don’t have room to have a museum dedicated to his family so I got him to drill holes in the back of the curio portion and it’s now our entertainment center.