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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: ghopper1924 on November 18, 2018, 04:23:23 pm

Title: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on November 18, 2018, 04:23:23 pm
Hey all:

Just scored this chair at an auction. My feeling is that it's either Pottier & Stymus or John Jeliff, and dates to about 1860-1870. Based on a few chairs I've seen on E-Bay, I'm leaning more towards P & S.

I can't tell if it was once part of a parlor set or if it was simply designed as an armchair.

Love the "Brittania" heads as hand rests. That kind of craftsmanship is gone gone gone....

It measures 36" high X 36" deep. Believe it or not its quite comfortable.

So two questions: Pottier & Stymus or Jeliff?

And how much would you expect to pay for this, if you were interested?

How much to insure?


OK, that's 3 questions.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: Pelady on November 18, 2018, 08:44:34 pm
Are the wheels replacements and when was it last Reupholstered?
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: mart on November 18, 2018, 08:58:58 pm
P&S but I have not checked current prices lately,, My reasoning says about $1500. but the market is down on Victorian furniture you know !! 2K for insurance.  Will check more  tomorrow !!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on November 18, 2018, 09:03:50 pm
Are the wheels replacements and when was it last Reupholstered?

The wheels are original. The upholstery is velvet and in good shape, so I would say its not too old. Definitely not original or even close, but the color and tufting are historically sympathetic.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: KC on November 18, 2018, 11:54:51 pm
BEAUTIFUL PIECE!  A keeper!

The market WILL come back up and you will be way ahead!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on November 19, 2018, 05:07:50 am
BEAUTIFUL PIECE!  A keeper!

The market WILL come back up and you will be way ahead!




There's that southern charm!

Thanks for the helpful comments, Mart and KC. Lets hope the market comes back up again, and that I'm here to see it!   ;)
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on November 20, 2018, 07:43:55 am
P&S but I have not checked current prices lately,, My reasoning says about $1500. but the market is down on Victorian furniture you know !! 2K for insurance.  Will check more  tomorrow !!


Any further ideas, Mart?
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: Rauville on November 20, 2018, 08:39:26 am
Nice chair! My parents had a pair of Victorian chairs that they always called the "His and Hers" chairs. Similar to yours with the carving, but slightly different in style. The "His" was taller with closed arms, while the "Hers" had a shorter back by a couple inches and open arms along with a lower seat.
I cleaned out their house in 2006, and had a two day auction. At that time I believe those chairs sold for about $800 ea.

PS: I don't have a photo of the chairs, but the link below will show you the house they came out of, before my folks purchased them in the 1960's.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/56/9b/b5/569bb53b420d3910327ac09e4b9b4aaf.jpg (https://i.pinimg.com/736x/56/9b/b5/569bb53b420d3910327ac09e4b9b4aaf.jpg)
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: KC on November 20, 2018, 09:56:55 am
I have always heard these referred to as Victorian Parlor chairs.  There was a Gentleman's Chair and a Ladie's Chair. 

The settees/sofas are still demanding $2500+ pricing.  I would gander that you should insure them for $2 - 2,500 for the matched set if in good condition.

Are there any maker's marks on it?  This article might help!
http://rarevictorian.com/shop/?site=John-Jelliff (http://rarevictorian.com/shop/?site=John-Jelliff)
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on November 20, 2018, 12:56:40 pm
Thanks, Rauville and KC.  That house is AMAZING. The chair would go perfectly in there.

Unfortunately, I only have the one chair. It seems large to be part of a parlor set, but it could be.

From the comments, I'd guess that I'd expect to pay about $1K for another one.  Insurance would be at $1.5K.  I go back and forth between Jelliff and Pottier and Stymus, but due to the overall shape I'm going with P & S.

The help is much appreciated!!!

Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on November 20, 2018, 01:00:16 pm
Great article on Jelliff by the way. Looks like anything after 1860 would be by his shop, but not him, since he retired in that year.  Good info!!

No maker's marks that I can see. There might be something on the frame, but I won't know until the chair needs reupholstering, and that probably won't be for awhile.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: mart on November 20, 2018, 06:45:30 pm
Jellif used much less padding on chair arms !! And the padded areas were smaller !!    P&S numbered their pieces with each piece being in sequence !!  1001,, 1002, 1003 ect !!  Don`t think this is a P&S made but is in their style !!  Of course would be better to see without the upholstery !!  P&S was out of business by 1920 !!  May have been a shot in the dark by the son !!  Re-make of earlier chairs !!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: jacon4 on December 03, 2018, 03:19:42 pm
Hmmmmmm, I dunno about that price for this chair plus it's not marked by Jellif or P&S, at best an "attributed to". On the east coast USA, be lucky to get a couple hundred if that much, less at auction.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: mart on December 03, 2018, 04:09:39 pm
Maybe,, but there is still the rest of the country  !!  Victorian is down overall ,, but wait a few years !!  No  hurry !!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: jacon4 on December 03, 2018, 04:17:14 pm
Yeah, that's true, i was speaking of right now. Kinda grim for antique furniture all the way around corner if one is looking to sell, naturally there are exceptions but victorian ain't one of them at the moment.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: mart on December 03, 2018, 06:48:36 pm
Yes Jacon4,, Victorian is a specialized genre` and not many in that club !!   That makes it a buyers market with the hope of resurrection at some point in time !!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: KC on December 03, 2018, 11:41:57 pm
It will come back again.  Things cycle! 
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: jacon4 on December 04, 2018, 05:23:08 am
lol, OK! HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL! Sure, everything comes back into fashion at some point.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: jacon4 on December 04, 2018, 05:26:15 am
Hey! BTW, I had AT LEAST 1 smite in here, who stole my smite?!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on December 04, 2018, 07:37:04 am
I think all the smites were removed awhile back.

Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: jacon4 on December 04, 2018, 08:08:26 am
Mart has one! She robbed my smite!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on December 04, 2018, 10:12:34 am
In anybody should have one, its Mart!  ;D
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: KC on December 04, 2018, 10:29:14 am
I didn't do it! 
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: mart on December 04, 2018, 11:00:34 am
 ;D  Yep,, I am the mean old witch of the west !!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: jacon4 on December 04, 2018, 02:23:29 pm
Getting back to ghopper chair, i was researching the other day on John Jelliff parlor furniture and i ran across this Blog from a lady somewhere in Missouri, Jefferson City i think, anyway i was so impressed with her post i left a comment. The money quote?
" But even with that, my $160 great deal auction chairs are now $800 chairs. My husband had a cow! "
DEAD FUNNY!!!! I am still laughing days later, she did a very nice thing for some parlor chairs she picked up on the cheap at auction and now has FAR MORE money in the restoration than the chairs are worth, this is VERY easy to do speaking as a collector, i do it ALL the time.
The Blog Post
http://victorianwannab.blogspot.com/2012/03/step-into-my-parlor-part-1.html
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on December 04, 2018, 05:16:02 pm
Nice find, Jacon.

That woman actually lives in Columbia, Missouri. I sat in one of those parlor chairs, and they ARE amazing! I know her pretty well; she's got a beautiful collection, an interest that her (patient) husband does not share.  Her tales of her husband having a cow are many, but truth be told she's usually pretty good about getting high end stuff for amazingly low prices.

Getting back to my chair, it needs no restoration. The price for which I got it was "very good," according to people in the room and the auctioneer himself. It's now attributed to Pottier and Stymus "with confidence," which is about as good as an unsigned item gets. The prices that Mart mentioned further back in the thread are the same ones I'm hearing for P & S stuff, so I'm thinking about $1K to get another one (a virtual impossibility) and maybe $1.5K for insurance.  Yep, I know chairs are often worth less than they appear to be, but like my friend in Columbia, the ultimate joy is living around this stuff every day.

Lets hope that KC is right, and what's now in the basement regarding value rises again, preferably in my lifetime.
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: mart on December 04, 2018, 06:15:43 pm
Kick that insurance value up !!  Remember that is replacement value  if you can find one !! Besides they may may reduce that amount !!  Some policies do not cover 100% of replacement !!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: KC on December 05, 2018, 11:00:00 pm
Yep!  What she said about insurance!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: icedgold10 on December 16, 2018, 05:43:44 pm
That is an amazing chair!
Title: Re: Victorian chair.......Who and How Much?
Post by: ghopper1924 on December 16, 2018, 08:16:00 pm
That is an amazing chair!
;)