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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Michael.Conor on March 12, 2018, 02:30:53 PM
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Hello Forum!
I believe I have a Mason Jansen (Mason Bagues) Bar cart in my possession. Was wondering if anyone could confirm my suspicions and maybe help guide me in pricing it?
Thanks.
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Well,, looks like it could be Jansen !! How did you come to own this cart ??
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Hey Mart. Appreciate the input. I had a neighbour who was moving and she had purchased this at an estate sale a number of years ago. I had mentioned to her that my girlfriend was looking for a bar cart/trolley a while ago and how she always adored my neighbours. At the time I knew nothing about Maison Jansen so I did some research on the cart after I purchased it for my girlfriends birthday. Online I found this link to a similar cart which has similarities but also marked differences. Also I am unaware of the sites reliability in terms of listing accurate items and price ranges:
https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/tables/bar-carts/round-bar-cart-attributed-to-maison-bagues/id-f_8998391/
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I wouldn't feel confident giving an opinion as to what or what not that piece is, based on my never handling an authentic example. That said, the first thing I see is what appears to be a simple "silver soldered"(?) connection of the handle to the frame with visible gaps. Maybe that's the way they were all made? ???
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I am not totally sure about it either Rauville !! There are many similarly styled carts and Jansen usually put a small brass tag with the name and where made !! But that could have easily been removed !! Let me check more tomorrow !! You are wise not to put much faith in 1stdibs !! They are always grossly overpriced and do not reflect todays market !! Will let you know if I find anything definitive yes,no or maybe !! !!
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I wouldn't feel confident giving an opinion as to what or what not that piece is, based on my never handling an authentic example. That said, the first thing I see is what appears to be a simple "silver soldered"(?) connection of the handle to the frame with visible gaps. Maybe that's the way they were all made? ???
Rauville and Mart thanks both for your replies! Any info you can find would be greatly appreciated! Rauville could you clarify what you mean about the soldering of the handle to the frame and what that indicates? I wasn't too clear on what the implications of that were.
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I found an oval one (1970-1979) that is similar to yours, but do not know the manufacturer:
https://www.1stdibs.co.uk/furniture/tables/bar-carts/beautiful-french-oval-brass-drinks-trolley-bar-cart/id-f_6769253/
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And, finally a round French bar cart (1960-1969):
https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/tables/bar-carts/small-french-round-brass-bar-cart/id-f_7403193/
While you have a very nice French bar cart, I don't think it is a Jansen. Your item has a very distinctive round handle. The Jansen's that I viewed have a more "squared" handle.
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Sophie I think you're spot on with your detective work! Those two pieces you listed are pretty much spot on matches. I wish the website provided more information on the pieces and who the actual manufacturer was! Really appreciate your help.
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Beat me to it SophieMarie! Just the handled, attachments of handles don't look the same quality that I have seen.
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If anyone is interested in what the list price was for the cart that Sophie linked to I messaged the dealer and they provided it for me. Not to say my cart is worth that amount although it is identical it is neat to know that in the right market it could fetch a fair price. My girlfriend is ecstatic with it so more than anything I think that's most important.
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Nice price but that includes shipping from France doesn`t it ?? That is what is listed in the details !!
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Michael,
I'm glad the birthday present turned out to be so special for your girlfriend!
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Hey Mart,
From my brief research on that seller alot of the items are located in France. Overall I think the shipping price is 600 plus dollars to get it to the rest of the world. I'm not entirely sure if the shipping price is included in the total price however.
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I believe the 600 dollars is to the rest of the world (aka not to the US). On the identical table web page it lists that it cost 255 dollars to ship to the continental US. Does not specify if that was in the list price. See picture.
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One thing about 1stdibs, their list prices are way out of line in today's world, I'd bet that much of the product there is negotiated down. Having said that, they do offer some very nice examples though in many collecting categories.
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I thought that was just the shipping from Long Island, NY where the seller was located !!
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jacon4, I totally agree that 1stdibs pricing is "pricey"!
Mart, shipping is from France. See that often for some sellers on several "high dollar" sites. They have a connection in other countries and don't pay to have the item shipped here unless it is already sold. Thus no money loss/storage/etc.
Michael.Conor - your cart has the much desired wheel style on it. Are the wheels one piece and brass (would be heavier than other metal)? Have seen some wheels over the years that were assembled pieces whereas the older pieces were molded.
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Hey KC. Yes it's all one piece. I imagine the entirety of the cart is brass as I attempted to place a magnet to it and it did not stick (tried this on pretty much every part of the cart). I was told that it's a good sign if the magnet is not attracted as it indicates that it's not simply a brass finish over a cheaper metal such as steel. The cart looks unassuming but it is indeed weighty. I was quite surprised when I picked it up for the first time.
I emailed the dealer at 1stdibs directly and they indicated in an email that the cart did not sell for less than 10 percent of the list price. They could've lied to me but who knows. At the end of the day these pieces are difficult to price and come down to the market you have available. For my purposes I was looking to learn more about the piece and see if it might be worth more than the 280 dollars I paid for it.
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Well,, if thats what you paid for it,, you got a deal !! I was thinking in todays market,, $900. to $1200. !! You got a good buy !!
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Thanks Mart for your insight. And I'm very pleased overall. Initially I was looking at bar carts from sites like wayfair and most of their pieces were not my taste and almost double what I paid for my brass cart. I consider myself fortunate to have got it. Really classy.
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I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU GOT THAT CART FOR $280!!!!!!!!!!!!
Several years back I had wanted one since I have quite a few French pieces and just didn't want to fork out the price they were demanding even then. If I had found this for that price I would have grabbed it!
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KC,,,Forgot that you do have/collect French pieces !! This would have been right up your alley !!
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I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU GOT THAT CART FOR $280!!!!!!!!!!!!
Several years back I had wanted one since I have quite a few French pieces and just didn't want to fork out the price they were demanding even then. If I had found this for that price I would have grabbed it!
Haha yeah! It was a really lucky find. We just put it into my girlfriend's place and it looks amazing. I actually talked the original owner down from 350. I was wondering if the forum had any advice on brass maintenance. From what I've read online often times you don't even want to touch it because removing finish can plummet any potential value of the piece. What about areas of oxidization or tarnish? Should I just clean it with hot soapy water and leave it at that?
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Just a damp cloth to remove any dust/dirt and good buffing afterward to dry and shine !! It should have a sealer on it that prevents tarnish !!
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Ditto what Mart said!