April 18, 2012
This is another decent little old game table. It’s a bit different than the last one we had in that it has two harp style legs with stretcher rather than a pedestal style base. It is also a bit newer and not in quite as pristine condition (still good but not quite awesome).
Don;t get me wrong, it’s still pretty nice.
When in the closed configuration the top is 36 inches wide and 19 inches deep. Like this the table stands just over 31 inches tall. When fully open it is 38 inches by 36 inches and stands about 30 1/2 inches tall.
Like any good game table there is a little compartment under the table top for the storage of gaming devices.
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Posted in $201-$250, 20th century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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April 9, 2012
This is a nice classically styled game table from the late 19th Century.
It’s in good condition but has a few minor scuffs, one veneer patch (in the center of the front side) and a faint water mark on on leaf when the top is fully open.
When not in use for gaming the table top folds to a half-sized closed configuration. When like this the table top shows four panels of book matched figurative veneer. For use the top is turned 90 degrees (coincidentally giving access to a built in storage compartment below) and the top is opened to the full size. This side does not have the figurative veneer but if does show nice clear-grained mahogany.
Dimensions: Fully open it is33 3/4 inches by 32 inches and stand 28 inches tall. When the top is in the half-size orientation this piece is 33 3/4 inches by 16 1/2 inches and stands just under 29 inches tall.
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Posted in $201-$250, 19th century, Antique, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Wood |
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March 24, 2012
Although he was rarely photographed with furniture* I can imagine this is the sort of thing that was in John Wilkes Booth’s dressing room at the Arch Street Theater in Philadelphia in the run up to the American Civil War.
At the time Philadelphia was the premier American theater town and later the Arch would become the home of the great Barrymore acting dynasty. However in the late 1850′s it was the scene of great disappointment for Booth. At the Arch Street he was employed in his first professional gig as a member of a theater company but he was a relatively young actor, lacked confidence and didn’t have the natural skills (or work ethic) of his older brothers and late father.
As a result he didn’t gain the fame he desperately wanted (and an identity separate from just being the youngest son of his famous father) and some even said he’d never amount to much of an actor. Within the next year he retreated to Richmond, Virginia. Due to the change of pace, his better fit with southern society and growing experience Booth’s career would blossom in Richmond as would his hatred of the North.
Although this table likely dates to a few decades after the end of the American Civil War it’d make a good piece for a small space. The top is approximately 17 inches square so it doesn’t take up much floor area in a crowded and shared dressing room. Each leaf is about 9 inches wide. There are two drawers with locks (but no keys). The lower drawer has no interior divisions and would be good for holding paper or a small actor’s makeup kit. The upper drawer is divided; perfect for holding one’s pens, make-up brushes, fake mustaches and lead balls for a derringer.
In other words it’s a good dressing table for your starring role in The Marble Heart** or as a writing surface for poison screeds. In a pinch you could use it as an ‘intimate’ dining table for two.
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*Booth was rarely pictured with furniture. In one famous picture of him he is seated in a Gothic Revival chair which was probably the property of the photographer.
**Booth starred in The Marble Heart by Charles Selby at Ford’s Theather in November 1863. This performance was watched by Lincoln from the same seat he would later be killed in.
Posted in Antique, GONE! SOLD!, $101-$150, 19th century, Tables, Storage, Wood, Empire |
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January 27, 2012
This old mahogany game table is in good shape. The only notable flaw is that one of the feet has been broken off, but it was re-glued and appears to be firmly attached (see pictures below).
When fully opened this table is about 30 inches square and 28 1/ inches tall. When folded in half for storage (or for a game of cards for two) it is about 15 inches by 30 inches and 29 1/2 inches tall.
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Posted in $201-$250, 20th century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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January 21, 2012
Another in our recent haul of really nice pieces this fabulous table is 80 inches long, 48 inches wide, 30 inches tall and has three 22 inch wide leaves (which seems like one too many doesn’t it?). I’ll have to check and see if all three fit or if one of them was left over from another piece. Unfortunately I haven’t been thinking clearly this week and never even thought about this potential problem until now. UPDATE: All three leaves belong to this table and the all fit perfectly! Photos added of the table with all the leaves in the slideshow below.
Trying to figure out what goes with what is half the fun of getting a big assemblage of pieces. The last time we did we had a ton of extra leaves and table bases without the table to connect the two.
Our solution was to make a lot of little tables out them.
This table is in good condition but we got it as either a factory second or a retailer reject because of some minor defect or defects.
SOLD!
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Posted in $500-$1000, 21st century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Wood |
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December 20, 2011
This is a great example of the underlying premise of Ed’s House-Of-Ugly: sometimes ugly is really, really cool. Hella* cool in fact.
This table lamp is a mishmash of neo-classical tidbits including cherubs, Greek warriors, frightening faces, and elaborate scroll work with a green glass center.
My gut feeling is that this is a late 19th century piece.
I first thought that it was an oil lamp which was converted to electricity. In this hypothesis the glass center was a fuel-oil reservoir and then the bottom was carefully ground off so that wires could be installed.
One of our learned known associates/un-indicted co-conspirators (thanks Big G!) suggested that it could have been a covered urn that once accompanied an elaborate clock set. As I’ve looked into it more I think he was pretty much on the money, although it may have been the base for a candelabra instead, rather like these.
Regardless of what it might have been it is now a lamp. The ‘lamp’ as it currently stands is about 21 1/2 inches tall to the top of the glass chimney. It works well and the glass and brass are in great condition.
And it’s so ugly it’s cool, hella cool.
*Yes my Eastern friends, I’ve been here long enough that elements of the local dialect are invading my vocabulary. However, you’ll be happy to know I’m still steadfastly refusing to use ‘spendy’ in any context that’s not derisive. One has to draw a line somewhere.
Posted in Lighting, Artistic wonder, Eclectic, O. M. G., GONE! SOLD!, $101-$150, 19th century, Glass, Metal, Empire |
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December 15, 2011
Externally it’s the spitting image of a flame Mahogany butler’s pantry secretary we had back in February 2010. But there are a few differences, most notably of the arrangement of the pigeon holes in the writing desk part and that it is not nearly as wide.
The upper china display section had two doors with bubble glass panels. The glass is in great shape which is good since I’ve no idea where one would go to get replacement glass. The false mullions are robust solid Mahogany and are in perfect condition.
The uppermost drawer has a fold down front with a gold-edged green leather pad so that you can use it as a writing desk. There are several pigeon holes and one little cabinet along the back of this drawer for small stuff. Below are three storage drawers and there are cabinets on each side.
This piece is 49 inches wide, 78 3/4 inches tall and 15 inches deep.
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Posted in $351-$400, 20th century, Display, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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September 2, 2011
It seems we’ve gotten quite a few sideboards and buffets lately. Don’t worry, the supply will dry up just about five minutes after you decide you need one.
Luckily the quality of this run of them seems to be getting better as we go along.
Take this antique mahogany sideboard. When it was originally purchased in the 19th century it was probably ‘only’ a mid range piece. Well over a hundred years later it’s far better quality than most new pieces (at any price). It made of solid mahogany and the drawer fronts and doors are several steam bent pieces fitted together. To finish, it’s topped with a fine-grained marble slab.
It’s really quite nice and in good condition. There are two storage drawers and a large lower cabinet for serving pieces, samovars or other largish pieces that are difficult to store elsewhere.
It is 53 inches wide, 21 1/2 inches deep and 40 inches tall.
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Posted in $450-$500, 19th century, Antique, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Other Natural Materials, Storage, Wood |
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July 3, 2011
I’m not certain if this Bombe chest came from a retailer or private party, but it is in great condition. It demonstrates a modern take on the classic balloon shape of the Bombe chest and is decorated with stenciled chinoiserie birds and plants. It is 37 inches wide, 19 1/2 inches deep and 34 inches tall.
The Bombe style was developed after the death of Louis XIV and during the subsequent regency of Louis XV. Apparently the Sun King preferred conservative, classically derived, styles of furniture notable for sharp lines and rectilinear geometry. His death signaled an opportunity for experimentation with the use of curved surfaces and embellishment with motifs derived from Chinese trade goods.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, 21st century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Wood |
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April 24, 2011
Solid, stately and useful. This is a great way to stuff a lot of function into a small space with the added convenience of having a door to hide your mess behind too. The upper part has a bunch of pigeon holes, two small inner cabinets and several drawers including two that masquerade as columns.
I’ve always found the faux column drawer interesting, but I can’t think of a really good use for them. Yes, you could use them for note paper, or a stack of pencils, and they’re about the right size to hold an especially small automatic pistol (but at the expense of losing the element of surprise).
I’m pretty sure I haven’t thought of the real use because I’m unimaginative or the answer is so obvious that I’m over thinking it.
The desk is 35 1/2 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 41 1/2 inches tall and is in good condition except for a burn mark on the top.
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Posted in $201-$250, 20th century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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April 21, 2011
These beauties probably date to the late 1940′s or early 1950′s. They were made by Imperial Furniture (1903-1962) of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Both tables are 16 inches square and about 26 inches tall. They have one drawer and their original hardware. They’re in good to very good condition. One table has a minor dark blemish on the top which is shown in the slideshow below.
My favorite part is the arched truss type stretchers with the decorative finial. I could do without the finial itself, but the arches are an unusual and elegant touch.
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Posted in $101-$150, 20th century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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April 15, 2011
Snazzy tufted blue mohair sofa. Evocative of 19th Century neo-classical styles, but of more recent manufacture (possibly 1930′s or 1940′s?). This is the sort of thing that I imagine once graced the parlor of a painted lady house in San Francisco but with a decline in fortunes, or better business opportunities it was brought north to Portland.
Whatever its history it has been well cared for. The only flaw is that one of the bolster pillows was slightly damaged by a pet chewing upon it. 80 inches wide, 35 inches to the top of the back and 32 inches deep. $550
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Posted in $500-$1000, 20th century, Couches, Ed's Select Collection, Empire, Fabric / Fiber, GONE! SOLD!, O. M. G., Vintage, Wood |
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February 20, 2011
This is probably it folks. We were lucky enough to get a huge donation of furniture about two weeks ago. Tables, tables, more tables and some other sundry stuff. This piece though is probably the last piece of the furniture mother load that we’ll offer.
The rest of the collection is going to help us set up homes for a bunch of families, so they’ll be put to good use.
This is a new, returned due to minor damage piece. Apparently some ill-mannered worked decided to stand it on end rather than stacking it properly so there is some slight rubbing on one end. Luckily this same ill-mannered worker didn’t decide to carve his initials in the top so it still retains the factory new glossy sheen.
It is 70 inches long, 46 inches wide and has three 18 inch leaves, giving a maximum overall length of 124 inches.
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Posted in $500-$1000, 21st century, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Wood |
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February 12, 2011
A very nice old gate-leg mahogany folding table. The half-round form allows it to be tucked out-of-the-way for everyday use but then expanded when you host game night. It’s 32 inches in diameter. This is enough surface area for the cards and one drink per person so it could save you a fortune in snack costs
It is 29 inches tall and in very good condition. We’re not sure of the maker but it was model 612 in their product line.
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Posted in $151-$200, 19th century, 20th century, Antique, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Tables, Wood |
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February 4, 2011
More from the Baker Furniture “Historic Charleston” collection. This time it is a pair of Governor Alston arm chairs. These are in the Regency Style, a close relative of the Empire Style, which is itself a form of neo-classicism.
These are new and we can find nothing wrong with them other than the ring decoration on the back looks like the Audi logo. . . . They have cane seats, red upholstered cushions and gold detailing on a red lacquer finish. They even have the original tags attached.
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Posted in $201-$250, 21st century, Chairs, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD! |
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February 3, 2011
This is a new table and it is in excellent condition. It is 70 inches long, 46 inches wide and has three 16 inch leaves. With all the leaves in place it is 9 feet 10 inches long.
This was made by Baker Furniture and is part of the “Historic Charleston” product line. This line features great modern examples of American Empire style pieces.
This was returned merchandise to the factory and then offered to us. We think it was initially returned due to a problem with the pedestal base as the ones now installed are adapted from another table in the line. One of the leaves is also slightly difficult to get to fit with its neighbor (but it’s not too tough).
Unfortunately we do not have chairs to go with it.
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Posted in $450-$500, 21st century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Wood |
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January 30, 2011
It may not be pure Empire in style, but it’s Empire-like. And, yeah, the walnut burl veneer is nicked a bit in a few visible places (shown in the slideshow below). And the legs are scratched because you can actually roll the thing around the house. And some of the drawers are stiff. But it’s damn pretty. And the mirror is in great condition.
We don’t have any keys but why would you want to lock yourself away from your jeans? It’s big enough to store at a standard Oregonian’s wardrobe.
Dimensions: 35 inches wide, 19½ deep, and 49¾ tall (to top of dresser), 72 inches tall (to top of the mirror).
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45.541970
-122.648613
Posted in $201-$250, Antique, Empire, Furniture, Glass, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Wood |
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December 12, 2010
Yes, the dark time of the year is upon us. And it will be here for . . . a few more months. But we have the solution to light up the dark corners of your life, literally if not metaphorically.
(It’s better to do that metaphorical peering about in the summer when long brooding walks don’t result in uncontrollable shivering and ruined shoes.)
Arts & Crafts style hammered copper table lamp, 30 inches tall with shade. Rectangular base measures 12 inches by 5 inches. SOLD
Contemporary lamp with round silver metal base and white glass shade. Base is 9 inches in diameter; shade is 29½ inches tall. $90
Antiqued bronzed table lamp with lined gray silk shade, 29 inches tall with an oval shade measuring 15 by 10 inches. $75
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45.541970
-122.648613
Posted in $31-$40, $51-$75, $76-$100, Arts & Crafts, Contemporary, Electronics, Empire, Fabric / Fiber, Glass, GONE! SOLD!, Lighting, Metal |
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September 25, 2010
“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.” — John Ruskin, 1819-1900 *SEE NOTE BELOW
Ikea and Wal-Mart have taken this to new levels in a way Ruskin never could have envisioned.
Angry Beaver, though motivated by price point, has, for once, chosen a different path. He’s decided to invest in a French Second Empire Mini-Mansion Model Kit of the Captain Penniman House mostly because it was cheap (he has to house the commune members whose unemployment checks have ended in a jobless economy), but also because he could figure out that the house was actually a house and not some crazy name for a 3 piece kitchen utensil set or a changing station.
It’s uncut and unmarked in the original plastic cover with supporting documentation. (Which the Cascadians better read if the don’t want to roof to cave in under the coming snow. Some days Angry Beaver doesn’t know how he manages.)
*Now that several months have gone by we’ve discovered that this statement was never written by Ruskin. The statement is still a good measure of economy, so we’ll leave it where it is, with the notation of our error.
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Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, Eclectic, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Paper, Toy! |
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August 19, 2010
I was in the unheated reading room thumbing through a rescued first edition copy of Stephen’s Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán when I first met the great professor. It was a grim, dreary, and cold winter day in the early 90′s. It was unusual to see the professor outside of the faculty lounge (and away from the fireplace) on winter days, but there he was, ivy covered and accompanied by his equally deaf dog.
He looked briefly around the otherwise empty room, settled his gaze upon me, and muttered something suspiciously like “you’ll do for the smithy but you’re not doctorate material” (an off-hand allusion to his veneration of the great Fletcher—”il miglior fabbro“). Then he knocked his pipe out in the ashtray on the library table, palmed my flask of whiskey, winked, and walked out the door on his way to lecture.
Ahh, Professor Boyington. I’d like to think my toil lent some small aspect to the great vastation of his Principle, or somehow influenced his recapitulation of the now classic Reconsiderations. However, I think my impact may have only been in his naming the Dead Coyote Hypothesis after the unlucky incident that ended my adequate, if not altogether promising, academic career. An incident that incidentally set me upon the road of crime that has left me the ruined wastrel before you.
On the underside of the drawer is a Mersman Bros. Brandts Company maker’s mark, dating this piece no earlier than 1906 and no later than 1927. Interestingly the label describes their product line as dining and library tables only, but by the 1930′s they had expanded into bedroom sets and radio cabinets. Eventually they produced so many pieces (at least 30 million tables) that one can be found in nearly every antique, vintage and thrift store in North America.
Our library table is 43¾ inches long, 26¼ inches wide and 31¾ inches tall. It’s in good condition although the top has been refinished. It has a drawer for convenient storage of writing and imbibing materials.
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Posted in $201-$250, 20th century, Eclectic, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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August 4, 2010
In the style of Duncan Phyfe (aka Early Empire), a 1950s reproduction pedestal base drop-leaf table in good condition.
Measures 36 inches deep with a center that’s 18 inches wide and (of course) with two leaves, each 15½ wide. Like most tables it’s about 30 inches tall.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Wood |
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March 27, 2010
Sometimes we do Friday Five, then, flip, things change.
Bring a mirrored 1948 version of the moon into your home. Vanity features three smooth sliding drawers and two glass shelves. Measures 53 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 65½ inches tall (to the top of the mirror). SOLD!
Wardrobe converted into a linen closet, bookcase, or sweater-and-stuff storage. Features push-button latch, mirror, and carved details that remind many of time spent in churches. Confess and then put on a clean shirt? Case measures 31 inches wide, 16 inches deep, and 71¼ inches high. SOLD!
This vintage burl record cabinet with single bottom drawer appears to be handmade. Solid plywood construction with veneer. Drawer slides open smoothly. Measures 34¼ inches wide, 19½ inches deep, and 32½ inches wide. $130
Antique Empire table measures 24 inches wide, 19 inches deep, and 24 inches tall. SOLD
Low 1940s armchair with subdued tan and red floral upholstery. Top of seat is 15 inches off the floor. SOLD
Two drawer, two compartment mahogany buffet. Measures 59½ inches wide, 35 inches high, and 20 inches deep. Sold
45.541970
-122.648613
Posted in $101-$150, $151-$200, $76-$100, 20th century, Antique, Chairs, Display, Empire, Fabric / Fiber, Furniture, Glass, GONE! SOLD!, Modern, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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February 1, 2010
Antique Empire (Adam) dresser with solid plank top over two small drawers over three full drawers. An absolutely lovely piece. Measures 44¾ wide, 43¼ tall, and 20 inches deep.
45.541970
-122.648613
Posted in $450-$500, Antique, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Wood |
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