posted on June 13, 2005 10:42:00 AM new
Never mind! They must be electric, right? Having no marks on them makes me a bit leery of their value, but some experts here will come in and help you out.
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[ edited by Roadsmith on Jun 13, 2005 10:43 AM ]
posted on June 13, 2005 04:46:15 PM new
stopwhining, don't hold back
roadsmith, it always worries me when someone tells me that a designer found items for them. I know one honest designer, and there must be a second one somewhere; when I meet them, I'll let you know
posted on June 13, 2005 04:50:18 PM new
LOL claude ... (if she paid quite a bit, quite some years ago) I was gonna say something like "sux to be that lady"
I personally feel like they "look nice" but not something that will sell for a goodly amount nowadays, despite the pleasant artwork on them.
posted on June 13, 2005 05:41:01 PM new
if they are european,they are probably expensive when bot new.
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
posted on June 13, 2005 05:47:20 PM new
CASH ARE THEY GLASS OR PORCELIN? HAVE YOU TAKEN THEM OFF THE BASE ARE THEY FACTORY ORIGIONAL LAMPS OR HAVE THEY BEEN DRILLED TO MAKE LAMPS? wHEN YOU DO IF YOU HAVEN'T YOU MAY FIND SOME MARKS... HAPPY TO HELP IF YOU CAN ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS AS THEY ARE RIGHT UP MY ALLEY.
posted on June 13, 2005 06:01:01 PM new
yup....there antique alright
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Baseball season has started,but they have it all wrong.3 strikes and you're out,4 balls you walk.I can tell you right now a man with 4 balls could not possibly walk
posted on June 13, 2005 06:01:42 PM new
Take a strong magnifying glass and look closely at the "painted" figures on the lamp. Are the figures made up of tiny dots, or can you see brush marks. Tiny dots would indicate that the scene is a transfer (decal), that was surrounded by painted on gold trim. If the figures are hand painted, the value goes up.
If you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first, they'll believe you
posted on June 13, 2005 06:03:34 PM new
bjboswell,
I will ask permission to take them apart tomorrow. Right now they have felt on the bottom, which might have been applied over something that would be useful to see.
I believe that they are glass. They "sound" like glass to me. There's an area where someone did a poor job of repainting one of them, and I would think (though I'm no expert) that one wouldn't repaint porcelain, but might well repaint glass.
posted on June 13, 2005 06:11:29 PM new
The felt is covering a hollow in the metal base. Inside the hollow you'll find the cord entering a metal tube with a nut on the tube. That nut has to be unscrewed to get the glass to separate from the metal base. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DO THAT, BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK OR CHIP THE GLASS PART OF THE LAMP. Both the metal top and bottom will separate from the glass.
If you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first, they'll believe you
posted on June 14, 2005 03:13:18 PM new
Max, That is what is under the felt. I think I'm going to have the owner unscrew it. If I break it, it will undoubtedly be a $10k lamp; if it survives, it will be worth $23.49
I would love to, because I get my commission that way, but if the consignors expectations aren't met, I just got myself some really bad word of mouth.
I'll try to talk her into the whole "sunk cost" and "pennies from heaven" spiel, but sometimes people simply dig in their heels and take the lamps to their grave... unsold but not "given away."
posted on June 14, 2005 07:33:58 PM new
And just how much are these consignors expecting, pray tell? I love decorators as customers -- they buy the look, not the quality and will obviously super overcharge their clients, who now in turn are YOUR clients. If it were me, I'd decline the merch for eBay.
I do remember a fateful gaudy and Oriental screen that a friend ended up trying to price at an estate/tag sale -- the customer wanted it tagged at $800 (based on what they paid) and I believe the best offer all week end was $20.
posted on June 15, 2005 05:02:43 AM new
Birgittaw,
The amount that they expect will be discovered after our next conversation. It happens to me all the time.
Do you remember the film "Trading Places"? The punchline, after the customer catalogs the features of the watch (it was made in Switzerland, by hand, from a solid piece of gold, good to 30 atmospheres, accurate to 1 second every century, etc.) is: "In Philadelphia, that watch is worth 50 dollars." I go through that scene at least once a day.
The other common scenario is when I get shown an appraisal for $xxxx, to which my only response is "ask the appraiser how much cash, not trade-in for an upgrade, but how much cash they will give you for it today."
I had a partner (EX-partner, for good reason) who wouldn't burst the bubble until after we had failed to meet the customers' expectations. I prefer to explain the facts of life up front, and then hopefully over-deliver. The problem, I have discovered, in this affluent community is that many of the (potential) customers' egos and pride are more in need of filling than their wallets. They would rather walk away with a Tod's bag that they no longer have any use for, indignant, than accept a couple of hundred dollars for it.
I spent 5 years studying Psychology in college; I've learned more about human behavior in 1 year as a Trading Post.
