Cute desk -- 2nd time on ebay

I know that this isn't exactly a "Rare Victorian" item, but it was listed on ebay some time ago and didn't sell.  Seems like it is a nice piece looking for a nice home...and it is labeled, so that is a plus. 

Given as that this is kinda-sorta in the Rare Victorian neighborhood, I think that it would look really nice tucked somewhere in John's house.

ebay item 350000500471

or...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-19thC-Paine-Furniture-Aesthetic-Period-Ladys-Desk_W0QQitemZ350000500471QQihZ022QQcategoryZ63571QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

- Jason

I agree that is a very cute desk - I like the stretcher/legs design and it appears most of the incising paint is still there.

I just blew the month's antique fund (not that there is one) on a RR music cabinet.  Plus, I need to get rid of one of two desks that aren't in use at my house.

I'm off to a local show today (http://www.mlas.org) to see what they have there.  Unfortunately, Victorian is not the "in" antiques where I live in Pennsylvania and earlier furniture is what everyone wants so many of these local Antique shows ignore Victorian altogether.  I wonder when Victorian will come back around as popular.

Rare, are you kidding?  Surely you jest.  I haven't noticed that Victorian isn't popular.  When in the past 50 years has Victorian been more popular than it is now?  Just looking at some of the prices of these Rare Victorian pieces -- found right here on your GREAT website -- makes me think that surely you're joking.

BornaHeel

I'm speaking in a relative sense that Victorian isn't as popular as other periods at the moment.  Maybe it's more an issue here where I live in the Philadelphia area, but at the show I went to yesterday there was one Aesthetic firescreen and the rest of the antique furniture was from every period *except* Victorian.  30 dealers.  There was plenty of Victorian era "smalls" but I'm talking furniture.

90% of the local "Main Line" area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Main_Line) antique dealers' stores I walk into have furniture prior to the Victorian era.  I walk in and they ask me what I'm looking for - I say, "Victorian" - and they tell me, "oh, Victorian doesn't sell" so we don't have much.

A store I walked into yesterday had lots of fantastic inventory and much of it was Victorian.... none of it was American.

generally speaking, furniture, no matter what period, is and has been in a slump for some years now. its basically a buyers market which is good for collectors, not so great for dealers. i gotta go along with rare that outside a few areas of usa (calif,dallas,N.O.) victorian furniture just isnt moving and in some places un-saleable (NYC,philly,boston,wash.dc). naturally there are exceptions at the very top end of any period that no matter whats going on in the middle market, still sell well. last month for example a 1770 chippendale philly tea table with impeccable provenance & condition sold at christies for 6.7 million, while prices for early american furniture in the middle market are way down.

actually, this desk is a prime example of what i (and maybe rare) is saying, at $177.50 if it sells for anywhere close to that, its going to cost more to ship than it is to buy...BUYERS MARKET!!!! ok collectors, this is your time, get out there and COLLECT!!!

Another observation, though not scientific, is to take the latest issues of "The Magazine Antiques" and flip through it cover to cover.  The presence of Victorian Furniture (especially American) in articles or advertisements has gone the way of the Dodo.  I believe the content of a periodical that should be somewhat agnostic to coverage of periods reflects what is popular today by what they choose to cover at a given moment.