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Vander Ley Bros. Rococo Revival-style Settee, ca. 1935

Value (2017) | $50 Auction – $400 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
This is a sofa that belonged to my grandmother. Her second husband bought it for her at auction in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It came out of the "Steel Magnolias" house-- the movie was filmed there. And she's had it at least 20 years.

APPRAISER:
You mentioned that it was out of the "Steel Magnolias" house. What does that mean to you?

GUEST:
The house where Julia Roberts' character lived.

APPRAISER:
Lived, yeah.

GUEST:
Yes, that's where it was filmed, in that house. So it belonged to the owners of that house, and they put it up for auction.

APPRAISER:
Do you know whether this piece actually appeared in that movie?

GUEST:
It was not…

APPRAISER:
It was not.

GUEST:
…we re-watched it a few days ago.

APPRAISER:
What do you know about the piece of furniture, specifically?

GUEST:
I researched the label on the bottom, I think it said, "Vander Ley Brothers." I learned that they closed their doors in 1951, so I'm assuming it's at least that old. And I learned they did reproduction furniture, and they did all the furniture for "Gone with the Wind."

APPRAISER:
Correct. We actually do have a label. I'm just going to tip this forward a little bit so we can see the label just on the underside. So we know that this is the Natchez model. Vander Ley Brothers was indeed a furniture company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They did make furniture for Warner Brothers and are most famous for making furniture for "Gone with the Wind." In fact, they made a piece incredibly similar to this, which appeared in "Gone with the Wind." You said they disappeared in 1951. They were absorbed in 1951 by another, larger company. In 1923 is when they were founded.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
But of course, if they're making furniture in the "Gone with the Wind" style, this dates more to the late 1930s, early 1940s. So that reasonably is where we can date this piece.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
We'd refer to it as a Victorian Rococo Revival-style double-back settee, which is sort of a mouthful. So this settee is made of carved mahogany and sort of a velvet-type upholstery. This is a Rococo Revival revival piece of furniture. The Rococo Revival was initially sort of Victorian. This is done in the Belter style of Rococo Revival furniture, which would have been about 1860 or 1870. So this is really a reproduction of a reproduction. The market for it isn't great.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
A piece of furniture like this, if it would come to market, might bring $50 or $100, based on the style itself.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
What might drive the price a little bit higher is a really passionate group of collectors called Windies.

GUEST:
Windies.

APPRAISER:
Who collect all things "Gone with the Wind."

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
Because Clark Gable sat in a sofa that looks very like this, in Aunt Pittypat's parlor, might bring $300 or $400 in a current auction.

GUEST:
Okay, great.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Christopher Barber
Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Furniture
Skinner, Inc.
Appraised value (2017)
$50 Auction – $400 Auction
Featured In
New Orleans, Hour 3 (#2206)
Event
New Orleans, LA (July 22, 2017)
Category
Furniture
Period
1930s , 20th Century , Roccoco , Rococo
Form
Furniture , Settee , Sofa

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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