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eBay Antiques · originally published

John Henry Belter Cornucopia Sidechair

John Henry BelterSide ChairPatternCornucopia

John Henry Belter Cornucopia Sidechair
John Henry Belter Cornucopia Sidechair
Belter-Cornucopia-PatternThis Belter Cornucopia chair is seeing action from 8 bidders on Ebay at the moment with 2 days left to go. Currently bid to less than $1,000, these chairs can command $4,000-$6,000 at auction. This variation appears to be ca. 1855 and does not have the rounded seat that other variations have. I have also seen variations in the skirt and legs, with carvings protruding half way down the leg. Reserve is not met, but I expect we'll start seeing the price creep closer to the past auction sale amounts. More photos and information at the listing.

1 comment

  1. woodwright
    The chair sold for $4,900.00. A couple of bidders asked what the reserve was but the seller refused to disclose it. I cannot understand the game of having a hidden reserve and not disclosing it when asked. I understand the idea of a low starting bid w/ a reserve - to encourage bidding and get bidders emotionally attached to your item, but I just can't grasp why a seller would not disclose their reserve when asked. That game bothers me. I generally won't even bother bidding on something if the reserve is not disclosed (at least when asked) - probably mostly because of principal and the game that is being played by the seller. What's the point of a secret/ unknown price? To me it's like walking into a store to buy something - no prices are shown, you take your item to the counter - and put your money down and wait to find out if you have enough, if it is within your budget, or even if it is grossly overpriced. I don't get it at all. woodwright

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