Please forgive the quality of these photos. These pics are three years old and are from when I first started taking pictures. I didn't have it all sorted out just yet. But anyway, what you're looking at is a VERY hard to find Ronald Schmitt / Knut Hesterberg "Propeller" table. This I found on craigslist for all of $125. I don't seem to find these kinda deals much anymore. Oh how the times they are a changin'.
Like I said, crummy pics...I know. Click here to see lots of pics via Google Images and you'll
notice that there are many polished aluminum propeller base tables but only a few gold tone
anodized finish. This was quite the Vintage Modern score. I think I listed it for $550 since there
were a few scratches on the glass top and a few scuffs on the base. I think I ended up getting
$500 for it but it took FOREVER for someone to recognize that this was amazing!
That's just the thing about the Mid West. Living here and loving Vintage Modern is a double
edged sword. Sure...you can pick up a table that might fetch $1500 on the coasts for just
$150 on any given day...but you'll never find anybody here who wouldn't laugh at you for
asking $1500 for it! That there is little appreciation for this stuff here means you are likely to
find it cheap...sometimes free but there aren't enough people here who care about this stuff
to support much of a market for it either. I hate the idea of "mining" the midwest for its
treasures and shipping them off to coasts too.
At least we seem to be blessed with plenty. I chalk it up to the aerospace industry of the '60s.
There was a lot of "forward thinking" buyers around here then and I believe that influenced the
furniture store buyers which helped to put lots of Vintage Modern furnishings into otherwise
modest homes in St. Louis. The last time I picked up a bedroom set of Broyhill Brasilia was
from a home that was little more than the size of a miner's shack with a semi finished basement!
I would say that I miss this table but I replaced it right away with an Adrian Pearsall coffee table
that I absolutely love. If this propeller table wasn't sitting in someone elses living room it would
be relegated to the garage...and that's no place for such an amazing coffee table!
I know that pickers routinely scour the Midwest and ship out tons of furniture, and I can see how that would bother you. But I wouldn't consider it mining the area if an individual seller offered a piece locally first and no one wanted it and then sold it out of state. If a person in another part of the country wants a piece so badly they're willing to pay high shipping costs to get it, that means it's going to someone who will treasure it and not allow it to sit in a basement or go to a landfill. If there's not much interest in your area, that may be the best way to preserve the furniture we love so much.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is kinda sad to see most of the high end pieces being sent out of the area to the coasts. I think most sellers would rather sell locally to avoid shipping hassles, and serious buyers have a chance to buy these items cheaper by not having to pay shipping costs. I also agree with Dana's perspective on the stuff going to those who appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, we will always have plenty of Lane, Kroehler, R Way, etc. around!
I have one of these tables in the goldtone finish and bought it in the 70s. How can i tell if it's authentic?
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