help with value for victorian childs rocking chair commode

[elora]

Hi everyone.. I am new to this and have very little knowledge about antiques. I am hoping someone here can help me. I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea, even a range in value for the attached childrens rocking chair. its a mahogany and leather deep buttoned chair commode, its victorian and in working order. It also has centre turned rails which are removable and kept in place by a turned wooden knob.
I would really appreciate your opinion on this. I have attached a pictiure.
many thanks
elora

[wendy177]

Elora This appears to be if original  a Regency style mahogany child's rocker, c 1820-1830  I would guess around $600.00  on the low side  at auction with the right collector and  the right auction house. Beautiful piece  appears to be well kept, has it been in the family long???

[elora]

thanks for your response wendy.. its actually for a competition in ireland.. www.winacavanhome.c om.. you need to enter the value of the chair to take part in the competition to win a 5 bedroom home on 3/4 acre in county cavan.. your reply narrows my guess somewhat..
thanks again

[talesofthesevenseas]

Elora, I would be EXTREMELY wary of this. I took a look at their Web site. First off, no one, no matter how much of an expert they are can claim to know the "true value" of an antique. Even the experts can only give an approximate value of what an item would sell for. This would change in a variety of circumstances. For example, an antique would sell on Ebay for one price, at auction for another, another in a retail setting and insurance value would be still another figure. There is no set price. Secondly, this site is charging you a L500 entry fee. Also be aware that when you win a high dollar prize, you have to be able to pay the taxes on it.

Perhaps I'm overly cautious, but it sure sounds like a scam to me. Anyone else have an opinion?

[regularjoe2]

As far as being an illegal scam , probably not .... however ....

Paying a total of $1,481,618.00 USD (todays exchange rate for euros) for such a house might be a bit crazy ...per the 'terms & conditions' , requiring at least 2000 entrants to the 'competition' .

Anyone else notice the driveway right next door & the backhoe in the background ?

Reminds me of Adams' "Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy' , esp. with the proposed bypass .

Perhaps it might be better to invest 500 Euros in Pints , peanuts & a towel .

[wendy177]

Elora I totally agree with Tales be very cautious.

[KC]

I would be leery unless you have a personal contact with someone involved that can verify it is legitimate!

[BelairDesignStudios]

The Terms & Conditions of this contest contain a few red flag clauses. Most worrisome for me would be that there is one person, Norma Rogers, who will determine who the winner is based on the ethereal "true value" of an antique. This single judge format (as well as the judgement criteria) makes the contest a prime candidate for unscrupulous manipulation. What's to stop the judge from arranging for a friend to submit a predetermined entry for the win?

It's a clever way to unload one's house I suppose, but the whole structure of this "contest" seems pretty flimsy and certainly wouldn't be legal where I live. There doesn't appear to be any government agency overseeing it and ensuring that it's above board and follows all appropriate rules & regulations in order to ensure that it is fair and legal.

I'd save my money and not go anywhere near this thing.

[D&b antiques]

 :)I agree with all the above. trying to determine, the value of and antique is as yet and un written science. what commonly occur's. is Auction records are searched preferable with in the last year.

Normally 3 are viewed. & A comparsion is made. and even then the value can be wide spread. High value is always advised for insurance purposes.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I did some reading online and this does seem to be a way people are trying to recoup some cash when they are losing their home. If you google "win a house" or "win a home" a bunch of these come up. There's apparently nothing illegal about it. I saw one where it was held as an essay contest. Generally what happens, however, is that they fail to get the number of entrants required to force the sale of the house, so they do a cash payout to one "winner" and keep the rest.

[elora]

hi everyone.. thanks for the replies.. its not scam.. I know the people running the competition. irish law is very tough to run these type of competitions and the only way to do so was to have a skilled based question that could not be easily answered otherwise it could be deemed a lottery..
I can understand peoples wariness based on the terms etc but they are necessary.. its a great house and a steal for a 500 euro outlay..
thanks again..

[KC]

elora, if you are in Ireland, then the values of an antique will be different there than in the US.