My Most Recent Acquisition

[ghopper1924]

Just acquired this walnut and marble etagere ca. 1865. I think it was made by Mitchell & Rammelsberg of Cincinnati and St. Louis, which makes sense since I'm in mid-Missouri and it came from a mid-Missouri estate. Mitchell & Rammelsberg was the most prolific furniture maker in the country by the time of the Civil War. Anyway, I'm basing the attribution on etageres and pier mirrors that the company was making at the time; so far as I can tell this one isn't signed (though I didn't take the back of the mirror off).

Original everything. My feeling is $2500 for insurance. What do you think?

[mart]

Go up another $500. for insurance purposes !!    And if ever possible,, try to get someone accredited to give a written estimate !!

[ghopper1924]

3K! All right!  Will do!!

[mart]

3K! All right!  Will do!!

And take pics of everything,, keep all in your safety deposit box at your bank !!

[ghopper1924]

OK, so just curious: If 3K is a fair insurance value, is there a formula for how much the etagere should have cost?

In other words, $2K purchase price = $3K insurance price?

[jacon4]

Very nice. I can't speak to value with much authority but 3k sounds about right to me.  I notice it has a carved "jenny lind" head which is a nice feature.

[mart]

OK, so just curious: If 3K is a fair insurance value, is there a formula for how much the etagere should have cost?

In other words, $2K purchase price = $3K insurance price?

Not really !!  What insurance usually looks at is replacement cost/value !!  And no matter what you gave for it replacement would be on average 75% of its estimated value !!  Thats why most valuations are bumped up for insurance purposes !!  Insure it for $3K and hope you get $2K !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Beautiful!!!

[KC]

NICE!!!!  Beautiful carving.  I would gander that replacing that would cost a tad bit more - these are not easily found!

[ghopper1924]

Thanks! we're super happy with it.

That level of skill and art just can't be found in today's furniture. The etagere is about 150 years old, and with minimal care it will last another 150.

[KC]

Totally agree!

Great craftsmanship and then care is irreplaceable!

[ghopper1924]

Oh, and just for fun: That Christmas cactus to the left of the etagere is a cutting from a plant that goes back in MsGhopper's family for 200 years. At one time one of its ancestors was eaten down to the ground by grasshoppers, but it has always recovered. Now we have 2, just in case we have another insect attack.

[mart]

You could supply the town with the size of that cactus !!

[ghopper1924]

Ha! Yes, under the right conditions they turn into giant green afros!

[KC]

Nice that you could carry on that plant for that long!  (All of my Christmas cactus just finished blooming! Didn't even have a bud at Christmas!)

Our family has Staghorn ferns that have been carried on throughout the family for near as long!