What's it Worth? Appraisal of Empire Sofa

Lucy asks:

Dear Wally,

Here are a few pictures of a sofa I purchased it 20 years ago. She had bought a new house and couldn’t fit it in her front door. I was told it came from an old train station. Thank you for any help you can give me on the origin and the value. As you can see from the pictures, it does have damage.

Thanks again,

Lucy

AW says: That’s an impressive sofa. The trait of much of the Empire period furniture is that it’s very large, that can be an asset or a hinderence when trying to sell. I happen to love much of the old Empire furniture and think it’s under valued in the market place.

Your piece has be re-upholstered, probably in the 1920s or so.
Date range: 1840-70 $1500-$2200
(top price)

Retail value:

Wholesale value: $400-$500 -The reason for the large gap in wholesale and retail, is because, oversized pieces are not popular with dealers.
(The mid range price you could expect to achieve at a well advertised live auction. The price that is most often realized)

Quick sale value: $300
The price your likely to get if you have to sell your item immediately and your prospective customer is aware of this.

Common terminology, nicknames, keywords: Empire sofa, Mahogany veneer, early empire.

In most cases, I believe it would be beneficial for your to give the prospective buyer a link to this page, and to bookmark it via your favorite bookmarking service.

On occasion I’ve had readers ask for the contact information for the owners of items I’ve appraised here.
If you are interested in an item which was appraised here, state so in the comment section and leave your email address if you wish to be contacted by the owner of the item. I do not give out client emails.

If you’ve had your item appraised here, you may want to check back to see if anyone has expressed interest in it via the comment section.

Care and storage tips: Be very careful when polishing antique furniture that is veneered. The polish can get in the seams and loosen the veneer.