Latest Midcentury Acquisitions

[Versatronic]

Since I've been here, I've noticed that a lot of the active members have a secondary interest in midcentury furnishings and decor. So I thought I'd open up a thread for people to tell us about or display their latest aquisitions.

 

[Versatronic]

The Verner Panton Cone Chair

I'll start this thread off with a chair that arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I spent some time on it today (not that it needed much!). This is a circa '60 chair designed by Verner Panton called the Cone Chair. One of these have been on my wish list for quite some time and a couple of deals for one of these fell through in the past. But finally the stars aligned just right and I was able to get a vintage one in terrific shape in a color I could use. It has the original fabric. I just went over the thing with upholstery cleaner and what almost imperceptable staining was on it went away.

 

[Versatronic]

The side view:

I bought this from a guy in Houston two days before Rita hit and there was an evacuation order. He dropped it off at Fed Ex before the storm hit and it was hung up in Houston for quite a while until Fed Ex could get in and out of the place again. I was happy to see it finally get home.

Here's the side View.

It's been a good week for crossing things off my wish list so I'll have some interesting items to share next week.

 

[petek]

Very very nice and something I have never seen or heard of before. Where these chairs made exclusively by him or were they his design for a larger company?

 

[toggleswitch]

Dude,

That chair is THE BOMB!

 

[Versatronic]

From what I've read about this chair...

Panton designed and created these chairs for his parent's new restaurant in Denmark in 1959. One of the guys who came to the restaurant on its opening loved the chairs and offered to put them into full production. He started a company called Plus-linje. I believe that my chair to be one of the early productions of the chair by that company. There are certain clues. These are being reproduced today by a company called Vitra but they use fiberglass cones. This chair is welded sheet metal on the inside.

 

[spiralactivator]

That is the coolest thing. Is the Cone Chair a sought-after collectors item, like the Ball Chair?

 

[Versatronic]

Yeah, I'd say so

I'm not sure what a Ball Chair is, but this is considered a pretty iconic midcentury design and not a bunch of examples exist here in the states apparently. This chair is featured on the cover of books about modern furniture. Some of his other designs may be even more well recognized than this one, though. There's another version of this chair called the Wire Cone Chair that only has a seat pad and a very small back cushion. The rest of the chair is all a wire grid. It's very sharp looking, almost like a martini glass. I almost got a mint condition pair of those once, but alas the seller and I couldn't come to terms.

 

[Maytagmom]

Kewl chair!

I am looking for a 1970's "egg chair". Anyone know where to get one? Or where to look online?
Way cool chair versatronic. I wished I could post some pics of my things on here, but they are too large (over 300 kb limit), and "being the blonde I am", can't figure out how to resize them to fit into the boards.
I LOVE seeing yalls stuff...such exquisite taste! ;-)

 

[Versatronic]

Weinberg Clock

Pete and Veg are pleading with me to tell them about my other recent scores, so OK. I have a lot of clocks. But there's one clock that I've always wanted more than any other clock hands down. To me, it was the ultimate ever midcentury design for a clock. The fews times the clock ever came up on eBay, I either was outbid or the price went into the stratosphere and I didn't even bother to bid. So, a couple of days ago I did a google search and found one listed on a website. I emailed them but didn't get a response until the next day. And they said they'd check on it for me, and then they contacted me again and said they still had it. The price was very attractive and I sealed the deal.

It's a clock designed by Frederick Weinberg of Philadelphia. Here is a picture of it.

 

[spiralactivator]

Ball Chair

The Eero Aarnio Ball Chair is a huge fiberglass globe on a pedestal. The inside is thickly padded, and you sit mostly enclosed. They were considered the epitome of 60s modern design, and they go for four figures now.

 

[Versatronic]

I'd like an Egg Chair, too

Yeah, the Egg Chair is on my list, too. There are about 20 companies making reproductions of it now. But of course I want a vintage 60s version in a color I can use in great shape, so it may be away. Plus, those things go for thousands of dollars. You have to throw down some jack for one of those. So if you want a vintage egg chair, you have to get very lucky or prepare to pay a boatload of money.

 

[Versatronic]

Another Weinberg Clock

So actually, I think it was on Tuesday, two days before I purchased the Weinberg clock after all these years, I found a clock in a live auction on eBay that was not attributed to anyone. But I studied the picture closely and compared it to the Weinberg clock and to other Weinberg works that I have saved pictures of, and I have come to believe with every fiber of my being that this clock is designed by Frederick Weinberg. I can't prove it, but I'm sure of it. I sent the picture to a couple of my midcentury collector friends and they had never seen the clock before.

So, anyway, I think I scored two Weinberg clocks within days of each other.

 

[Versatronic]

The Ball Chair

Yeah, yeah, ok, now I remember the Ball Chair. And there are some similar looking chairs that have stereo systems built right into them. They are cool looking. They wouldn't fit into my place too well, though. They're very mod looking.

By the way, the first Weinberg Clock I displayed was also made in a pedestal version to sit on a flat surface. Those, I believe are even rarely than the wall version.

 

[petek]

another good find.. looking at both clocks, the hour hands look very similar ?

 

[Versatronic]

The hands do like similar

Both clocks have Lanshire movements and I believe they were both manufactured by Lanshire. They are both Lanshire Clocks, with the same hand design. And I have looked at tons of Weinberg sculptures, furniture, wrought iron work and on and on. And after a while, you see something he designed and you just know it's his work. He had a very distinctive style and when you see it you just know it.

And unlike most other celebrated modern designers, as far as I know, there is no detailed history of his work to be had.

 

[Maytagmom]

Yalls stuff is sooo cool.....

Yeah, my niece said they were hard to find originals, and very $$$. We got on some conversation when we were "evacuees from Rita", and got to talking about all sort of retro stuff, and I started bragging about you guys! LOL
I told her she needed to come here and look at yalls stuff.

Speaking of clocks, dang I wished I could post some pics....Ok, so here it is...I have a 1940's Pinwheel Neon Clock. This guys online sells them for $1200+ (new repros)
They are identical to the one I got 15 yrs ago, from a precious friend who is now deceased, dug it up from out of her yard (it was a mess), cleaned it up, and said...OMG...what is this? This is soooo cool. She said, "ya want it, you can have it'. So I took it home, and the 3 tubes of neon worked. The pin wheel had come off tho. Well just this past year, I got the motor mechanism working thru a local clock dealer, who had a helluva time finding it, and then got the neon tubes replaced back to the original colors. (Amber/white/blue)
The plastic face of it is red white and blue. I have only seen one other clock similar to this one, and it was at an appliance repair shop in Corsicana, TX, back in the late 90s. No one has ever my clock before, and there was no info on it, other than patent numbers, which I ran, and got the date of late 38-40 or so.
Anyways...enough blabbering from me right now. I just wanted to share that with you all. Hopefully I will figure out a way to post some pics on here, because this girl has some really cool stuff too, to show off....LOL
Blessings,
Carol

 

[Maytagmom]

oh another thing...

The website where the guy has those clocks like mine is.
www.justneon.com
clock 6, 6a, 6b I believe.
And versa....you bought that from a guy here in Houston 2 days before Rita??
SHAME ON YOU!!!! You could of just called me and I would of gladly brought it to you. Heck....I spent 15 hours on the road to only go 225 miles....whatsa nutha 15? lol

 

[Versatronic]

Nice Clock

I checked out the clock pics maytagmom. That's very cool looking. I know that these people that make neon stuff charge outrageous prices for their work. I take it that the pinwheel has a movement affect when the clock is running?

 

[Maytagmom]

Versatronic....

Yes, it moves to give it an "infinity" effect. justneon.com guy told me, It looks like an "ever opening chrysamthemum"...(sp. check)

Actually, the guy who did the neon replacement on it, told me that it was the second hand. I have a video of it here on my computer, but I can't even post pics of it here, because they are too large.

When I was researching for this clock, value etc...it took me forever to find this guy who makes these in New York. I wrote him inquiring about the specs, and price, and he gave me some info on them, and I about blew a gasket on the price. The shipping alone on one of these is $200+.

So I acted like a curious buying consumer, got the info I needed. And thought to self...Self, you got something worth some money here. ha! I immediately began looking for a reputable local clock repairer thru the antiques places we have around here. (tons)

It took about 5 months to get the clock back. This was just to get the movement mechanism found and replaced. It ended up going somewhere in BFE Kansas or something. (not the clock, just the movement assembly)

I was in such a hurry to have this thing back. Him, being a "cad" said, well my goodness, you have had it for 15 yrs like this, what's your hurry now. Grrr....some men....ha!

No one has been able to tell me, who the maker of the clock was, and how much it is worth.

I know a few people waiting for me to kick the bucket, to get my clock, antique ice-box, my Bose, lol, and other things. (Mean people suck)

I would honestly rather give my stuff to someone this board here, even someone who is a complete stranger, because I know it would be cherished more and taken care of by someone who collects these types of things....

Anyways, that's enough of my blabbering ;-)