The other day we drove from Falmouth Ma to Greenwich Rhode Island for a sale that had 2 Robsjohn Gibbings mid-century pieces. One was a magazine table and the other was a round coffee table. Both were from 1951, both were bleached walnut and handsome.
There were probably over 100 people there. We were all sizing each other up and second guessing what we were interested in buying. Generally when I see people who are 60 years old and older, and that seems to be the current majority at most of these sales, I know that typically they are buying the “small stuff” to resell at flea markets. Or they are buying sterling silver or coins. They are not buying mid-century modern. They grew up with it and it has become invisible and uninteresting to them. On the other hand when I see 30-somethings and up to 50 plus, I become a little anxious. Quite a few of them like what we like and often times they will over pay for the items that interest them.
However, with this particular group of middle aged suburbanites didn’t know what they were looking at or John made nasty faces at them to keep them away. It was probably John making faces at them. Anyway we bought the two Gibbings pieces and 4 Thonet Bent Plywood Chairs and a totally cool mid-century plant stand with big brass knobs and an ebony finish.
Imagine, all these nice things were carefully thought out, designed by creative thinkers and made available for everyone.
I can’t wait to get back out there and hunt down more of Americas modern yesterdays.
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