What would you offer for this cupboard?

[Lily left the valley]

Eight images can be seen here: https://worcester.craigslist.org/atq/5983738231.html

Nice early small pine kitchen cupboard.
27 1/2"w x 13"d (top piece) 18 1/2"d(bottom piece)x 66"h
Beautiful vanish/patina, all origional,
asking $225.00 or best offer

[1918ColonialRevival]

That looks like a marriage of two pieces and the bottom half looks like it may have been a part of a larger unit.

As for value, it's hard to say. It all depends on how much you like it and how long you've been looking for a piece like it.

[Willa]

That looks like a nice little piece BUT - there's some major splintering on the backing boards and on one side.

How much you should offer for it depends a little - do you have place where it will fit ? Are there items which will fit into it, so it will be a useful piece of furniture ? How badly do you want it ? Is it a new posting or has it been listed for awhile ?

I know you are waiting for the other shoe to drop with the purchase of the house. Bear in mind that there may be trivial but essential things that can eat up your money quickly. I discovered I couldn't hear people knocking at my door after a Fed Ex package was sent back after two delivery attempts I was home for - so I had to buy a doorbell. Then I needed a rimlock and doorknob for one bedroom. That was over
$ 100.00 right there. All those little things can add up and start feeling like an avalanche.

[Willa]

It looks like there is LOADS of good stuff on your local CL. In context, the price for the little cabinet seems high to me ?

Here's some things I'd buy:

Fancy chairs, $ 95.00:

https://worcester.craigslist.org/atq/5982114167.html

01515_6MiKuodcUKa_1200x900.jpg (125.67 KiB) Viewed 604 times

Vintage gold trim mirror - $ 20.00

https://worcester.craigslist.org/atq/5964497390.html

00L0L_71EAbXCEwSO_1200x900.jpg (44.34 KiB) Viewed 604 times

Antique light fixture - $ 40.00

https://worcester.craigslist.org/atq/5976397681.html

01616_1N8kWmixesr_1200x900.jpg (19.19 KiB) Viewed 604 times

Pricey but fantastic hand forged eel spear - $ 125.00

https://worcester.craigslist.org/atd/5950668033.html

00303_cR0WcH8HsCp_1200x900.jpg (111.27 KiB) Viewed 604 times

[Lily left the valley]

Thanks for all the replies. I thought it was a bit high as well, given the damage. I also wasn't thrilled about the obviously not original hasp lock on the top section. The prices sort of run the gamut here. You can get things for dead bargains, and then some stuff folks think what they have is solid gold and get in a snit if you try to best offer them. (There are some solid wood butcher blocks that have been up for months and the seller never lowers the price.)

Willa, I had already bookmarked that ceiling fixture, as our dining room has a standard one bulb socket currently, and both the parlor and library have modern cheapo HD fixtures. I will most likely put it in the parlor, since the shades are stark white and I've been thinking something more amber shaded for the dining, maybe with some green trim in stained glass. (Yes, I'm already at the point where I am planning to just make some fixtures.)

From the quick measurements we did at the one showing, I could likely fit the cupboard on the wall opposite the cabinetry in the kitchen, along with the new old stove and half hoosier. It would be tight if it fit, though. When we close, aside from a cleaning since the place has been sitting empty for months, I'll also be taking much more careful measurements of the room sizes and available floor space.

I showed it to spouse a bit ago, and he thinks it looks like it has minor water damage from the one picture, so we're thinking either a minor water issue at one point or someone had it stored in a basement or garage. When we talked about how little they might come down on it, we both realized they probably won't be happy with what we would offer. So I asked him, "Well, do you like the look of it?" He said he did. Makes sense, really, since it's similar to the cabinetry in the kitchen already.

I was thinking to use it for our mini fridge and mini freezer "stack". Since we bought the half hoosier, I've been trying to think of a way to stash the modern inside an older cabinet that both looked like it was old, and also fit in our teeny kitchen. You can see what I was thinking here, with my inspiration next to the half hoosier we bought:


I had originally gotten the idea about "hiding" the modern appearance of the fridge from Old House Guy's site, as that's what he did. I'm fairly certain though that the door on the cupboard would be too small for the mini freezer to open. So it's probably for the best that they want so much for it. I guess I might still be building from scratch what I have been planning after all.

(Related--I already started looking into a company that sells colored cork flooring, and I plan to attempt to recreate that amazing floor with cork. I also found bamboo style roll shades that are actually in this color family if my memory is correct from when I saw them last at my favorite local 2nd hand shop. I'm hoping to stop by there soon to double check. Ooo! Found the picture that made it all click for me on that site too--look at the window treatment. )

[Corsetière]

I don't think I'd pay more than $150 for it.

[Olson185]

Eight images can be seen here: https://worcester.craigslist.org/atq/5983738231.html

Nice early small pine kitchen cupboard.
27 1/2"w x 13"d (top piece) 18 1/2"d(bottom piece)x 66"h
Beautiful vanish/patina, all origional,
asking $225.00 or best offer

I'd offer $25-30 for the top piece and $15 for the bottom, because:
1) seller is posing them as an "original" single *kitchen* piece (which they are not)...most likely used in a bathroom,
2) the bottom piece is a partial (missing either its original legs or bottom half of its base)
3) the interior shelving looks suspiciously new
4) the top piece was obviously used at floor level; in a wet location. Original, free-standing pieces aren't likely to have the backing to the floor...they could, just not likely...and not of plywood/paneling.
5) without more revealing photos or in-person exam, I'm likely to assume these were "antiqued" using original, circa 1900-30's doors in circa 1960-70's cabinets and I'd buy them for reconstruction/re-purposed uses (parts).

[eclecticcottage]

I'd offer $25-30 for the top piece and $15 for the bottom, because...

Lol, I was waiting for someone else to say what I was thinking, at least price wise. But I tend to be cheap about furniture, so...

(for example, I have two pieces (a dining room china cabinet and a hutch that's actually in the living room) that I curb shopped. I also have a waterfall dresser with some peeling veneer I got for $20 at a yard sale and what was a roll top desk (the "roll" part is in pieces) also in the living room I got for free off of CL. My "shelving" is all old crates I think I paid $1-3 a piece for. That's my kind of furniture price.)

[Lily left the valley]

Honestly, that's awful close to to what we were thinking too, which is why I thought it would be a lost cause.

Some of my best (to me anyhoo) furniture is found curbside, or 2nd hand shopping. Much better deals in many 2nd handers rather than antique places, but it depends where. Of course, being in an antique shop doesn't always guarantee better quality either.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Honestly, that's awful close to to what we were thinking too, which is why I thought it would be a lost cause.

Some of my best (to me anyhoo) furniture is found curbside, or 2nd hand shopping. Much better deals in many 2nd handers rather than antique places, but it depends where. Of course, being in an antique shop doesn't always guarantee better quality either.

There's no shortage of antique furniture on the East Coast, that's for sure. If you're patient and look around, you can often find nice pieces through secondhand outlets, auctions, and estate sales. I've found pieces from the 1700s in secondhand shops before. Just this past weekend my wife was calling me to come and pick up a beautiful European solid oak wardrobe cabinet measuring 6 feet across by 8 feet tall that she found at a secondhand furniture dealer. The piece isn't as old as most of our furniture (this one's maybe 1880-1890), but it's styled much in the manner of earlier pieces from that region. The price she paid was less than the asking price of this kitchen cupboard.