Posted 14 years ago
Ol-boy
(1 item)
We got these from a family friend 30 years ago and don't really know anything about them. Does anyone know anything such as manafacture or value of them? The figurines have motors that spin them around.
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GREAT LAMPS! I am not an expert but it turns out I have an opinion which I will be happy to share at no cost.
They have the "feel" of 1950's lamps. While the style seems right the material doesn't fit for me. The drive shaft for the motor under the man is shiny. This says it has been well cared for but not old enough to age naturally to any great degree. The man seems to be African American (can't tell on the table lamp) which makes this desireable to Black memorabilia collectors as well as lamp collectors.
So, my guess is they are not more than 10 years older than when you got them...say 1970's.
Value is another question. WHERE and HOW you sell something determine the price. If you put them on ebay for 29.95 each with no reserve they will sell the first day (and I will be glad to get them!) Put them on at $350 for the pair and I still think they will sell just not as quickly (and sadly, not to me). The ROAD SHOW will assign them a high value, but who sells at the roadshow? Local auctions sell treasures every day at a fraction of their value. That's why we go!
GREAT, GREAT lamps! Hope this helps and good luck.
Afterthought... There is another platform below and behind the man. Is there / was there a figure on it? Also, in the first picture the cord is coming out of the bottom left. This suggests that the lamp should be turned around with the swoop being the back. (Cords generally come out of the back of a lamp).
WAIT! One more observation. Could it be that the figures are NOT part of the lamp and just decorations you added? If so they would be attractive to any collector (who had the space) because you could personalize them with anything from Precious Moments to Planet Hollywood items there! ...that's it for now (I think!)
What you have are a pair of classic mid century modern lucite lamps made by the Moss Lamp Company of San Francsico. The figurines and shades appear to be original to the lamps. The Moss Co. used many different 50's figurines on there lamps, both ceramic and plaster. Yours appear to be plaster. I can't tell from the photos but it looks like the floor lamp has a pocket on the back, this might have been for artificial plants Value wise I would say, for Insurance purposes, $500.00 to $700.00 for the pair. I would think they would continue to rise in value as more people get into the mid century modern design.