Market Prices

A section as important as it is widely consulted… It is the question every buyer of a Napoleon III piece asks when seeking to protect their investment and pay the right price… In this section, we have tried to classify the different types of classic furniture you may come across, and to set a reasonable market price for each of them, estimated once the piece has been fully restored or is in perfect condition.

Please note: these prices fall within a range, the difference between the highest and the lowest depending on several subjective criteria, including:

• the quality of the restorations carried out, ranging, with certain “handymen”, from a mere “cleaning”, the piece still showing numerous imperfections, to a perfect restoration carried out by true professionals according to best practice.
• The structure of the professional selling the piece: if he has a shop, for example, the overheads incurred will be reflected directly in the price of the piece. If he sells at a fair, he will have to cover his costs before making any margin (stand, logistics, transport, ancillary expenses) and the piece will ultimately be much more expensive.
• The restoration set-up: a professional who has one or more cabinetmakers working by the hour or by the piece will incur higher costs than a professional directly and exclusively employing one or more cabinetmakers, or who is even a restorer himself, as is our case, which considerably lowers the cost of the restorations and therefore of the piece.

All these factors mean that the price of a piece can vary threefold. That said, the end consumer cares little for these parameters, which concern him little or not at all, and above all wishes to pay the fairest possible price for a quality piece.

In any event, let us never forget that the consumer has “educated” himself. The internet has transformed the market, and today access to information, and above all to comparison, is quick and easy. The choice is wide, and in all cases you should ask every necessary question in order to buy with complete peace of mind: the quality of the restorations carried out, how and why a significant price difference with another dealer is justified, additional photos, etc. Sometimes small details make all the difference (quality of the bronzes, unique or uncommon model, possible signatures).

More than a purchase, this is an investment. Do not buy on impulse, and compare offers. And remember, your best friend is… Google! Below we list the prices that seem fair to us for each type of furniture. Beyond these ranges, do not hesitate to ask the seller all the questions needed to justify the price, or to ask us for our opinion.

THE PRICES BELOW ARE BASED ON AN AVERAGE OF OUR SALES OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS. THEY ARE REGULARLY UPDATED IN LINE WITH MARKET TRENDS.

PLEASE NOTE, IF YOU BELIEVE YOU OWN A RARE GEM: THE PRICES OF RESTORED PIECES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PRICES OF UNRESTORED ONES. AS RESTORATION COSTS ARE HIGH FOR THIS TYPE OF FURNITURE, THE PRICE CAN VARY VERY SHARPLY BETWEEN A PIECE IN AVERAGE CONDITION WORTH, FOR EXAMPLE, €1,000 AND THE SAME PIECE RESTORED, WHICH MAY BE WORTH €4,000 OR €5,000. IT IS COMMON FOR A PIECE TO REQUIRE 50 OR 60 HOURS OF WORK; THE COST IS EASY TO CALCULATE…

1/ STRAIGHT-FRONTED SINGLE-DOOR SIDE CABINETS

Our estimate ranges depend on the overall quality of the piece, on the quality and finesse of the bronzes, their quantity and their rarity, and do not take account of any signatures or stamps. These are estimates after restoration.

photo 1 / classic black side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €1,400 – €1,800

photo 2 / classic tortoiseshell side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,200 – €2,800

photo 3 / superior-quality tortoiseshell side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €3,200 – €4,000

photo 4 / side cabinet stamped BEFORT JEUNE ACTUAL VALUE: €3,000 – €4,000

photo 5 / side cabinet stamped BEFORT JEUNE, ACTUAL VALUE: €5,000 – €6,000

photo 6 / exceptional-quality tortoiseshell side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €5,000 – €8,000

photo 7 / unique pieces, great signatures ACTUAL VALUE: €9,000 to ???

photo 8 / LOUIS XIV style tortoiseshell Boulle side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €5,000 – €6,000

photo 9 / Boulle side cabinet with lattice marquetry ACTUAL VALUE: €3,500 – €4,000

1/ CURVED SINGLE-DOOR SIDE CABINETS

photo 1 / classic black side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €1,500 – €2,200

photo 2 / classic tortoiseshell side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,500 – €3,000

photo 3 / tortoiseshell side cabinet decorated on all sides ACTUAL VALUE: €3,700 – €5,500

photo 4 / tortoiseshell side cabinet with burgau shell, mother-of-pearl and brass ACTUAL VALUE: €5,000 – €6,000

3/ SINGLE-DOOR SIDE CABINETS WITH FIXED SIDE PANELS (“À DORMANTS”)

photo 1 / classic black side cabinet with fixed side panels ACTUAL VALUE: €2,500 – €3,000

photo 2 / superior-quality black side cabinet with fixed side panels ACTUAL VALUE: €3,000 – €3,500

photo 3 / tortoiseshell side cabinet with fixed side panels, decorated on all sides ACTUAL VALUE: €6,000 – €7,500

4/ SINGLE-DOOR SIDE CABINETS WITH BRONZE MEDALLION

photo 1 / classic medallion side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €1,900 – €2,500

photo 2 / superior-quality medallion side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,500 – €3,200

photo 3 / curved medallion side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,800 – €3,400

photo 4 / superior-quality curved medallion side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €3,000 – €3,800

photo 5 / superior-quality medallion side cabinet with fixed side panels ACTUAL VALUE: €3,500 – €4,000

photo 6 / two-door medallion side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE €5,000 – €6,000

5/ TWO-DOOR SIDE CABINETS

photo 1 / classic black two-door side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,500 – €3,300

photo 2 / classic tortoiseshell two-door side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €4,000 – €4,500

photo 3 / superior-quality tortoiseshell two-door side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €4,500 – €5,200

photo 4 / rare two-door cabinet with Sèvres medallions ACTUAL VALUE €4,500 – €5,000

photo 5 / tortoiseshell two-door side cabinet, richly worked model ACTUAL VALUE: €5,000 – €5,500

photo 6 / exceptional-quality tortoiseshell two-door side cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €6,000 – €7,500

photo 7 / tortoiseshell and brass two-door side cabinet, unique model ACTUAL VALUE: €8,500 – €10,500

6/ LOW DISPLAY CABINETS (SIDE-CABINET HEIGHT)

photo 1 / classic black single-door low display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €1,500 – €1,900

photo 2 / classic tortoiseshell single-door low display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,000 – €2,300

photo 3 / superior-quality tortoiseshell single-door low display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,300 – €2,800

photo 4 / tortoiseshell single-door low display cabinet, exceptional model ACTUAL VALUE: €2,800 – €3,500

photo 5 / Boulle display cabinet attributed to H. PRETOT, multicoloured tortoiseshell ACTUAL VALUE: €3,000 – €4,000

photo 6 / Boulle display cabinet in multicoloured tortoiseshell signed H. PRETOT ACTUAL VALUE: €4,500 – €5,500

7/ DISPLAY CABINETS

photo 1 / classic brown two-door display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €1,300 – €1,700

photo 2 / classic black two-door display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €1,600 – €2,000

photo 3 / superior-quality black single-door display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €2,200 – €2,500

photo 4 / fully glazed black two-door display cabinet / bookcase ACTUAL VALUE: €1,800 – €2,200

photo 5 / black two-door display cabinet, model rich in bronzes ACTUAL VALUE: €2,700 – €3,200

photo 6 / classic tortoiseshell two-door display cabinet ACTUAL VALUE: €3,200 – €3,800

photo 7 / black three-door display cabinet with bronzes, rare three-door model ACTUAL VALUE: €3,000 / €4,000

photo 8 / Black two-door display cabinet with bronzes, over 2.20 m in height ACTUAL VALUE: €2,500 – €3,000

photo 9 / Rare display cabinet with Sèvres plaques and rich ornamentation ACTUAL VALUE €4,000 – €5,000

8/ SECRETAIRES

photo 1 / classic black secretaire ACTUAL VALUE: €1,400 – €1,700

photo 2 / black secretaire with “à la Reine” marquetry ACTUAL VALUE: €2,600 – €3,200

photo 3 / superior-quality tortoiseshell secretaire ACTUAL VALUE: €2,800 – €3,500

9/ BONHEURS-DU-JOUR

photo 1 / classic black bonheur-du-jour ACTUAL VALUE: €1,400 – €1,800

photo 2 / bonheur-du-jour with “à la Reine” marquetry ACTUAL VALUE: €2,800 – €3,500

photo 3 / classic tortoiseshell bonheur-du-jour ACTUAL VALUE: €3,400 – €3,800

photo 4 / tortoiseshell bonheur-du-jour, exceptional model ACTUAL VALUE: €5,000 – €7,000

photo 5 / bonheur-du-jour with lattice marquetry and Wedgwood plaques ACTUAL VALUE €4,500 / €5,000

10/ TABLES

photo 1 / classic black table ACTUAL VALUE: €1,400 – €1,800

photo 2 / black violin-shaped table with bronzes ACTUAL VALUE: €2,500 – €3,200

photo 3 / classic tortoiseshell violin-shaped table ACTUAL VALUE: €4,200 – €4,800

photo 4 / violin-shaped table, exceptional model ACTUAL VALUE: €5,500 – €7,000