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Mouldy Table Becomes $541,500 Treasure
1 Oct
Summary
- A teacher bought a table for $25 at a garage sale.
- The table was identified as rare 18th-century furniture.
- It sold at auction for $541,500, a world record.
A New Jersey schoolteacher's $25 garage sale purchase blossomed into a remarkable find, ultimately selling for $541,500. Claire Wiegand-Beckmann acquired the table roughly 30 years before its appraisal.
During an Antiques Roadshow event in Secaucus, New Jersey, in 1997, furniture expert Leigh Keno identified the table. He discovered an original maker's label from John and Thomas Seymour, prominent Boston cabinetmakers.
Keno identified the piece as an 18th-century Federal inlaid mahogany demi-lune card table, dated to about 1794. Its rarity, original finish, craftsmanship, and maker's label significantly boosted its value.
At Sotheby's in January 1998, the table's auction price reached $490,000, with buyer's premium bringing the total to $541,500. This sale set a world record for Federal furniture at the time.
