That chair you just found at the estate sale looks like an Eames Lounge Chair. But it isn’t one. A closer examination reveals that it’s a different brand altogether. Should you move on? Not so fast—you might want to do a little more research before you pass it over.
Authenticity is one of the most important considerations when you’re assessing the value of a Mid Century Modern furnishing. But it isn’t the only one that establishes value.
Not every lookalike is a low-quality fake. Some lookalikes are actually high-quality reproductions. These can still have value, especially vintage pieces that have earned their own collectible status.
We can put Mid Century Modern furniture into six different categories:
Licensed originals and reissues
High quality vintage reproductions and lookalikes
High quality modern reproductions
Low quality reproductions
Inspired-by designs
Modern counterfeits
Licensed originals
Let’s explain each of these and give some examples. But first, let’s explain why it’s important when doing mid-century furniture appraisal to know about these different categories.
Why It Matters
Correctly establishing whether a piece is an authentic mid-century collectible or a vintage or modern repro helps you:
Know what you are collecting for your own sake.
Make sure you are not overspending on a piece.
Set a fair price if you plan on reselling the item.
Educates you more about the item itself, as well as similar furnishings or collectibles.
Now we will go over some of the different types of MCM furniture you might encounter.
Licensed Originals and Reissues
A licensed original furnishing is what a lot of people are searching for when shopping for MCM. They want one of the original furnishings that was manufactured by the official license-holder. To continue our Eames Lounge Chair example, that would usually be Herman Miller, which started producing the chairs in 1956 using Charles and Ray Eames’ original design. The Swiss company Vitra also obtained a license to manufacture the chairs in Europe.
There may also be modern reissues of earlier designs, still from a licensed manufacturer. Herman Miller continues to manufacture modern Eames Lounge Chairs today. They are not authentic mid century chairs, because they were manufactured recently. But they are still authentic Eames Lounge Chairs.
High Quality Vintage Reproductions and Lookalikes
One of the most confusing categories for novice collectors is high quality vintage reproductions and “inspired by” pieces. But this is also one of the most intriguing categories, because some “fakes” that fall into it are actually excellent finds in their own right. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Plycraft Lounge Chairs
One of the most well-known examples of a high-quality vintage lookalike is the Plycraft Lounge Chair. At a glance, it is very easy to mistake the Plycraft Lounge Chair for an Eames Lounge Chair.
Plycraft was a US-based company. Its name was a reference to the plywood it used in many of its furnishings. During its years of operation, Plycraft was sometimes sued by designers who were not amused that the company was imitating their designs. For instance, Norman Cherner successfully sued the company for stealing his chair design and claiming that a nonexistent designer called “Bernardo” came up with it.
Plycraft was particularly fond of mimicking the designs of Charles and Ray Eames. Their Plycraft Lounge Chair looks very much like the original Eames Lounge Chair. It was designed by George Muhlhouser. Here are some similarities and differences between the two.
Eames Lounge Chair | Plycraft Lounge Chair | |
|---|---|---|
Material | Plywood & leather | Plywood & leather, sometimes with different veneers than Eames |
Rocking | No | Yes |
Reclining | No | Yes |
Design | Smoothly curved plywood shell pieces | Similar, but plywood shell pieces do not curve as smoothly, and interlock slightly differently |
Craftmanship/Quality | Superior | Acceptable |
Price Range | $4,000-$6,000 for a mid century Eames chair | $800-$3,500 |
Spend a few minutes studying an Eames Lounge Chair and a Plycraft Lounge Chair side by side, and you’ll learn to start distinguishing the differences at a glance.
The Eames chair has more prestige, and is the more valuable Mid Century Modern collectible. The craftsmanship and overall quality and durability of the chair is higher. So, for many collectors, it is more desirable.
But for those who cannot afford to spend as much, a Plycraft chair may make sense. Plus, the tradeoffs may be worth it if you really want a chair that rocks and reclines. And it still has a significant dollar value.
Burke Model 115/116 Tulip Chair
While watching episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, you might notice the crew sits in what appears at first glance to be Eero Saarinen Tulip Chairs.
If you look a little closer though, you might notice that these are not Eero Saarinen Tulip Chairs. They are actually Burke Model Tulip Chairs, mostly the 115 model armless chairs. The ones with armrests are 116 Tulip Chairs. The Burke Furniture company manufactured these chairs in the 1960s and 1970s. The original Saarinen Tulip Chairs, on the other hand, were manufactured by Knoll.
The shape of the seat is very similar between the original Saarinen chairs and the Burke chairs. There is an easy give-away though that tells you immediately whether you’re looking at a Burke chair vs. a Saarinen chair, and that is that Saarinen designed the original Tulip with a circular base. The Burke chairs, on the other hand, have four legs in a propeller configuration.
You can read more about the similarities and differences between the two chairs in Film and Furniture.
Burke Tulip chairs may not be true Eero Saarinen Tulip Chairs. But with their history and association with Star Trek, they have a collectible status of their own, with real value.
High Quality Modern Reproductions
The next category of MCM furniture is modern high quality reproductions. These replicas are not historical pieces. But they may sometimes capture historical details with greater accuracy than imitation pieces at the time did.
If you are thinking of buying a modern replica, and accuracy is important to you, here are some things to check before you purchase.
See if the dimensions of the replica match those of the original.
The materials for the repro should be high in quality. Preferably, they’ll be the same materials used for the original, and/or similar materials that create an authentic mid century look and feel.
Construction should be sturdy and durable. Mid century furnishings were built to last, and modern replicas should be too.
Pay attention to the details of the repro. Were similar manufacturing techniques used? Are small components where they belong? Is the hardware a close match?
High quality contemporary replicas avoid cutting corners, and offer lasting utility and value, making them an excellent option if you are budget-conscious and willing to purchase a modern, unlicensed piece.
Low Quality Reproductions
Just as there is a category of high quality Mid Century Modern reproduction pieces, there are also low quality replicas.
MCM furniture value is tied to authenticity, historical significance, and quality. Low quality replicas may be either new or old, but they are low in quality, are not historically significant, and are obviously not authentic.
You can figure out whether you are looking at a low quality replica by running through the same checklist above.
Low quality replicas tend to cut corners with manufacturing and design. Components may have a markedly different structure than they did in the original, materials and workmanship may be inferior, and the dimensions could be incorrect.
Other Inspired-By Designs
Finally, there is one more contemporary category you might stumble into when you’re attempting Mid-century modern identification.
While a lot of furnishings are intended to be direct replicas of classic MCM pieces, some are more broadly inspired by them. They may diverge significantly enough that they are entirely unique designs, but they might still “vibe as” certain iconic pieces or manufacturers.
So, for example, you could see a chair that calls to mind the Eames Lounge Chair, but is not so similar to it as to be directly copying it.
Whether these “inspired-by” pieces have any significant value can vary. A lot of modern furnishings do sell for thousands of dollars. But it may be harder to predict the long-term market value of these pieces if you think you might want to resell them at some point over the years to come. It can also be harder to assess durability unless you are familiar with the brand.
Modern Counterfeits
In this category, we have any furnishing that is being passed off as an authentic original Mid Century Modern furnishing, but isn’t one. So, basically, what Plycraft was doing back in its time.
Bear in mind that a reseller might sometimes lie about the nature of a furnishing they are selling, but that furnishing itself may not always be a “scam” product (i.e. the manufacturer may not have misrepresented it). And sometimes, even honest resellers may simply make mistakes.
If you can identify the furnishing correctly and you still want to buy it, feel free. Just make sure you are not paying the high price for an original MCM classic if you are actually buying a modern repro.
A Quality Reproduction Can Be a Worthy Purchase
A lookalike MCM furnishing may not be an authentic original, but that doesn’t mean it is always without value. An authenticated Herman Miller Eames or other original is, of course, the ultimate classic. But a vintage Plycraft or another documented period reproduction may still be worth collecting, preserving, and enjoying. Treasure Fox can help you begin that process. But ultimately, only you can decide if the MCM reproduction you’ve found is a treasure worth adding to your collection.
FAQ
Q: How do you identify authentic Mid Century Modern furniture?
A: Check the materials, construction, labels, hardware, proportions, and details. Some duplicates may be near-identical, but you will usually find some divergences in the design of a dupe that give away its true nature.
One thing to keep in mind is that labels and stamps are important evidence. But an absent label alone doesn’t always prove an item is a fake. Likewise, labels can be transferred, so, the presence of a label is not always definitive proof an item is authentic either.
Q: Are all vintage furniture copies valuable?
A: No, not all vintage furniture copies are valuable. Something simply being old and made to look like a famous MCM furnishing is not enough on its own to establish value. It needs to be a high-quality replica, and/or relevant from a historical perspective (i.e. the story of the brand and/or the product is noteworthy). The condition of the piece is important too.
Q: How can I tell whether a chair is a real Eames Lounge Chair or a lookalike?
A: Look at the shell construction, the materials, the dimensions, the cushions, the labels, and other details. Check the chart on this page for an example, where we show you how to tell an Eames Lounge Chair from a Plycraft Lounge Chair.
Q: How do I research to identify an unknown manufacturer?
A: Check the furniture thoroughly for labels, decals, stamps, paper tags, signatures, and similar signs of the manufacturer. Note down the model, lot or patent numbers too if you find any. Look up whatever you find. Be aware that some markings might point you toward a retailer, rather than the manufacturer.
You may need to combine multiple search terms, with some phrases in quote marks for exact match, to find what you’re looking for. AI search might also do better than traditional search in some cases, since it is good at pattern-matching. AI can hallucinate, however. So it is important to check its sources. Use it to find evidence and cross-reference information, not as your primary source of truth.
Q: What does it mean if a chair is marketed as “Eames-style”?
A: If you see this type of language while trying to identify vintage furniture, it means that you’re looking at a chair inspired by the original, but not an authentic chair. It could be a close replica, or it could just be a furnishing with a similar look and feel. You’ll need to do further research to find out whether the chair has value.
Q: Can Treasure Fox help me identify whether a piece is authentic MCM?
A: Treasure Fox can help you identify Mid-Century Modern collectibles and furnishings. Snap a photo of the piece, and the app can identify likely makers and periods. At this time, however, Treasure Fox cannot perform full, definitive authentication.
For high-value Mid-Century Modern furniture, authenticating a piece may require more than photos. A hands-on inspection or an authentication consultation with a qualified specialist can be necessary to evaluate its construction, materials, labels, provenance, and restoration history.
Treasure Fox is continually expanding our proprietary MCM database and refining our AI technology to recognize the details that help distinguish licensed originals, documented vintage reproductions, and close modern duplicates. As the technology evolves, it will provide more useful context and stronger identification leads. But some pieces will always benefit from expert review.
Looking ahead, we hope to bring qualified furniture authenticators into the Treasure Fox community so our users can book online specialist consultations if they want an expert opinion.
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