Israel Sack, Inc. bought it for a collector, underbid by the late Texas collector James L. Britton. As opulent and rare as the sofa was, however, it had its problems. All the legs were pieced out 2 inches to make up for removed casters. Walton, it turns out, was right. The eighties were a time of loose money and confidence in a rising market.
Collectors are much more informed and careful now.
Some things brought double their previous prices, others less than half. The high-stakes players are increasingly choosy about what they pay the big bucks for. Increasingly, they pay well for pieces that pass extremely serious vetting by scholars and scholar-dealers. Pieces with major restoration or questions, no matter their provenance, are left to seek their own level in an informed marketplace. Request a Sample Copy of Maine Antique Digest.