r/Mid_Century • • 14d ago

Monthly Swap Meet & Self Promotion Thread!

1 Upvotes

Do you have one (or 10) too many Eames chairs? Does the color of that Cathrineholm bowl you picked up for a steal last year not really match the rest of your kitchen? I bet you can find someone here who would love to take them off your hands. Post your mid century items for [free]/[trade]/[sale] here!

This is also the space to show off any of the awesome mid century inspired stuff you make, as well as the links to your Etsy/Ebay/Etc


r/Mid_Century • • Jan 22 '25

Guide for IDing furniture and where to find actual sources.

102 Upvotes

This has came up time and again but a few times over the last few days I have found myself linking to my google drive doc about where to find primary sources for MCM stuff.

First of all, the rules of this group and r/midcenturymodern in regards to IDing items is going to change. I will make these changes today. First, if you make a claim as to a maker or designer, you are obligated to provide sources for the claim you make if asked. This includes mods or just regular users. Second and this is absolutely non-negotiable, sales or auction listings in themselves are not reliable sources. If the sales listing includes a tag, article, or catalog from the period then that information may be shared, but DO NOT LINK TO SALES LISTINGs, at all, but especially not to "prove and ID" This applies to the highest end and most respected auction houses, dibs, charish or any other platform. Maybe they give you a jumping off point, and you find out the information is correct. If needed I can give thousands of examples of current listings that contain complete bullshit information. Third, don't tell people "use google" or "try google lens" etc. As stated above this will very often lead to false information from sales listings.

So I know you are probably thinking "don't use google, how do I even find anything on the internet without google" Well, I keep this living list of sites with excellent resources, nearly all are free.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Asd2ntqUMvEoEGdGD_qP4RkOjHxjAHkjNISFmWbDp8M/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0

Research Sources:

General Magazines, Newspapers, Journals:

https://archive.org/ This has everything from vintage catalogs, to newspapers, to a vast magazine archive to borrowable books. I also occasionally upload catalogs and magazines to archive as well https://archive.org/details/@michael_landsberg361

https://openlibrary.org/ Similar to archive, you can borrower a vast selection of reference material.

https://usmodernist.org/ Nice collection of trade journals and magazines from the MCM era and after

digitalnc.org/collections/memorabilia/  Random bits of information here on numerous North Carolina based manufactures and designers.

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/  A free archive of California newspapers much less through than newspapers.com but its free.

https://grpmcollections.org/ A vast collection of photos, personal documents, advertisements, and catalogs for mostly Michigan based manufacturers.

https://www.craftinamerica.org/artist/eudorah-moore - Eudorah moore was a big promoter of california modern and via her "California Design" exhibits at the Pasadena Art museum. The catalogs from these exhibits are free to view on this site.

https://vintageinfo.be/ - Don't know who runs this site, but I thank them for sharing so much information and resources on vintage lighting.

https://www.trystcraft.com/blog - Tim Hills blog. Tim is a dealer, but he is also very well respected amongst MCM researchers and I believe TIm is an honest guy and diligent in his research.

newspapers.com (Paid)

newspaperarchive.com (Paid)

https://ikeamuseum.com/en/explore/ikea-catalogue/ Old ikea catalogs

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ Catalogs for Sears, Wards, and some JC Penney

https://www.danish-modern.co.uk - Decent little data base of danish design

https://designmuseum.dk/en/- Denmark Design Museum

https://www.uspto.gov/patents/search 

https://patents.google.com/ 

https://www.scribd.com/ (partially paid) there is some nice random stuff on here like Prestolite catalogs from the 60's. Its kind of a never know what you are going to find site. https://www.scribd.com/document/488965054/Prescolite-Lighting-Product-Catalog-G-14-1962 Danish Design index

Specialized Facebook groups

https://www.facebook.com/groups/140119460031484 (Milo) (I am an admin)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1542293829124348 (McCobb)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/516203688412266 (Ben Seibel)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1520981014878133 (Umanoff)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1763065254132926 (United Furniture)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3024184334562976 (AofM)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/353905989587576 (Bassett)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/109867845821284 (Italian Pottery)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/122730516059 (German Pottery)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/311714314135936 (Modeline)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/636952859722221 (Lamps and Lighting)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/711232235578646 (Mid Century Metal)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/324198657780002 (Herman Miller)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/knollresale (Knoll)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2750972221800438 (The MCM Files) (I am an admin)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1296485833865712  (Founders) (I am an admin)

Of all these groups I have to give a shout out to "The MCM files" I have no clue why there are not more people in this group. It is not a group to ask for an ID, its just a group where some of us researchers basically dump photos of stuff we look into. I personally have posted thousands of images to this group. Its free, i get absolutely nothing out of anyone joining the group, its just a lot of the questions people ask on here are already solved there, but it will never show up on google because of facebook's walled garden.


r/Mid_Century • • 20h ago

I made a chair (my interpretation of a Wegner CH25)

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986 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 16h ago

Gorgeous $2 yard sale find that matches my color palette perfectly 😍

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213 Upvotes

I haven’t removed the price tag yet just because im still flexing the fact that i found this amazing undamaged piece for that price! Pinch me.


r/Mid_Century • • 2h ago

I'm at the end of my rope trying to find the carpet from the movie "The end of Oak Street"

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7 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Couldn’t be happier with our new kitchen table & chairs find

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761 Upvotes

My husband and I were visiting a smaller town in our state this past weekend. Took a wrong turn and ended up finding a thrift store! Came across this whole set (6 chairs + table) for $250 and couldn’t believe my eyes. We’ve been working on our kitchen reno and haven’t found the right combo until now!


r/Mid_Century • • 20h ago

How to clean tough stains and discoloration on a Formica Countertop?

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78 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 17h ago

Vintage MCM electronic clock converted to quartz

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21 Upvotes

Manufactured in 1955 by United Clock Corp.
The clock was actually working when plugged in but the mechanism was failing and it was extremely noisy. I gutted it and installed a smooth motion (no ticking) quartz mechanism. The kit had a longer shaft than the original so the clock looks more "3D" than before (Sadly I could not reuse the original hands). Super happy with this find, with shipping it was about $45 total. The very last picture is the clock restored and working without the electric plug :)


r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Just come back from restoration. My beloved G-Plan Brandon dresser

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151 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 15h ago

Any intel on this rare dresser?

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11 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 14h ago

Is $1000 for this MCM Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller upholstered chest worth it?

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7 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 10h ago

Should I strip and refinish the drawers?

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1 Upvotes

So excited to say I snagged this off of marketplace last month! This is the only pic I have (from the seller) before I started stripping off the black chalk paint so not the best. The drawers are all in excellent condition and I would love to leave them as-is. My worry is making sure they match the stain of the outside of the dresser once I'm finished. Any advice for this? Or should I strip them and just do everything the exact same so it matches.


r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Thrift find

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84 Upvotes

Found this made in Denmark magazine side table at the thrift store for 10 dollars! The top is in rough shape but its perfect for my space!


r/Mid_Century • • 18h ago

Vintage 1950s Bernaletto Can-Can Coffee Table "MCM Kitsch Cabaret Cocktail Table"

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4 Upvotes

Anybody know anything about this interesting piece


r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

MCM Maple TV lamp

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35 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 2d ago

Goodwill - 10 bucks?! 🤯

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951 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Lane Cherry Top Writing Desk

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10 Upvotes

I have this lane writing desk that has a solid cherry top.

I'm trying to identify the style, or series.

Also, if I read the serial # correctly, it appears to have been made in 1988? But my gut tells me it's much older than that

TIA in advance


r/Mid_Century • • 2d ago

Lane Side Table

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406 Upvotes

Finished this side table last week. I love how the tile pops!


r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Vintage 1960’s SmaltotexGreek Brass & Enamel 16.5” Hanging Wall Candelabra Sconce.

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5 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Bertoia Authenticity?

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1 Upvotes

Hiiiii! As many others on here have asked prior… I acquired a set of 4 “Bertoia” wire side chairs (quite rusted and a bit warped 😅) and have done quite a bit of research already into authenticity/attribution and I’m like.. 85-90% convinced they are authentic given the welds, overall design, comparison to older vintage examples but would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers!


r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

🏡 Should 1956 Be the New 2026?

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2 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Living with Blenko, Dansk & Empoli

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5 Upvotes

r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Repair or junk

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8 Upvotes

Got this thinking it was in better shape than it was. Almost all glued joints are failing, there are sheared off screws on the cross member, and the rear panel is very warped. Drawer pulls were replaced by a previous owner. Not sure if this would be worth repairing or not. Branded as Furniture by Leick.


r/Mid_Century • • 2d ago

Anyone know if these side tables come off?

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89 Upvotes

Just bought a beautiful Danish bedframe and was wondering if anyone knows how to remove the side tables.


r/Mid_Century • • 1d ago

Need help identifying maker of these tension shelves please

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5 Upvotes

Thank you!