Hi Michael,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

It IS very confusing because I suspect some of the prices you're seeing are Fair Market (meaning, the values such chairs sold for at auction) and others that are a Retail price, meaning the value someone who is selling them hopes to get for them (and they usually start with a high number and negotiate down).

This chair would originally probably have been part of a larger set that included 2-seat or 3-seat sofas, other arm chairs and possibly a chaise longue (or chaise lounge as they are more familiarly known). They would have been the centerpiece of the parlor or sitting room of a well-to-do Victorian home.

Unfortunately, the current fair market value (which are the values Mearto uses in our appraisals) of this and similar chairs is fairly low - sometimes as high as $500 but usually closer in value to $250-350.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

An antique Victorian walnut and tufted velvet armchair,
American or English, mid-late 19th Century
The arched tufted back continuing into low sides with carved serpentine-form molded supports, the rounded trapezoidal seat with serpentine front, all on short cabriole legs ending in lobed feet. Upholstered allover in a green silk velvet.
35 1/2” tall 27” wide 36” deep
CONDITION: This chair appears to be in generally good condition
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$250-350*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia