How Much Are Sam Maloof Pieces?

[David Perata]

I'm curious as to how much Sam's pieces were.

[Mike Henderson]

I remember that his cradle was about $40-45K. The chairs were going up in price each year. I think they were about $25K.

This is my memory from a visit to Sam's place about a year or two ago.

Short story: Sam hired a business manager, Roz. At the time, Sam was about 87. Roz saw that Sam had a backlog of about three years for rockers and decided it was dumb to have a three year backlog for an 87 year old, so each year she raised the price - her goal was to have a one year backlog. But no matter how high she raised the price, the backlog remained three years. Roz told us this story.

Sam told us that the employees would inherit the business. But without his signature, the furniture will have a lot less value.

Mike

[Lee DeRaud]

I remember that his cradle was about $40-45K. The chairs were going up in price each year. I think they were about $25K.That was for new pieces. I've heard of specific pieces being auctioned up in the $200K range.
Sam told us that the employees would inherit the business. But without his signature, the furniture will have a lot less value.As I understand the deal from when they moved his house and shop to its current location, the state of California actually owns the property. The three apprentices can run the shop for as long as they want to. Whether they can make a living at it is anybody's guess. OTOH, they have no overhead and a lifetime supply of material (see below).

His widow can live in the house (the new one, not the one the shop is in) until she dies. Eventually everything reverts to the state...no clue what they would actually do with it beyond maintaining it as a historical site. With the condition California's finances are in, all bets are off.

The thing that always boggled my mind about the whole set-up was the 'barn' full of 500K board feet of wood. At the rate they were using it, it would have lasted 100 years or so, even if they made the shipping crates from claro walnut. And people were giving him more wood all the time.

[Mike Gager]

so what exactly made his work worth so much money?

[Mike Henderson]

so what exactly made his work worth so much money?
Sam was seen as an artist, rather than a craftsman. Just as people pay large amounts of money for a painting (many, many times the value of the materials in the painting) they paid a lot of money for Sam's work. But the value depended upon the work having Sam's signature on it. Now that he's gone, the exact same piece of furniture (made by the same people who worked with Sam on the earlier pieces) will bring a LOT less money.

Mike

[jim carter]

his rocking chairs were going for 40 grand before he passed away and there was a 6 year waiting list.

[Mike Gager]

so much for a bad economy eh?

[J C Fox]

Now that he's gone, the exact same piece of furniture (made by the same people who worked with Sam on the earlier pieces) will bring a LOT less money.
Perhaps so, but I'll bet pieces currently in work that will be completed by "the boys" bring the agree upon order price. If they fill the orders currently in the backlog and continue making new pieces from Sam's patterns, I'll bet they bring prices at least double what the same pieces made by an unknown woodworker would bring.
I remember a comment he made in one of the video interviews, maybe one that was posted on The Woodworking Channel. He mentioned that there was some demand for the miniature (1/5 scale?) rockers, that he didn't want to spend time on anymore. One of the workers asked if he could make them to sell. He found out later they were selling for multiple thousands of dollars.

[David Keller NC]

"so much for a bad economy eh?"

The folks that bought Sam's work aren't affected all that much by the economy. There are many thousands of multi, multi-millionaires in the US, and they're not too concerned about spending $50k on what is viewed as art.

Besides, - once a particular artist dies or is too frail to continue work, and assuming that their work was "recognized" by the art-collecting community, the price of the existing pieces goes up astronomically.

While the reason is sound economics (the supply is now fixed, while the demand keeps going up as new people come into the collector's market), it's very unfortunate for artists. Most live on very little and scrape to get by, only to make their family and friends to whom they've given pieces potentially wealthy.

[Joe Jensen]

I was there for a one day class 2 years ago. At that time they had 10 years of backlog. The Rocker was $50K in walnut, and as much as double if in an exotic. About 200-240 hours of labor in a rocker. The older pieces are highly collectable. He showed us a dining table with 8 chairs that was there for refurbishing. It sold at Christy's Auction house for $485K. I think they were charging $50K to resand and refinish :eek:

Sam didn't work the business side, his wife did. He was told a story about a customer that wanted a double rocker in an exotic. He wife came out to the shop to ask abour the exotic. Sam told her it was harder to work. She came out later to tell him the customer decided on the exotic. Sam asked how much extra she charged him and she said Double. I think he said it was $125K.

During the day I got a sense that Sam didn't really grasp the money side. He seemed to work every day more out of a sense that if he didn't he wouldn't have any money.

His business has at their estimate $3M of amazing slabs of wood. Nearly every one better than anything I've ever seen. One section of a barn was an exotic (forgot the name) that was really fantastic. they said they bought that inventory like 20 years ago for $15 a foot. They said it's not very hard to find and goes for nearly $100 a foot. They must have had a thousand board feet of that alone. They appretices said they had 20-30 years worth of inventory.

[Don Bullock]

Priceless!

[David Perata]

Okay, roll back the clock to about 1950? when he began woodworking. He wasn't getting that kind of dough for a rocking chair. I have to believe that the key to his success was part design sense and definately marketing. He had to market himself as an artist to the right clientele who could afford his stuff.

Now, he didn't just start out saying he wanted $25K for a chair. His signature wasn't worth anything then. The thing is, he had to convince people who had money that his signature WAS worth that kind of money.

How does one go about doing that?

I'm certain he was a fine artisan, but he had to hype his name to command those prices. That's what PR is all about. And he had to have the nerve (to put it more politely) to say that he was worth that kind of money.

Isn't there anybody on this forum with the same kind of talent as Sam? Has anybody tried to market their furniture as artistic pieces at high prices?

[David DeCristoforo]

"I'm certain he was a fine artisan, but he had to hype his name to command those prices"

Well I am glad you are certain of Sam's artistry. But his "history" is common knowledge and it is well known that he never "hyped" himself. He was as self-effacing as a man could be. The prices for his work kept going up because his work was spectacular and people were willing to pay a premium to own it. I for one was thrilled that he was able to command the prices he did and even though it took him most of his life to achieve that level of success, he never "sold out" or compromised in any way. He remained true to himself and that's the best thing a man can do.

[Roger Barga]

I completely agree. The market was chasing Sam's work, not the other way around.

roger

[Joe Jensen]

"I'm certain he was a fine artisan, but he had to hype his name to command those prices"

Well I am glad you are certain of Sam's artistry. But his "history" is common knowledge and it is well known that he never "hyped" himself. He was as self-effacing as a man could be. The prices for his work kept going up because his work was spectacular and people were willing to pay a premium to own it. I for one was thrilled that he was able to command the prices he did and even though it took him most of his life to achieve that level of success, he never "sold out" or compromised in any way. He remained true to himself and that's the best thing a man can do.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w99/AZEngineer/1.jpg

Sam was one of the most humble yet successful people I've ever met.

When Sam got out of the Navy after the war, he and his wife had no money for furniture. He decided to build his own with lumber from old pallets and some simple tools he borrowed from his father in law. He did the work in his front yard. Someone from the LA Times walked by and apparently Sam's designs were revolutionary. That Sunday he was featured in the cover of the Living section of the paper. That led to some commissions. He labored for many years, according to Sam, many times they had to eat at his wife's parents because they had no money for food.

[Mike Henderson]

Okay, roll back the clock to about 1950? when he began woodworking. He wasn't getting that kind of dough for a rocking chair. I have to believe that the key to his success was part design sense and definately marketing. He had to market himself as an artist to the right clientele who could afford his stuff.

Now, he didn't just start out saying he wanted $25K for a chair. His signature wasn't worth anything then. The thing is, he had to convince people who had money that his signature WAS worth that kind of money.

How does one go about doing that?

I'm certain he was a fine artisan, but he had to hype his name to command those prices. That's what PR is all about. And he had to have the nerve (to put it more politely) to say that he was worth that kind of money.

Isn't there anybody on this forum with the same kind of talent as Sam? Has anybody tried to market their furniture as artistic pieces at high prices?
I've had a number of conversations with other woodworkers about that - "Why did Sam become famous when other woodworkers with good design talent and craftsmanship did not?"

The only answer we could come up with is that Sam is very "likable" - you'd have to have met him to understand. As David said, he's very low key but very approachable. He seemed to love to talk with people of all types (customers, other woodworkers, etc.).

I think Sam was able to get a network of contacts who recommended him to influential collectors. Once "important" collectors started buying his stuff, he was on his way - not that day, but he was able to build his reputation over time.

When you look back at the era that Sam came up in as a woodworker, there were other well known woodworkers. I remember a picture of a group of them (Sam was in the picture). But everyone liked Sam.

Mike

[Rick Fisher]

If you want to be as successfull as Sam, it really very simple.

Just come up with a design that is unique, and people love..

Then build it better than most people would ever expect.. make the quality .. unbelievable..

Then .. attract celebrities and politicians like Jimmy Carter to own it and brag about it..

And finally, remain humble enough that eveyone loves you and wants you to succeed, forever..

[Joe Jensen]

I've had a number of conversations with other woodworkers about that - "Why did Sam become famous when other woodworkers with good design talent and craftsmanship did not?"

The only answer we could come up with is that Sam is very "likable" - you'd have to have met him to understand. As David said, he's very low key but very approachable. He seemed to love to talk with people of all types (customers, other woodworkers, etc.).

I think Sam was able to get a network of contacts who recommended him to influential collectors. Once "important" collectors started buying his stuff, he was on his way - not that day, but he was able to build his reputation over time.

When you look back at the era that Sam came up in as a woodworker, there were other well known woodworkers. I remember a picture of a group of them (Sam was in the picture). But everyone liked Sam.

Mike

I totally agree, but after having spent a day with him, I'm convinced of this following;
1) He was not driven by money or fame.
2) He was an artist first
3) He didn't really comprehend why people paid so much
4) He worked really hard and I think it's because deep down inside he worried that he would go hungry again
5) He left his estate is equal parts to his wife, daughter, and to the three apprentices who worked with him forever. Each started with him young and never left. The youngest had been with him over 20 years.

I think Sam was genuine and I don't think it was marketing or an act.

[Stephen Edwards]

There are three necessary elements of success in business and in art.

An ability or talent to do something really well.

A desire/drive to be successful

An opportunity to make it happen, even though sometimes we have to take the initiative to create the opportunity.

Apparently, Sam had the Right Stuff (in all areas it seems) at the Right Time and a smart person to help him make it happen.

I know a world class musician who created a new musical art form. He's won every musical award that one could imagine. In his field, he is the King and known as the master of his instrument the world over. He is, of course, wealthy. He's also down to earth and very humble. He is wealthy because his wife was as smart as a business person as he is gifted as a musician. Her business acumen and drive, coupled with his musical gift and drive, was the winning combination.

From what I've read, so it seems with Sam. My hat's off to him and the person who helped him to do his thing while they ran the business of Sam Maloof.

[Rick Fisher]

Many creative and talented people never make a lot of money.. It seems the two gifts are rarely graced upon the same person.

[Kevin McMichael]

A good analogy would be musicians. The greatest guitar player in the world is probably working construction or getting on a bus somewhere to go to his minimum wage job. Why would the woodworking profession be any different?

[Jeff Mohr]

Well the last two chairs I bought of Sam's cost me $20K and the dining table I purchased was only $75K


Just kidding!!!

I had the opportunity to meet him in person a few years back at the Greenville Woodworkers Guild Seminar and he was one of the most likable guys I've ever met. Here, me, a newbie to woodworking and talking to Sam Maloof and he asked me what kind of work I liked. He had no issue signing a couple autographs and chatting. Great guy.

[Phil Clark]

I had the opportunity to meet Sam last fall and don't disagree with most of what has been said in this thread. However, I can't imagine that Mike Johnson, who was with Sam for decades, will be too successful continuing to make pieces of Sam's design if he is forever thought of as one of Sam's "apprentices".

[Mike Henderson]

I had the opportunity to meet Sam last fall and don't disagree with most of what has been said in this thread. However, I can't imagine that Mike Johnson, who was with Sam for decades, will be too successful continuing to make pieces of Sam's design if he is forever thought of as one of Sam's "apprentices".
One of Sam's workers went off on his own and tried to make a business of building furniture. After a few years he came back to Sam and Sam re-hired him (Sam told this story).

It is extremely hard to be successful making custom furniture. Very few people succeed.

Mike

[The guy who's the chair of the Woodworking dept at Cerritos College had tried to make it as a custom furniture maker. He had to take the teaching job to make ends meet. And he was recognized as an extremely good furniture maker. He still builds furniture for clients, part time.]

[David Keller NC]

"Isn't there anybody on this forum with the same kind of talent as Sam? Has anybody tried to market their furniture as artistic pieces at high prices?"

There are probably multiple SMC members with just as much talent. Sam was indeed a visionary, but there's more to his success than just his work. Marketing has been mentioned, but there's an enormous element of "the right time, the right place" to it.

Many of the taste-makers in post WWII America saw "Danish Modern" as the wave of the future. While Sam's work in some ways is a departure from the style, it has many of the elements - emphasis on clean surfaces, the form of the furniture as the ornamentation, and "natural" finishes (as opposed to heavily colored and film-finished).

[Frank Drew]

David,

I agree about the link to Danish Modern; Maloof's work reminds me a bit of Hans Wegner's, particularly in the sculpted quality.

A seminal gallery furniture exhibition in 1972, called Woodenworks, really put Sam Maloof on the map, along with fellow furnituremakers George Nakashima, Wharton Esherick, Wendell Castle and Arthur Espenet Carpenter.

I don't follow the market, but I understand that after a brief slump in prices following his death, pieces by Nakashima have now reached astronomical heights, and there's no reason Maloof's won't follow suit. But for those interested in his furniture as furniture, I can't think of any reason not to buy the pieces that will be made going forward by his long time assistants, who were already doing a lot of the work, anyway, and certainly have a handle on the Maloof sensibility. The signature is for the investors.

[NICK BARBOZA]

I found this today while searching the web. it does touch on price escalation over time too. An interesting view into his shop some 27 years ago....before I was even born....

CHECK IT OUT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKIoezZUK6s&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideosearch%3 Fsource%3Dig%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS322%26% 3D%26q%3Dsam%2520maloof%26um%3D1%26ie&feature=player_embedded)

NWB

[David Winer]

If the world manages to continue for a couple more hundred years, Sam Maloof's furniture pieces will surely command out-of-sight prices comparable to those today of famous eighteenth century cabinet makers. In other words, they seem like bargains.

[Ellen Benkin]

Lots more now.

[Adam Grills]

IAbout 200-240 hours of labor in a rocker.

That is funny :confused: Guess you can tell people what ever they will believe. There may be that many hours from cutting the tree, milling, drying, sorting, milling, talking with the customer, making the chair, finishing, paperwork in accounting and building the shipping crate. Personally I would think under half that time.

That aside a great man that has been one of the great leaders in fine furniture and wooden art. Many craftsman incl. I will look up to him forever.

Adam

[Casey Gooding]

I have one bone to pick about all of this. Sam has been called and artist multiple times in this thread. While I don't disagree, Sam would never call himself an artist. He was always a woodworker.

[Adam Grills]

I have one bone to pick about all of this. Sam has been called and artist multiple times in this thread. While I don't disagree, Sam would never call himself an artist. He was always a woodworker.

If you watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKIoezZUK6s he says clients are buying a piece of art (this is in 1982 I believe) which would make him and the guys that finish artists.
Adam

[Ben Davis]

so what exactly made his work worth so much money?
Well the guy made custom furniture for the sitting President. There aren't a whole lot of folks out there with that bullet on their resume!

[Lee DeRaud]

That is funny :confused: Guess you can tell people what ever they will believe. There may be that many hours from cutting the tree, milling, drying, sorting, milling, talking with the customer, making the chair, finishing, paperwork in accounting and building the shipping crate. Personally I would think under half that time.It's not that far off: 200 hours is only four guys (Sam and his three helpers) for a week. Since they only did about 40-45 pieces a year, saying a week per piece is a good ballpark. Admittedly not all of those pieces are rockers, but I suspect there's more labor in a rocker than a larger piece like a dining table.

And IIRC, Sam's normal workweek was closer to 60 hours than 40.

[Matt Bickford]

David,
The rich have lost a significant portion of their money and investments too. A higher percentage than most, actually. It's fun to think that they will afford to buy Sam's chairs and my healthcare, but something has got to give. I wonder what it will be.
Matt

[David Perata]

Okay, I stand corrected and I feel like somewhat of an ass. Dummy me, I only vaguely knew of his "art" and more about his custom finish that sells in wood working catalogs. I didn't mean to come off sounding so cold and statistical about his success. I have studied the success of similiar folks who became successful through hard work and perseverance, and the love of the work they did.

Walter Chrysler. Walt Disney. Raymond Loewy, even the Beatles. It just fascinates me how certain people rise above obstacles to achieve their goals. I'd love to be able to make a living making custom designed furniture, and time will tell if I achieve that goal. But I think we all do endure hardships in one form or another in pusuit of our goals. And yes, financial gain is important because I have to support a family. I've done the starving artist thing and it's hard on a wife. But a person cannot endure such hardships if they don't love and believe in what they're doing.

Regardless of Sam's apparent dislike to be labeled an artist, he was. But I can understand that he probably shied away from what he felt was a pretentiousness about that title. I can see now that he seemed to leave the business side of things to his wife. Artistic folks often don't care for the business aspect of it all.

But you know, it takes all types of personalities. I have a theory that for one thing, you will never know if you can succeed in the marketplace unless you try. From there, there is an undefineable element you might call chance that can take what you are offering the public and either catapult it to success or drown it out.

Probably a lot of it did have to do with Sam's being a nice, humble person. At any rate, whatever it was, the combination worked for him, didn't it?

So my sincere apologies to any of you who may have been offended by my previous observations.

[David Keller NC]

"So my sincere apologies to any of you who may have been offended by my previous observations."

I don't think anyone was offended - it's a legit question to ask why someone would pay $50,000 for a rocking chair where one with equivalent functional characteristics can be bought at a yard sale for $50.

[Kevin Morton]

A few points. Maloof did not eat with his parents-in-law in the early years. Freda's Dad was already dead and her mother was an invalid by the time she and Sam married in 1948. They all lived together in a tract house in Ontario. Sam began working in their one car garage.

He denied it, but I think it's clear from looking at his early pieces that Sam began by imitating Danish modern. His laced bench, an early coffee table, the chairs and sofas he did--all those forms had been done before he did them in the early 50s. In fact, one of his earliest commissions was to copy Wegner's chair. When the client rejected his version, he still used the form for his early dining chairs. Gradually, he developed his own forms and design-sense, but he began with a Danish modern sensibility.

He also happened to live in post-war California during the boom years. He was in the right place (great climate, arts community) at the right time (lots of money in a growing economy) and he was connected to folks who had the means to send customers his way. And he got a spread almost immediately in Better Homes & Gardens because of someone knowing someone else. And the LA Times would do a story on him every few years. So it was a combination of things that gave him the ability to survive his beginning.

He began to get more sculptural with his pieces and did the hornback chair, the early rocker, the Evans chair and the hutch cradle in the early to mid-60s. And then he just refined the basic designs over the years. He added a few new things but the basic Maloof look is there by the early 80s.

As others have said, he was very likeable. But he also worked incredibly long hours, worked very fast without compromising the quality of his work, and worked with lots of drive and not much whine in him. I disagree that he continued to work because he was scared of being poor. He didn't make much money til the 80s and he loved what he did. His autobio talks about not going into woodworking to make a lot of money. He wanted to make a living at something he loved, and he did.

As for Nakashima, I think Sam's pieces are going to be far more valuable only because there are less of them and they were all personally made by him. Some of N's designs were mass-produced and they were easier to make. Sam's were far more sculptural, took lots longer to make. So I think his market will only trend upwards.

The world he grew up in is gone. So woodworkers today have to take a different approach to survive.

[Eric Larsen]

No matter what we do for a profession*, we actually do two things: our "profession" and "lead generation."

Doctors without patients are simply people who know a lot about anatomy. Woodworkers without customers are simply people who know a lot about woodworking. Successful people have to be good at both. And there's no shortcuts -- not in "learning your chops" nor in getting a customer base.


* Yes, fire fighters, teachers and police officers don't have to worry much about lead generation. There are always exceptions.

[Lee DeRaud]

I disagree that he continued to work because he was scared of being poor.Second that. He wasn't afraid to spend the money that was coming in: the contents of his house (and his garage) will attest to that.

[Barry Nelson]

Rising expeniontally I would say!

[Vince Shriver]

When I was in Honalulu on my honeymoon, circa 1976, we stopped in a gallery. There was baby cradle (reminesent of a boat) there made by Sam, although at the time I had no idea who Sam was. I was so impressed with it I shot a whole roll of film (before digital cameras) on the piece. I'm like David, I'm glad he was able to command such high prices for his work; I only wish I had had the opportunity to meet him.

[Stephen Edwards]

If you watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKIoezZUK6s he says clients are buying a piece of art (this is in 1982 I believe) which would make him and the guys that finish artists.
Adam

I think that the determining factor is what the buyers of his furniture consider his work to be. My guess is that most of the people who own his pieces consider them to be art, made by an artist.

I know that he always referred to himself as a woodworker. Regardless, he was also an artist. A very gifted and hard working artist. I, too, am pleased that he was able to command such high prices for his work. I'm also glad that he was able to enjoy the success and recognition of his art during his lifetime.

[kauko laurinolli]

Hey, I make those too. How much is my signature worth? $50 perhaps ? :D:D:D

[Edwin Santos]

so what exactly made his work worth so much money?

At this point, one of the answers to your question is "because they make a great investment". He's no longer living and cannot make any more pieces, so the supply is now fixed. For this and other reasons, a Maloof piece will only become more valuable with time. There is no reason to believe there will not be a broad market of buyers/collectors of Maloof pieces in the future. So this is one of those rare situations where (if you have the money to do so) you can buy a piece of sculptural furniture, enjoy it for as long as you like, and then sell it and be quite confident you will get all your money back and probably quite a bit more.

This is one thesis on why collectors confidently pay what they do for Maloof pieces. How many things can you find to buy that (i) you love and admire, (ii) will almost certainly appreciate in value more than inflation, and (iii) will cost little to nothing to own/maintain during your holding period?

It's really quite incredible that Sam was a totally self-taught artisan. I think that's one of the things that makes him particularly exceptional. Even most of the Renaissance artists were apprenticed for years as children working under Masters in the Guild system. What a talented man.

[Frederick Skelly]

Hey, I make those too. How much is my signature worth? $50 perhaps ? :D:D:D

Oh crap. Another 8 year old thread brought back to life. The OP hasn't logged on here since 2010.

[Phillip Mitchell]

That's ok. This was a good read with some fascinating tidbits about Sam and his life.

[Bruce Page]

That's ok. This was a good read with some fascinating tidbits about Sam and his life.

That is why we keep the old threads available. There is a wealth of information in them.

[Lee DeRaud]

I thought it was a forum rule that your first post on SMC had to revive a 'zombie' thread. :cool:

[Frederick Skelly]

I thought it was a forum rule that your first post on SMC had to revive a 'zombie' thread. :cool:

Yes, I think you're right!:D

[Matt Day]

2009 called, it wants its thread back.

[Chad Pearson]

If anyone is interested the Bonhams auction site usually has at least 1 or 2 pieces for sale each year. Shortly after his death the record price for a rocker was $83,000 (which included the buyer's premium). In more recent times prices tend to be about $30,000 to $35,000 for a rocker. It depends on how badly two people want one.

If you have never seen one in person I would highly recommend a trip to Rancho Cucomanga. The detail that would go into his rockers was truly extraordinary. I don't think pictures do them justice.

CP

[Andrew Gibson]

I love old threads! Just an FYI, if you Visit MFA Boston and wander through the Asia wing, you will have to opportunity to sit in a Maloof bench and 3 different Nakashima Pieces (a pair of dining chairs and a live edge bench) there is also a Stradivarius kicking around, and a pretty amazing furniture collection in the America wing.

Interesting little side note related to pricing work. I was w3alking through the Museum and my Father in law says, "I could paint this." (Referring to a Van Gogh) I said sure but he did it first.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I was there for a one day class 2 years ago. At that time they had 10 years of backlog. The Rocker was $50K in walnut, and as much as double if in an exotic. About 200-240 hours of labor in a rocker. The older pieces are highly collectable. He showed us a dining table with 8 chairs that was there for refurbishing. It sold at Christy's Auction house for $485K. I think they were charging $50K to resand and refinish :eek:



$50,000/200 hours = $250/hour. Not bad. $50k to resand and refinish? I will do it for half. Please send them my way.

[John T Barker]

his rocking chairs were going for 40 grand before he passed away and there was a 6 year waiting list.

That makes no sense at all. Forty thousand for the rocker that he duplicates for everyone that comes along?

[Lee DeRaud]

That makes no sense at all. Forty thousand for the rocker that he duplicates for everyone that comes along?There's this odd economic concept called "supply and demand"...

[Andrew Hughes]

I think what was happening is a walnut rocker cost about 10 grand.A very acceptable price.Sams signature made up the rest.

[lowell holmes]

I sat in a Maloof chair one time while visiting a museum in San Diego. They had it unguarded in an exhibit with no signs not to sit in it, so I did.