1950s furniture held its value better than hits of the 1960s

In today’s What’s It Worth? we’ll investigate the values of a phonograph record from the 1960s, and Mid-Century Modern furniture of the 1950s.

Q. This 33 1/3 rpm record by The Kingsmen — a Northwest rock ’n’ roll group that had a big hit with the song Louie Louie — belonged to my brother, and now I own it. I know the band was really popular back in their heyday. Is there any value here? — Arnie in Kennewick

A. The Kingsmen were certainly one of the most popular Northwest bands to hit the rock ‘n’ roll charts in the early 1960s. Other top draws at concerts and teen dances were Yakima’s Don and the Goodtimes, The Wailers, The Dynamics with Jimmy Hanna, Spokane’s Mark V and four different groups called The Chessmen — one was from the Tri-Cities.

There were hundreds and hundreds of rock groups — some with odd names like Sir Raleigh and the Coupons and George Washington and the Cherrybombs. Really, we’re not making that up!

With all that competition, it was hard to push your way to the top. But the Kingsmen, out of Portland, made several records that hit Billboard magazine’s Top 100 chart. Their version of Louie Louie was a smash, ranked the No. 2 record in America in December 1963.

But popularity 50 years ago does not lead to collectibility today. Nor does it mean value.

We talked with colleague Jeff Ziemer of the Tri-Cities about the value of this Kingsmen record and the market in general. He is an advanced collector and one of our go-to What’s It Worth? experts.

Jeff told us that most records — even if they were hugely popular in their day and survive in excellent condition — aren’t valuable.

“The Kingsmen don’t have much of a following,” he said. “Most of these records, if people wanted one, they already have it.”

His value for The Kingsmen, Vol. 3 is about $1.

Sometimes rarity makes a big difference. While this particular album is worth a dollar — if a buyer could be found — a mint copy of the Kingmen’s 45 rpm Louie Louie on Seattle’s Jerden record label is hard to find and might be worth as much as $50.

Old phonograph records are like anything else that was mass produced and popular. When it comes to categories such as stamps, baseball cards, magazines, coins, books and marbles, the average example is simply not worth very much.

Seen & Sold

Many antiquers feel buying at auctions can be an excellent way to add to their collections. That’s certainly true, at least in some instances.

And, you never know what will happen at an auction.

While we always advise readers to carefully inspect items they consider bidding on and have a firm knowledge of values, bargains can be had at auction houses — where a wide range of goods come up for sale.

Such was the case last month in Moscow, Idaho, where What’s It Worth? saw a terrific suite of Mid-Century Modern furniture sell well below its apparent market value.

These days, the Mid-Century Modern look is one of the hottest fields in interior design and collecting. “MCM” furniture — the term dealers and collectors use in referencing the look of the 1950s — can go for big prices.

Furniture by such American makers as Heywood-Wakefield and top-notch Danish Modern pieces bring top values.

At the auction in Moscow, a suite of 14 pieces of blond MCM furniture for dining room and living room went under the gavel. The pieces, all by longtime Portland manufacturer B. P. John, included four occasional tables, a dining table and six chairs, rolling serving cart, buffet and a two-piece hutch /china cabinet. All were high-quality, solid wood with light normal wear one would expect on furniture about 65 years old.

The John Company — one of the largest furniture makers in the West — was established in the late 19th century and went out of business in 1977.

All that furniture — in an MCM blond finish — sold for $340. We have since seen a single dining chair offered for $150. If that price marks the true market value, the Moscow furniture would, in total, have a realistic fair market price in the $3,000 to $3,500 range. That’s what we call a bargain!

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 10:35 PM with the headline "1950s furniture held its value better than hits of the 1960s."