Len Lewin

Dear Len, we received a nine piece Hibriten dining room set which included a 100″ long table (with both leaves) and 8 upholsted mustard color chairs(6 side chairs and 2 arm chairs). Both the chairs and the table are hand carved. Unfortunately, we do not have the paper work and there is a 1 ft scratch on table top. The chairs are in very good condition. We believe it is a fruitwood and the style seems to be Empire. We can send photos.

We were wondering the value of the set and the proper venue to sell it. We live in San Jose, CA.

Thank you for your time and assistance.
Best regards, Jonathan

Jonathan,

Your best bet for selling your table and chairs is EBay. I say that because I think the best place to maximize your price is on the East Coast. I get a good deal of questions about Hibriten as to value, etc. from people who want to sell the items. I never get a request from anyone who wants to buy some Hibriten items. As you may know Hibriten was bought by Bernhardt Furniture Company somewhere in the early 70’s and after a run closed it down. Hibriten was/is very nice furniture.

How bad is that scratch on the table top? 12″ long! How deep? If it is very shallow it will not be a big problem to fix it up. If it is deep then the whole top may need to be refinished after the scratch is removed. Check with a local woodworker to see what he tells you.

The simplest way for you to move the table and chairs would be at one of the Consignment Stores in the San Jose area. There are several stores in the area from Palo Alto through San Jose. I would expect that you should consider a price for the table and chairs of $1,999. I am assuming that the “mustard” color is the color of the fabric on the chairs and not the color of the wood. If they are slip seats (seats that are upholstered and then screwed/bolted/fastened to the chair) then it is a very simply and inexpensive to re-upholster the chairs. Slip seats will make the set sell very much easier than if each chair was upholstered individually. It is sad that wonderful furniture like Hibriten brings so little on the secondary market. It deserves higher prices because it is fine furniture. Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact me with any additional concerns.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition

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