eBaywatch 06/04/26
Category: Buy Secondhand
My fortnightly take on what’s interesting on eBay right now.
Cheap as chips - A pair of candlesticks, under £20
I love an open fire. But there are none in the Barbican and besides, apparently they kill you. Slowly. So as a substitute, I need a candle or two. It satisfies the urge to have a naked flame nearby. Consequently, I am partial to a well-turned candlestick. If I didn’t have too many already, I would definitely snap up these beauties from Heals.
Somewhere in the middle - A table lamp for £100
Next door to Heals on Tottenham Court Road there used to be a Habitat. How’s that for a segue? This Tangola lamp is an early 2000s classic and it’s going for a good price. (They also produced a floor standing version, also worth looking out for.) It makes me think of the B1 Battle Droids from The Phantom Menace.
Blow the budget - a coffee table for £800
Denmark’s France and Son created many of the country’s most beautiful pieces of mid-century furniture. This coffee table is a great and timeless example. Even though it dates from the 50s or 60s, the design could be from this year. What a gorgeous piece. Just make sure you put a coaster under that coffee cup.
Classics Corner
The Alky chair is a favourite of mine. It makes me think of Snoopy. Perhaps it’s all the broad curves that give a vague sense of a cartoon character. The seat curls like a big, soppy grin. The back is…whatever. Who cares, it’s a good looking chair.
Designed in 1970 by Giancarlo Piretti, they’re still manufactured by Anonima Castelli. (Both designer and manufacturer are responsible for the Plia, another favourite. More on that some other day.) They don’t come up often on eBay. And this one is particularly battered.
It appears to be the jin-u-wine article (there are plenty of fakes knocking around) and at just under £300, seems like a good punt. You could get it professionally recovered and still end up spending way less that the c. £2000 for a new one. (Buyer beware: I have no idea how feasible it is to recover these and how much that might cost. You should investigate before committing.)
That’s it for this update. Happy hunting.
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