NEW YORK,NY. (December 18, 2014) A David J. Goldberg “find” set Sotheby’s auction room ablaze on December 17th when the Louis Majorelle desk and chair he discovered in Carencro, LA made more than $1M. It had been predicted that the Waterlilies desk and chair – magnficient Art Nouvelle items designed in 1903 – would make at least $250,000.

The chair, a glorious concoction of line, leather, nail heads and ormolu was expected to bring $30,000-$50,000.  The desk, which experts felt was where the real value lay, was catalogued at $150,000 – $250,000.

On December 17th, early in the Sotheby’s auction of Important 20th Century Design, the chair came to the podium before the desk. Unexpectedly, dynamic bidding ensued.  The hammer finally fell at $653,000, including buyer’s premium. The magnificent desk commanded $365,000, including Sotheby’s buyers premium.

It was a great day for Louisiana and the family from Carencro that hired David J. Goldberg to appraise their dad’s estate.  Lucky for them, they allowed him to place it in an auction house that gave it plenty of press and had customers lined up before the sale even began.

Moral of the story: Don’t entrust your valuable to amateurs. Get an appraisal by The Appraisal Group and follow their lead when it comes to selling in the right venue.