Bought for $50 Online, Wingback Chair Sells For $107,950

Earlier this year, Justin Miller of Los Angeles found an intriguing chair on Facebook Marketplace and decided to take a flyer, buying it for $50. The chair turned out to be a rare high-back wing chair by a famous Danish designer. It sold recently for $107,950 (including premiums) at Sotheby’s.

“I’m not a furniture expert by any means,” Miller said on a TikTok post when he found the chair. “But I have a good eye and I can tell when something is really unique.”

The chair, which came from a home in Beverly Hills, Calif., was created by Danish furniture designer Frits Henningsen. It is likely only one of 50 or so examples known to have been built, according to Sotheby’s, who sold the chair in its “Important Design” event in June.

Henningsen (1889–1965) was known for his exceptional craftsmanship and innovative approach to creating beautiful furniture, as epitomized in the present wingback chair. A rare and important example of his work, the chair also demonstrates the desirable qualities produced by the furniture industry of 1930s Scandinavia. Presale estimate for the chair was $30,000-$50,000, Sotheby’s said.

Miller, 33, who regularly buys and sells furniture online, was helping a friend decorate his house when he spotted the impressive looking wingback chair on Facebook. He didn’t know anything about it, only that it was compelling enough to take a chance on. Miller drove from Los Angeles to a swanky Beverly Hills home and left with a rare Frits Henningsen chair in the back of his truck – and a story to last a lifetime.

 

Frits Henningsen wingback chair, bought for $50, sells for $107,950 at Sotheby’s.

Courtesy Sotheby’s