how much

[tony coleman]

this is not a business question,realy,but close too one,
i am donating a piece like this(THIS IS THE CATALOUGE PICTURE),
too a loacal cancer charity ,who want too put it into a charity auction,
too be held next month,but when one of the orginisers asked me how much should they put of a reserve on it,i said i wouldnt have a clue,all i know i said is it took me a lot of time too make,
i would realy love too see it go for big money,but i dont want too see it go small,
has anyone got any idea how much they would charge,anyone else make this piece and sold it,
one diference too the pic,on my piece i made the vine overlays on the frame go all round the frame.

[NC Scroller]

If doing this as a business I guess the questions you have to ask your self are:
- how much time do you have in it
- what are the material costs

Your reserve price would then be the material cost plus a small hourly rate fee.


In the US if the charity give you a letter accepting the donation you can set a fair value on the item and claim it as a tax deduction

[Rolf]

How big is it? By the way it is a stunning piece.
I just went through this with a clock that I donated.
I would put a minimum reserve on that piece of $300 and let the bidding wars begin. If it doesn't get a response at that number they can always drop it a bit to get the bidding started.

[tony coleman]

the piece is 24 1/2 inches wide x 25 1/2 inches high

[JohnB]

G'day Tony,
I'd whack a minimum of $300 on it. I think it should bring at least $400.
I usually sell my portraits somewhere between $70 and $120.00 and that my friend has a lot more effort put into it than a portrait.
Good luck

[tdub4ever]

I haven't the slightest idea on a price. But I would love to buy the pattern. Where can I purchase it? Don

[tony coleman]

Its a dirk boelman pattern

[Jediscroller]

I'm with John and Rolf on this one. I'd start the bidding at $300 (and even at that that would be a bargain).

[wood-n-things]

I agree $300 is a good target.

[Markru2002]

Hi Tony,
Great cutting any yes at least $300. I am sure it took you many hours to make and if a "carpenter" would charge by the hour, I would guess it be at least $40 an hour.
Mark

[TerryInMich]

$300 seems like a good target - I've donated stuff for charity auctions, and I'm always surprised at how much the people are willing to bid. I did get an interesting statement from an organizer a couple of weeks ago. She wanted a value for the piece, and commented that the tax deduction would be the price paid, less the value I put on the piece. Not sure that changes anything, but it was a thought I hadn't had before. Terry

[journeyman]

That's a beautiful piece Tony and I can imagine yours will be even better with the vines around the whole frame. I have trouble putting prices on things too but I agree with the others here. $300,(don't know how much that is in Euro's), is certainly a realistic reserve for something that involves so much work and is as eye catching as that. Good luck with the auction.
Mick

[tony coleman]

thanks mick,

[JimSawyer]

I agree with the $300 mark, and that might be underselling it....

Be sure to post pictures of your's when it's complete,
...and let us know how much $$ it finally takes....

[KarlB]

When I first saw the image I thought $350 - $400 dollars.

You've done some fine work!!

Karl