40s Tiki bar from the Philippines

Hi! I purchased a house last year and the previous owners left us their amazing Tiki bar that they imported from the Philippines. I believe it's from the 40s. Everything's original, except the chairs have been recovered. Any idea what this is worth?

Value is hard because it depends where you are in the country and how big of a city you live near. It looks nice so I would put a Denver value of around $1000-$1500 at a good shop. When I lived in Pueblo even beautiful bars like this would never sell above $500. Mine was $60. Nice bar, hope that helps.

gabbahey

[ Edited by: gabbahey 2013-09-07 09:19 ]

Macwalker, welcome to Tiki Central.
Gabbahey, thank you for that honest answer. I cringed when I saw that question because those usually get a crapstorm of smartass answers and accusations of profiteering. People come to TikiCentral because they expect to find experts here and instead their first impression of the Tiki community is that we are a bunch of pompous snobs. If you think they are only here to make a quick buck, if your hard-earned expertise is to valuable to share - you don't have to post anything. OK, end of rant :D

Looks like a nice bar. Are you keeping it and setting up a Tiki lounge in your homr...or? Welcome to the board. CHEERS :drink:

On 2013-09-07 12:14, MadDogMike wrote:
Macwalker, welcome to Tiki Central.
Gabbahey, thank you for that honest answer. I cringed when I saw that question because those usually get a crapstorm of smartass answers and accusations of profiteering. People come to TikiCentral because they expect to find experts here and instead their first impression of the Tiki community is that we are a bunch of pompous snobs. If you think they are only here to make a quick buck, if your hard-earned expertise is to valuable to share - you don't have to post anything. OK, end of rant :D

Well said. I honestly believe that most of us on Tiki Central use United States currency or some other government currency in our everyday lives. That means we have to give things a monetary value. We do not exchange wampum for items and we do not exchange items for say yoga classes or macrame or power crystals. Tarot readings are not exchanged for items or aura readings. We tend to pay money for things. And 99 percentage of us do not answer questions about how much something is worth with douchebag answers like "It's worth what someone is willing to pay".

ATTENTION ANYONE UPSET BY QUESTIONS OF MONETARY WORTH OF TIKI ITEMS:

DON'T CLICK THE DAMN LINKS WHEN SOMEONE ASKS ABOUT THE MONETARY WORTH OF TIKI ITEMS.

ALSO IT MAY NOT HAVE OCCURRED TO YOU.....DON'T JUMP INTO A POOL IF YOU CAN'T SWIM. ALSO....DON'T HIT THAT BEEHIVE WITH A BAT IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO BEES.

Great bar Macwalker....really nice.

I certainly agree that no one should be ridiculed for asking the value of their finds. And new blood is what keeps any environment thriving.

BUT, i think the 'it's worth what someone is willing to pay' attage is totally correct for a majority of the vintage items that show up here.

Unless something has been mass-produced and there is a set value pattern, like say a mug on Ooga-Mooga, then whoever wants it most will determine the value. Of course, with some items (like this style of bar), it's easier to hazard a guess than others.

Bongo Bungalow just posted in another thread '"price = personal desire x scarcity".. I think that may be about right.

Thanks for all of your quick replies! I think, unfortunately, we're probably going to sell the bar rather than setting up a Tiki bar. My husband and I think it is the coolest thing ever -- and our basement's paneling/50s vibe is perfect for a Tiki bar -- but 1) we already had a beautiful antique bar that we brought with us to this house and 2) said basement is now my husband's recording studio. We've tried to find ways to fit the bar into other areas of our house, but after a year and a half, we're wondering if it's possible.

I love what you guys are doing on this site (I've had a blast reading some of the threads), so I thought I'd reach out to get your perspectives. We're certainly not profiteering, just trying to figure out what to do with this super cool piece and make sure if we do sell it, it goes to someone who will appreciate its background.

Don't sell it, yet. Keep poking around here. You may just get hooked!

If you do sell it, nice to offer to a group of folks that would find it a loving home. Where are you located? Looks dark on the front and light on the back, but is it just the pictures? Would love to see a picture of your "antique" bar. :)

We're in Richmond, Va. While I didn't come on here to sell the bar (because I don't want to take advantage of this forum or your expertise), if someone is interested in it, I'm more than happy to chat.

Oh, and it's the same color on the front and back, I just took the pics in our basement and the flash affected the colors in the photographs.

I don't have any pictures of the other bar, but will try to get some!