Set of Eames Herman Miller Side Chairs

Four Vintage Herman Miller Fiberglass Chairs - $400 (Alexandria)

Here is a listing for a set of four Eames molded plastic/fiberglass side chairs made by Herman Miller. These classic mid century chairs were designed by Charles and Ray Eames and were first presented at the Museum of Modern Art in 1948. They were/are produced by Herman Miller in a variety of colors and with one of three base styles--four-legged (as shown), wire, and rocker--and were the first "plastic" chairs to be mass produced. The material is plastic resin reinforced with fiberglass, sometimes called "Zenaloy" after Zenith Plastics with whom Eames/Herman Miller collaborated.

These four chairs are a beautiful orange color and appear to be in good condition. The seller does note that there is some wear and tarnish to the bases, but that all parts are intact and there are no chips to the shells. They still bear the original stamps and stickers. These chairs have held up well over the years, and continue to be produced, meaning that there are a lot of them on the market at any given time. Nevertheless, they generally sell for over $100 a piece individually, with some discounts for sets. At $400, the price for this set is certainly reasonable and better than you would find in a store, but I wouldn't call it a great deal. As always, there may be some wiggle room in there.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/996419432.html

Finally, while fact checking for this post I came across some really neat resources on these chairs that may be of interest. For example, this Herman Miller catalog page from 1951, and the video below, made for Herman Miller to describe, in detail, the manufacturing process for these chairs. Enjoy!