From an Ikea chair to a tin soldier: more than 14,000 euros profit in ‘Once again’

The third season was almost a flawless run for Jacques Vermeire. Thirty items were acquired at flea markets and specialty stores, and only in the final episode was one item auctioned at a small loss. Without a doubt a great performance. Axel Daeseleire had to sell at a loss four times. That’s also good, but the difference in the final total is large: Axel made a profit of 4,878 euros, and Jacques even had 9,400 euros left over. The good cause benefits. The cheapest purchase was only ten euros, the most expensive 550 euros. But bizarrely, that object also generated the second largest profit. We pick out the most remarkable items.

Jacques was crazy about this Egyptian piece, even though it was only a part of a larger whole. Perhaps it depicted a man and woman seated on a larger bas-relief. This is a sculpting method in which the scene is worked out quite shallowly, so that it only appears realistic in front view. These are works that were once made to decorate architecture. The only recognizable thing on this piece was a person’s arm. The face and other features were missing. It was therefore almost an abstract object, with the arm as the only figurative element. The auction house associated this item with the New Kingdom and it was one hundred percent authentic. Before the auction, the piece was nicely put on a pedestal to increase its value.

A polychromed terracotta statue from China, probably from 100 to 200 AD. It comes from the Wei dynasty, one of the lesser known dynasties concerning the production of terracotta. In addition to these types of statues, they also made terracotta horses. Bought for 500 euros after a lot of haggling, because the seller wanted almost double that. The auction house suspected that profits would be limited because the circulation of these types of images was large. “You come across them in larger series, just as you can sometimes find certain ensembles almost complete in the Ming terracotta,” he said. It became one of the few losses of this season.

Axel immediately laughed when he saw Jacques’ Ikea chair. This chair turned out to be an early Ikea model from the late seventies. Sounds cheap, but there is an audience for something like that, the auction house said. The chair was designed by a certain Gammelgaard who worked for Ikea for decades. “I wouldn’t give more than twenty euros for it,” said Axel. But there were many bidders for the chair, who significantly increased the price.

Not art, just a nice gadget. It dates from the 1970s, as can be seen from the way it was designed. For example, a typical seventies wall paper was used as a background. According to Jacques, something like this was thrown on the container, but he also understood this choice because it was purchased almost for free.

In the same shop where Axel bought a valuable painting by Jean-Jacques Gaillard, Jacques found a handwritten letter from the Ostend artist James Ensor. To make it even more valuable, it also included a photo of Ensor in his studio playing an organ. With the work ‘the entry of Christ’ in the background. A piece of Ostend history.

Biggest loss

According to the seller, this was a head from the fifteenth century, probably from a church. Axel and guest Hannelore Simons from VTM Nieuws found a lot of poetry in it. They were sold by the beauty. It was indeed an architectural fragment that was once incorporated into a building. It was quite weathered, which made dating difficult. The auction house thought it was from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, probably French.

Art or kitsch?

In episode 9, Jacques Vermeire thought he had come across a lithograph of Disney character Tigger in a pop art constellation. His guest Dominique Persoone was immediately inspired by it. But it turned out to be just a print, making the value quite low. Axel Daeseleire even called the print wrapping paper. Bought for 60 euros, and according to the auction house certainly not worth more. But at the auction someone offered 320 euros for it. Axel didn’t understand it at all. Even more so, because just the opposite happened in the same episode. Axel was able to acquire a valuable painting by artist Edgar Scaufflaire for 350 euros. A Liège artist who made somewhat cubist expressionist works. Someone who is admittedly less known in our region. “They even hang something like that in museums,” he said. And then… the auction hammer fell at just 280 euros. The valuable item was actually one of the few lost items.

The largest object?

Purchase amount: 200 euros

Auctioned for 650 euros

Profit: 450 euros

A mega-sized tin soldier The Nutcracker. Axel wanted to offer something at the auction that was “du jamais vu”. Still, there was some fear. Because who would buy something like that? In addition, minor repairs were also needed. Everything was held together with adhesive tape. The auction house was also cautious, because this seemed like the creation of a good hobbyist. With a scared heart, 200 euros was spent. But the grotesque image was popular.