Man Buys Rare Chair Just For $50 From Facebook Marketplace: Now He Auctioned It For $85K

Zinger Key Points
  • Justin Miller made a TikTok video in which he shared the details from the day he acquired the chair.
  • Miller spends approximately 30 minutes of his daily routine as a home design content creator browsing Facebook Marketplace.

TikTok content creator Justin Miller bought a rare chair through Facebook Marketplace for just $50. A few months later, Miller sold the chair at an auction for an astounding $85,000.

After purchasing the chair, Miller researched the product and found that renowned Danish designer Frits Henningsen crafted the chair, one of only 50 made ever, reports Today.com.  

Considering that matching chairs had previously sold for $100,000, Miller recognized the potential for a profitable venture and an opportunity to document his experience on TikTok. 

He made the TikTok video in which he shared the details of his findings from the day he acquired the chair. His video has got over 2.4 million views.

According to the report, Miller spends approximately 30 minutes of his daily routine as a home design content creator browsing Facebook Marketplace. In February, while scrolling through the platform, he found a listing for a leather chair being offered as part of a yard sale hosted by a family residing in Beverly Hills.

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"When I first saw the chair, I loved the color of leather, and I thought it had a really interesting shape," Miller told the outlet. "As I was messaging the seller to arrange a time to pick up the chair, she said, 'If you repair the chair, it's worth a lot."

Following his post's popularity on TikTok, he was advised to speak to an auction house. He then contacted Sotheby's to handle restoration and facilitate a chair sale. Sotheby suggested an auction of the chair. 

During a brief auction on June 7, Miller's chair fetched an astounding $85,000 ($107,950 after considering buyer's fees), which he bought for only $50.

Miller captured his reaction to the live auction, and he got 4 million views on TikTok. 

"We are absolutely delighted that Justin's chair achieved this outstanding result," Carina Villinger, head of 20th Century Design at Sotheby's, told TODAY.com. "From the moment he contacted Sotheby's to restore and sell his armchair, we've enjoyed learning about his discovery, which achieved a record price for this model by Frits Henningsen."

"People always tell me they don't find anything good on Facebook Marketplace," Miller said. "But they just aren't looking hard enough."

Now Read: Here's How Much Princess Diana's 1985 Ford Escort Sold For At Auction

Photo: Shutterstock

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