WHAT IS THE VALUE of a set of vintage steel kitchen cabinets? What price should you ask? This is one of the top questions that I receive on the blog. The answer is not definitive — but there are a number of factors to consider, including: Condition, Size of Set, Brand, and Location.
Read on for more, plus some pricing guidelines. And also see my post on how and where to seel your cabinets.
I have been watching the market for vintage metal kitchen cabinets on ebay since 2002. And, I began hosting the buy-sell forum for metal kitchen cabinets here on RetroRenovation.com in Dec. 2007. These are my “credentials” to answer the question, but even so, the answer will depend on a number of factors - including luck. So make your own decision about how much to charge. So, now that the disclaimer is in place, here are my thoughts on value:
1. Condition — The number-one determinant of value, I’d say, is condition. If the cabinets are are in excellent shape — with their original finish – and don’t need repainting, that will add to their value. Repainting cabinets can get expensive and is a hassle. Also I tend to think that a ’so-so’ original finish is better than cabinets that have been repainted poorly. Nothing compares with that original enamal finish! Rust on the sink cabinet also is not good. And a serious ding will pretty much bring a cabinet’s value to zero. My advice to buyers is: Hold out for cabinets in excellent condition, they are out there.
2. Number of pieces available…size of your set — It can also be quite a hassle to retrofit someone else’s kitchen into your kitchen space. I bought 67 cabinets to get the right fit into my 15′x15′ space. And I made it work by the skin of my teeth. I know several readers who are in the process of collecting 2 or more sets just to get the right pieces. So in general I’d say that the larger your set, the better luck you will have finding a buyer.
3. Brand — I tend to believe that the larger-name brands are going to find a home sooner because of the issue above, that is, people collecting multiple sets. From my research I’d say that the big name brands were and are: Youngstown, Geneva, St. Charles. There are some folks who say that St. Charles was the cream of the crop…but I have 1963 Geneva’s and I think their quality is terrific. If you have a less-common brand – like Crosley, Tracy, American brand — you still may find a buyer, especially if there is a collector watching far and wide to find just the cabinets they like.
4. Location — I tend to believe that the market for cabinets is very local or tight regionally. Buyers are most likely going to want to come pick up the cabinets personally as shipping is costly. They also are likely to want to see them. So, the closer you are to a large city the better you chances may be of finding a buyer close enough to work with.
The last factor is: How much time do you have? If you need your cabinets out of the garage next week… well, don’t be thinking you’ll get the top possible dollar. While interest in these cabinets is growing, it’s still a collector’s market. If you plan for some time to connect with the right buyer you may get a better price.
Okay. All that said, how much?
$5,000?
Early on in the forum’s life, a large set of cabinets (sorry, I forget the brand) in a great shape, from a church kitchen in Iowa, sold for $5,000. That’s the most I ever heard a set sell for.
$3,000?
I bought my 67 cabinets — 100+ linear feet in great shape, great color - for $3,000. The reason I got them so cheap (in my estimation) is that the seller would not break up the set, and she was in the heart of Gotham. And just so you have an idea of what a buyer might have to go through: I took a day off work and paid my hauler to go with me to NYC to check out the cabinets and viability of moving them, BEFORE I made my decision. I then had to pay another $3,000 to the hauling company for the cabinets’ Escape from New York. Then for 4 months I had to rent a Pod to house them in my front yard while the kitchen renovation got underway. Then we had to clean them up, which was disgusting. During this entire time, I also had to endure my husband’s beady-eyed stare, he did not believe the grungy cabinets would be worth the effort. (Fortunately, all the NYC grime protected their finish, they are gorgeous and all is well here in Pam’s Retro Paradise once again.) After I installed all I could (in mudroom and garage, too), I sold the remaining 28 cabinets (pictured above) for $2,500 minus commissions to ebay and paypal. One bidder, at the last second. So that’s the saga of one buyer. Honestly, the seller in NYC probably should have paid me to take them off her hands – I am sure she would have had to pay some dough-re-mi to cart them off to a dump. But it was a non-profit… I didn’t even dicker.
$2,000?
A really beautiful, large set of St. Charles’ sold out of a Detroit-area home for $2,000. I think the buyer (a reader) got some nice vintage appliances, too. Had to drive 3 hours.
$300-$1,000?
Smaller sets… in great condition: $300? $500? 1,000?-maybe
$100-$300?
Smaller sets… in bad condition: Less.
A note on sink cabinets with porcelain-on-cast-iron drainboard sinks.
If these are in terrific shape – if the drainboard sink is in pristine condition — they can be worth…$250 on the open market? If you have a name brand – especially a Youngstown, I think — you may have good chances of finding a buyer looking for this important piece. Places like historichouseparts.com sell them for more, but remember they are dealers so have underlying fixed costs.
Why don’t the cabinets sell for more? They are expensive to repaint. They are a hassle to hunt down, pick up, store and then try to retrofit into an existing kitchen. To that right person it can be very gratifying, but retro renovation takes a lot of energy physically and creatively – it’s hard work and time consuming.
READERS: Please add your thoughts! Believe it or not – together we are the go-to place for expertise on steel kitchen cabinets now!
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Like anything else of a certain age (”vintage”) and somewhat limited need or desire, steel cabinets and all that goes with them are “only worth what someone will pay for them”.
What may be worth $2000 in New York to an well healed buyer may only be scrap in a small town in Kansas.
::Shrug::
I guess it depends on your market, both the availability of the cabinets and the buyers.
Chris.
I bought my set off of eBay for $1500. It’s a pretty large sized Geneva set with a corner lazy-susan, which I really needed for my kitchen layout. I had a bit of buyers remorse when I got there and realized that there is a bit of bubbling around the handles on some of the pieces and for me to be happy I’d have to refurb all of them to the same color/quality. They’ve been sitting stacked up in my back sunroom since January since you can not paint (correctly) when the temp consistently drops below 40degrees. Now that it’s starting to warm up I’ll begin the sanding and priming process.
Thanks, Joe. And all Do It Yourselfers – Make sure that if you’re refinishing/repainting these old cabinets yourself that you find out/consult with a pro to determine whether their original paint finish has lead in it… and then do the research to use the appropriate safety and environmental procedures.
I bought a set of St. Charles cabinets in LA for $100. It includes about 20 cabinets, all with the special features, such as pull out drawers and lazy susans, ect. The set is in terrible condition, but I am in the process of cleaning them up and repainting, using the $50 Rich Wrench solution. On the positive side, all of the hardware is in tact and in excellent shape, nothing that a good cleaning can’t fix. They are starting to take shape, and I am so happy that I took the plunge to start this project. Not that it was a huge monetary investment, but it was a challenge moving them from the Re-Use Center. Thanks to all of you for the inspiration!
I was lucky enough to have my kitchen already have Geneva cabinets when we purchased our house, but I have seen a lot of original, vintage appliances and cabinets basically going for free or for very little here in Michigan. If you are looking for a set, my advice is to just keep your eyes peeled. What is it you always say, Pam? “The Decorating Gods will provide…”
Close, RetroRuth: “Put your vibes out there, and the retro decorating gods will send you what you need, when you need it…”
Another thought in line with what you have written: It’s my experience that the LARGER the item the better value it generally gets to be, price-wise. That is, we can all collect little tchotchke’s forever and ever so there is competition and the prices hold… but for large items like bedroom sets or dining room sets, the competition is much less because most folks already have theirs and where can you put a collection of dining room sets? The prices for steel kitchen cabinets reflect the same principle, basically. They cost way less than they really truly should, especially if you are comparing them to new, high quality kitchen cabinets.
Oh, and: There’s always more. Don’t worry if something gets away. It wasn’t meant to be. “Put your vibes out there, and the retro decorating gods will send you what you need, when you need it…” Have faith.
I just bought a set of Youngstown cabinets. I got them for $300 on craigslist and paid another $180 for them to be delivered. The paint is in decent condition, but I am thinking about spending the money to repaint them and make it perfect.
There is no counter top and no sink. The sink is also missing it’s plinth block.
The set includes two tall wall cabinets and two short.
54″ sink
two 15″ wide cabinets
one 24″ wide cabinet
two lazy susans (the clincher! i have a weirdo U shaped kitchen)
and a 36″ cabinet
I have a small kitchen but the variety of sizes and the two lazy susans are what will help them to fit.
I have a set of metal Beauty Queen kitchen cabinets in St. Louis. They are in really good shape. What would they be worth?
Sue — and any other sellers — this post is meant to answer the question as best I can….That is, I am not going to give specific numbers! Good luck.
We have aluminium English Rose cabinets. It took us 5 years roughly to gather all the bits we needed. Most was skip rescue, some was from houses where the owners knew what they had but realised they had to replace it with an ikea special to sell their homes to a wider market. We were lucky. By the time we had the kitschen together the price was anything from £90 to £100 a door (2004). 2 years later we sold all our leftover stuff and bits and paid for almost half of our kitchen. We’re a bit out of touch with prices now but even so, it doesn’t turn up in skips like it used to! t.x
Looking for a PHILCO fridge any suggestions?
Hey Jim, it’s been more than a year and a half and we haven’t even gotten into vintage stoves and fridges yet! I tend to think most folks get theirs from craigslist …or check with local old-time appliance shops that might have them in on trade…or there are stores like this one that restore them professionally, this place has a ‘54 Philco in inventory: http://antiqueappliances.com/unrestored.htm
I bought Geneva cabinets from ebay and flew to Maine and drove them back to MD. The best I can say is after I had them repainted and installed they look beautiful. The worst I can say is the pictures posted on ebay were misleading. I had them electrostaticaly painted by Frederick Paint and Supplies in Frederick MD and they did a great job. This type of paint is the most durable but costly. I think it’s well worth it.
I do need additional pulls so if anyone knows a source, let me know. The pulls match the turquoise kitchen.
I have a set of vintage metal cabinets, but I don’t know what brand they are, etc…
It’s a nice set in good condition, but has been painted a couple of times. I would like to sell these, but don’t know where to start the research on what kind they are.
Melissa, look at our Forum – you may see photos that give you a clue.