Ercol Coffee Tables Resale Value

Ercol coffee tables: price by condition

Seller-declared grades, sterling with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). What each grade means.

What holds its value across Ercol

• The Windsor range in elm and beech, particularly the stacking chairs and the Studio Couch, which are the pieces collectors specifically want
• Original untouched finishes, including the honey-coloured lacquer, which is what buyers of mid-century furniture are looking for
• Pieces still carrying the blue paper label or the stamped model number, which date them and confirm what they are
• Solid elm tops with figured grain, since elm was phased out after Dutch elm disease and cannot be replaced

What pulls Ercol resale value down

• Painted and chalk-painted pieces, which were extremely fashionable for a decade and which collectors discount heavily — stripping rarely returns the original colour
• Loose joints on the stick-back chairs, where the spindles have worked free of the seat and the chair racks under load
• Woodworm in elm, which is common in stored pieces and needs treating and declaring rather than hiding
• Sun-bleached tops where one half has faded against the other, which cannot be evened out without refinishing the whole piece

Identifying and dating yours

1. The model number is stamped into the underside of a seat or the back of a frame, and it identifies the design precisely — photograph it
2. Older pieces carry a blue paper label underneath; a surviving label is worth showing because it confirms both the maker and the period
3. Elm and beech look different: elm shows a strong wandering grain on the seat while beech is finer and straighter, and elm is worth more

What lifts any coffee table, whatever the label

Coffee tables are cheap new at the budget end, so second-hand value concentrates in solid wood, glass and design pieces.

• Solid wood and recognised design pieces
• Toughened glass with no chips at the edges
• Stable, tight joints with no wobble
• Storage versions with working drawers

And what pulls one down

• Chipped glass edges, which are a safety concern
• Water rings and heat marks on the top
• Wobbling legs from loosened joints
• Veneer lifting at the corners

Working out what yours is worth

1. Check every glass edge for chips
2. Press down on each corner to test for wobble
3. Photograph the top surface in daylight

What to state in the listing

• Length, width or diameter, and height in centimetres
• Material of the top and the frame, stated separately if they differ
• Whether it has storage — a shelf, drawer or lift top
• The condition of the top surface, described honestly including ring marks

Material and shape lead: “Round Oak Coffee Table, 90cm” or “Glass and Chrome Coffee Table, Rectangular”. Diameter or length in the title saves an entire message exchange, because the buyer is fitting it between a sofa and a rug they already own.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Clear it and clean the top properly, including into the corners and any glass rebate.
2. Check it for wobble on a flat floor and tighten the legs, which loosen over years of being nudged.
3. If it has a glass top, inspect the edges carefully for chips — a chipped edge is a safety point, not a cosmetic one.

1. The whole table from a standing angle, on a plain floor
2. The top surface shot across the light so marks are visible rather than hidden
3. The legs and the joint where they meet the frame
4. Any shelf, drawer or glass edge, plus every scratch or chip close up

When it sells best, and handing it over

Steady year-round, with a lift in January and again in early autumn. Solid wood and mid-century shapes sell within a couple of weeks; heavy glass tables move more slowly because buyers with small children avoid them.

Collection is usual. If the legs unbolt, do it before they arrive and wrap a glass top in a blanket — a chipped edge on the way home is a dispute you cannot resolve afterwards.

What buyers ask

Is it worth stripping a painted Ercol chair before selling?

Rarely. Stripping is laborious and the original lacquer colour does not come back, so most sellers do better describing it honestly as painted and pricing it as such.

How do I tell genuine Ercol from a similar chair?

Look underneath. Genuine pieces carry a stamped model number and often a blue label, and the Windsor seats are shaped from a single solid piece rather than glued boards.

How much is an Ercol coffee table worth?

Roughly £26 to £156 depending on condition, against £20 to £120 for coffee tables generally. The identification points above are what move a listing to the top of that range.

What the fees would take elsewhere

At the mid-range £91 for an Ercol coffee table, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:

Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026, percentages only — the per-order and processing charges those platforms add are excluded, so the real gap is wider.

Listing is free and there is no commission — read how to sell a coffee table for the title, handover and timing, or the general coffee table value guide if yours is not an Ercol.

See also: all Ercol value guides · value guides by brand · buying a coffee table · Furniture · condition grades.