Attributed to whom?

I'm wary of descriptions that say "attributed to." One of these days, I may be sorry that I passed up a rare piece designed by someone drop-dead famous, but that phrase is a red flag to me. Has the seller failed to do diligent research? Does he know it's a knock-off but is trying to avoid saying so by using clever semantics? I know that some of the most reputable sellers in the business use the term, but I rarely let it influence my decision to buy.

Recently my SIL and I passed on these chairs, which were attributed to Paul McCobb. To be fair, the seller disclosed that there was also "other information attributing them to the Wroughtan Co."  As pretty as they were and even though they went for only $35, we would have had quite a bit more invested by the time we had them shipped from Oregon to Texas, and it wasn't worth the gamble, but I couldn't quit wondering about them.

I finally emailed Jonathan Goldstein at Planner, Perimeter, Predictor, Paul McCobb. He is blogworld's resident expert on Paul McCobb, and if anyone had the lowdown on these chairs, I was sure he would. I was also sure I'd be sick if he told me Paul McCobb really did design the chairs, since someone else grabbed them, and they're long gone...but I had to know.

Within a few minutes, he had emailed me back to say that he is the one who had told the seller the chairs were by Wroughtan, and he sent me a copy of the 1954 ad he sent to the seller as proof of  his claim. (Jonathan may plan to use that ad in his blog eventually, so I won't step on his toes by sharing it here. I owe him that courtesy for being nice enough to respond so quickly and so warmly...but the chairs were right there in the ad, in all their mid-century glory...and not Paul McCobb.)  Is that not the best story ever...and proof that our mid-century world is smaller than we realize? I'll be smiling about that for the rest of the day.

If you haven't checked out Jonathan's blog, I think you'll enjoy it as much as I do. I'm always impressed by the depth of his knowledge.

Chairs attributed to Paul McCobb
proxibid.com

Update (2/5/2011): Jonathan left a comment this morning giving his permission for me to share a Carl's Furniture and Carpets newspaper ad that appeared in the March 12, 1954, edition of the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

Ad  for Wroughtan furniture

The chairs retailed for $16.50 each, and the matching table sold for $36.50. It's interesting to note that the chairs sold just this week for roughly the same price they sold for new in 1954. The designer was Herbert Ritts, Sr., father of photographer Herb Ritts, Jr., famous for his fashion spreads for Versace, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.

Update (9/27/2011): Jonathan just left another comment, stating that he has found more information. He's established that Herbert Ritts, Sr. was not the designer. Instead, it was Forest Wilson.