Twisting his gavel in his hand, Barry Forno said anything similar to the polished reproduction piece would have sold for at least $3500 at any contemporary furniture store.
It was one of those enduring classics, a testament to timeless design and exacting craftsmanship.
And last week, it sold at auction for less than $1000.
"People just aren't spending like they used to, and they just aren't as interested in the antiques as they used to be," Mr Forno said yesterday.
"I suppose it's a result of all sorts of things, but some of it is fashion: these days people are into modern designs, all glass and chrome and minimalism.
And they can get it new, on credit, somewhere else."
Mr Forno (65) will call just two more auctions before bringing the hammer down on a career that started in 1986, when he finally grew tired of spending 15 years as a dealer "standing behind a counter waiting for people to arrive to buy antiques".
Urged on by his father, he assembled a catalogue for his first auction in the former Otago Arts Society rooms on the corner of Albany and Great King Sts.
It was "extremely successful, even though I had no experience of anything like that, and I never really looked back".
In those early days, Mr Forno had no trouble finding antiques and very little trouble selling them.
People crowded his often entertaining auctions: more than a dozen antique retailers and many more collectors could be expected at two or three sales a month.
He had many big-ticket sales.
An inlaid oak table made for the 1851 Great Exhibition sold for $50,000; a pair of duelling pistols sold for $41,000; a pair of rugby match programmes sold for $13,000; and a French clock that he thought would sell for $5000 sold for $21,000.
Now, there were fewer antique dealers - he could expect four or five an auction - and there were fewer collectors and they were less likely to spend as freely as before the recession.
There were fewer younger buyers, and good quality stock was harder to find.
The company's internet site attracted more overseas buyers - it got 250,000 visits hits before some auctions - but the internet also meant they could look elsewhere.
Mr Forno still got an adrenalin rush from finding good quality "surprises" and fronting lively auctions, and he still enjoyed the camaraderie and support that came with working with so many like-minded people.
"But it has become much harder in this game, just like it has in many others. I've had a wonderful time, but now it is time to move on."
Mr Forno plans to start his new career, in real estate, in August.
