Authentic Egg Chair: How To Tell It’s Not a Fake

So you think you found a great deal on a Jacobsen Egg Chair? Think again. If the price is too good to be true, chances are the chair is not good enough to be true.

There are a lot of counterfeit Jacobsen Egg Chairs out there. Luckily, the Republic of Fritz Hansen has made it relatively easy to tell fake Egg Chairs from authentic Jacobsen Egg Chairs. If you ever find a fake one, be sure to email Fritz Hansen at: counterfeit@fritzhansen.com

Here are a few things to look out for:

The Obvious

Sometimes you’ll know immediately it’s a fake. The authentic Egg Chair is sleek, contoured and flawless. The base should have four prongs. No more. No less. Unfortunately the vast majority of knock-offs are only available online, and disreputable shops use legitimate images to advertise their counterfeit Egg Chairs.

So if you buy online and you’re suspicious of a fake, insist that they send images of all the below features, or just avoid the trouble altogether, and buy an authentic Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair.

Label

Republic of Fritz Hansen products (including the Egg Chair) manufactured after 2006 features a label as a sign of authenticity. Egg Chairs produced before 2010 have a red tag, while those produced after 2010 feature a brown tag. Look for the Republic of Fritz Hansen logo, as well as the year of manufacture.

Brown Fritz Hansen Label

If you don’t see a label, remember that it could be an older model. So look under the base; if it’s a real Egg Chair, you should find a serial number and name there.

Stitching

The craftsmanship of an Egg Chair is impeccable. There should be no folds, no creases, no wrinkles. There should be no joins or stitching on the front of the chair, except for on the seat pad. Try pinching the chair. If you can pinch any fabric, it’s not a real Egg Chair.

Also examine the nature of the stitching along the sides of the Egg Chair. Look for a “wave effect.”

Wave stitching on the Egg Chair

If it’s a Leather Egg Chair, there should only be two pieces of leather joined at the sides. If you see any other stitches = fake.

Leather Egg Chairs

Recliner / Rotation

Cheap knock-offs don’t have the recliner lever on the underside of the Egg Chair. Even if it has one, check to make sure you can control exactly how much you want to recline. Real Egg Chairs give you precise control over how much you want to recline (you can see the recliner lever in the image above, lower left).

Also make sure you can rotate 360-degrees smoothly and completely.

Dimensions

Take out the tape measure and make sure they match these specifications:

Total height: 107 cm (42.1 in)
Seat height: 37cm (14.6 in)
Width: 86 cm (33.9 in)
Depth – Upright: 79 cm (31.1 in)
Depth – Reclined: 95 cm (37.4 in)

Again the best way to avoid getting burned, is to buy a certified authentic Jacobsen Egg Chair.

Thank you Findmetheoriginal.com for their insightful video: