It looked like shell to me too.
That wood has to be walnut, and that carving wouldn't be cheap if you couldn't do it yourself.
It could do better than that in New York if reupholstered in something funky/ethnic. It's small enough to fit in an apartment. Where the OP...
Or just the wrong location. I'd almost bet this stuff would flat out fly in places like Louisiana or Charlotte. Around here it goes begging too....
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