ID Cast Iron Bistro Table... need help

Here's a close up after I dusted it to make the letters pop more. And I did a pencil etching to see what it looked like.

 

Yes there are weld marks. Is that significant?

 

Sure is hard to find examples.

 

I can say, keeping all chances of a fake in mind, that I believe the table is pretty old. The assembly and casting isn't cheaply done. And the mark is not very "showy." If I were going to fake one, I would not put the mark out of view nearly at the top of the pedestal. Many of the Vuitton markings are at the base but a few are similar to mine.
I'm not sure how to prove or disprove it. Is there an expert on Vuitton that l can find somewhere? Surely someone knows... thanks to all though so far

 

I think mine is clearer than that one! Haha

 

Thanks for all the help. It's an interesting thing

 

For what it's worth Stephen at Tetbury thinks its original Louis Vuitton. That's good news to me!

 

It definitely says Paris, which is why I said it did in my first post.

 

I think I'd take the plant off it. Very nice find.

 

Here's where I am so far. Nowhere. I have found about four that have sold previously. One was similar to mine from an auction house in San Antonio. Everyone agrees the information is slim. Louis Vuitton history archive service has no records. Some of the auction houses have had a little backstory about LV creating some pieces for the Orient Express but I have no idea where they came up with the information. Any suggestions anyone?

 

Thanks for the update. I also found sites mentioning Louis Vuitton furniture for the Orient Express.
Does the Louis Vuitton history archive service have records of the furniture designs they made for the Orient Express? I can't imagine this particular table being on a train since there is no way to fix it to the floor, but you never know.

 

Looks like that's more art museum...but thanks. The guy at LV said they didn't have anything...I assume they would know, but don't know why they don't!

 

Interesting piece. As far as I can tell from google, Louis Vuitton never used that VL-Paris mark even back in the late 1800's, but instead the intersecting LV which is still used. The possibility of this being an urban myth bouncing around the internet echo chamber is therefore fairly likely.

Of course it is possible (though unlikely) that they may have used a different mark for furniture (if they ever made any) than they used for luggage and other luxury goods. If you want to research further maybe try to find some reliable source books on Louis Vuitton; there are a lot of books out there, start at your local library. Asking some of the auction sites that deal with LV trunks might also be worth a try.

On the other hand, there are clearly a number of people who believe the myth (if it is one) since the value of similar tables is high (though not sky-high like the trunks). So if your goal is to re-sell to make money, you don't need to prove or dis-prove the story; just take advantage of it.

 

I agree, it's not going anywhere but the story intrigues me. I can't even figure out where the websites that list the orient express theory got their info. I was just updating everyone and hoping maybe someone in Europe might have answers. Louis Vuitton didn't say it wasn't theirs just that they didn't have any information. I have someone in Chicago doing some research as that is her line of work. If I learn more I'll post.