The most expensive coffee table ever [Archive]

jp1

4-19-22, 9:51pm

No, we didn't pay an exorbitant amount for it. It was a gift from SO's mom. And no, his parents didn't pay for it either. Let me explain... SO's dad was a radiologist who ran the radiology department at one of the big St Louis hospitals. Decades ago he had ordered a new lens for one of their machines. It cost something like $80,000 in early 1990's dollars. When it was being unpacked it got dropped, putting a small chip in it and rendering it useless. (It weighs about 25 pounds). This was about a year before SO's dad was going to retire. His staff took the lens and had a coffee table made with the lens as the surface and gave it to him as his retirement gift. SO's mom knew that SO loved it, so when we bought the house 1 1/2 years ago she gave it to him as a housewarming gift. We finally shipped it back here when we were in St Louis in December for christmas and he had the wood parts restained. We finally got it back and tonight put it together.

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bae

4-19-22, 9:57pm

I had to change majors when they dropped a several zillion-dollar magnet for a fusion reactor we were building. Right off the edge of the loading dock. No problem, all insured. 3 years to get a new one made though...

Those poor poor near-PhD students wept.

Your artifact coffee table has a much happier ending :-)

Tradd

4-19-22, 10:19pm

That is a nice little table!

iris lilies

4-19-22, 10:36pm

The $80,000 coffee table with a St. Louis history is a great family artifact.

jp1

4-19-22, 10:57pm

I had to change majors when they dropped a several zillion-dollar magnet for a fusion reactor we were building. Right off the edge of the loading dock. No problem, all insured. 3 years to get a new one made though...

Those poor poor near-PhD students wept.

Your artifact coffee table has a much happier ending :-)

If only we had a magnetic coffee table. Imagine the fun when guests set their phones and computers on it!

rosarugosa

4-20-22, 5:49am

Great table and great story!

JaneV2.0

4-20-22, 10:08am

I love furniture with a history, and that's a doozy. I also like the rug...

happystuff

4-20-22, 4:09pm

Very cool!!