This desk was originaly bought with a heavy coat of dark brown varnish covering the woods natural detail.
My father bought it at an auction in the mid 70's and it was used as a working desk by my Mom for a few years and then given to me where it has sat in my closet for all these years.
I am in the midst of a career change and as part of a school project I took this desk out last month to restore it unkown to me that my dad was on his last few days in this existance.
There are no cabinet maker marks on the wood but there was a large paper poster on the back side which got destroyed.
There are numbers on the back side of the handles, more than likely model numers?
I would appreciate it if anyone has a clue. Personally to me I get the feeling that it was a production pieces that went straight from the shop to some ones home.
My guess is that it is one of the Stickleys brothers work but without that paper from the backside it is only a guess.
Plus those holes on the back board really throw me off.
Re: I have my guess but would like to know for sure
Looks like a drop leaf desk of early to mid 1900's North American manufacturer. If you know where the Auction was, you probably have a close approximation of where it was made. You might even be able to get the records of it from the auction house.
Check also the types of woods in the item. The photo seems to show a number of different types (is that early plywood on the back?) by the way they take the staining. Different woods, especially the secondary ones (like the bottom of the drawers) are made from cheaper local wood sources. It' keeps the price down and you don't normally see them anyway.
At a guess, you have a modified piece from the 1920's -give or take- that someone has cut holes in to mount a desk lamp or maybe an electronic calculator in.
Other places to look:
check the drawer, what types of fittings does it have inside (i.e. inkwell holders mean older manufacture). Look inside and the UNDERSIDE of the drawer(s) for additional labels and marks. Also the underside of the desk top and bottom. Any place that is normally hidden, as the manufacturer's markings and notes are often not erased as they would be hidden in the finished product anyway.
I do not represent myself as an expert in furniture, I am just trying to apply some things that I have been learning on the subject. So don't take my comments as the definitive answer if you think there are other possibilities! check them out!
Garry
Re: I have my guess but would like to know for sure
Stickley Brothers used metal tags/labels that where nailed to one side (look for 2 small nail holes a few inches apart), or a paper label that would have been inside a drawer or inside the item. Gustav Stickley used paper labels inside and also a "brand" type mark on the piece. I do know of a desk that has only a paper label inside the drawer and nothing else. (Stickly Brothers label).
Then there is which Stickley made it? Gustav Stickley's furniture is more valuable than his four brothers. L&JG Stickley(Leopold and John George), Stickley Brothers (Albert Stickley) and Stickley and Brandt (Charles Stickley).
To call it a Stickley and sell it as such you would need a professional in person examination of it. Look for "Stickley Craftsman Furniture Catalogs" by Peter Smith, might be in there. The value would have been reduced by 30 to 50% because it has been refinished.
Nice desk.
Re: I have my guess but would like to know for sure
Found a guy that has 25 years exp in Stickley furniture and will give you an appraisal through email with good pictures attached.... His addy is [email protected]
Re: I have my guess but would like to know for sure
In regards to the Stickleys It's only the early Mission pieces by Gustave that bring the big dollars at auction, and this piece is not one of his or Brothers L & J.G Stickley's either. There were dozens of Furniture makers churning out their own versions of Mission furniture in Grand Rapids Michigan right up till the early 1920's.
Lovejoy
Re: I have my guess but would like to know for sure
the holes throw you off? what throws me off is all the strange paint on the floors and walls of this room..... ;-)