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

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.

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]

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