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Hi, I got this desk the other day for $50. There isn't a single marking to be found anywhere. Does anyone have an idea as to what type of desk it could be or a ballpark on the age? The finish is shot so we dropped it off at a restorer this morning. It is made of oak and is about 5 feet long by 3 feet deep. The 3 drawers open by inserting a skeleton key that was still with it. Thanks!
That's a big desk. Ornate and large turnings usually like that usually point to European origin.
Thank you. My wife did a fair amount of looking around online. She thinks this is a Jacobean revival piece, probably from around the 1920s. That's just a guess. While still in solid shape structurally, the finish is all done and mostly gone from the top so we'll be having some minor repairs made and it'll be stripped down and refinished. When done, we think it'll be a nice centerpiece to our home office. About the only thing we can say with certainty is that it spent the last 10 years or so as a coffee table for a church office.
Got this desk back from the restorer. Does anyone think it's worth getting appraised for insurance purposes or is it just a neat looking but low value piece?Attachment 10262
It's really difficult to tell, what did your Restorer tell you about the piece? Surely you have several hundred dollars into it now with the re-finish - it looks good.
He said it was likely a Jacobean revival piece from the 1910s, maybe 1920s. It is made of solid oak. The turnings on the legs had splits in a few places but he was able to put them back together. The drawers were not easy to pull open and close but he fixed that. The drawers pull open with a skeleton key. The top's veneer surface had a lot of water damage but he did a nice job smoothing it all out again. The top is not attached to the base. It rests on the base. The photo doesn't do it justice. It came out very well and is solid as a rock. After hauling this thing upstairs I don't expect it to move again until I'm gone but was curious to see if it was worth putting on record with our home insurance. Then again, it could be worthless. I have no idea. It looked like junk when I got it late last year.