What could an Antique Desk Tell Us?

When I see an antique desk, I wonder who sat at it and what they wrote.  Did Royalty plan a ball at that Victorian antique desk?  Was part of our constitution written here on this mahogany antique writing desk?  Was it a treasured addition to the room when they brought home the walnut antique roll top desk?  When it arrived at a new home, was it welcomed for the value it would bring?  How many children learned their lessons at the antique school desks?  Did any famous authors sit there at the antique school desks?

The antique secretary desk became popular in the Eighteenth Century.  These were a chest of drawers. The top drawer was quite deep.  It would pull out half way and the front would fold down to make a flat writing surface.  Inside there was a wonderful assortment of small drawers, pigeon holes, and cupboards.  This antique secretary desk was placed in a gentleman's room.  This gave the gentleman a writing desk where he could store all the supplies and have privacy when he did his correspondence.   Underneath the top drawer, he could store his personal belongings.

The American style of antique desk featured different materials at different times.  Oak was popular from 1540 to 1660. Then walnut became the wood of choice from 1660 until 1730. The years from 1730 to 1840 were the mahogany time.  The Victorian era ran from 1830 to 1901. During this time, the antique desk chair matched the antique desk with both wood and style.  Usually, the chair was made from solid wood. Occasionally, caning was used in the center of the back of the chair for accent.

In Europe there were many, many different styles of the antique desk during the last 400 years.  The antique Chippendale desks were made of mahogany and featured the Chinese motifs, scrolls and claws. William and Mary antiques had a distinctive style with woodcarvings with high relief made from maple, walnut or pine. Their period was relatively short, only from 1700 to 1730.

Over the centuries the  different antique desk could be very ornate and inlaid with other woods to create decorations. Some had beautiful hand carved wooden designs, delicate legs, and a variety of woods, including Burr walnut.

Antique desks for sale draw interest from around the world.  These are very popular with collectors and interior decorators who are looking for that special antique to finish a room.  Many antique buffs compete to find a special mahogany roll top desk to put in  the library or an antique desk chair to complete the study.

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Slope Desk Writing Desk Antique Wooden Desk    US $1.04

ANTIQUE Kneehole WALNUT DESKABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS    US $625.00

Antique Desk 6 Draw Solid Quartered Oak File Cabinet NR    US $127.50

Lebus Antique Oak Roll Top Desk    US $51.00

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Of course the ones you see on sale there are the current ones.  What I look for when I go out hitting estate sales, and what many people are now focusing on collecting are the vintage statues.  These are often retired by the companies that make them.  Unlike so many other collectibles, these usually really do stay retired and often, they are retired before hundreds of millions of them are produced.  For collectors who did not get their hands on them during the original run, this can mean paying some premium prices for the sake of completing a collection.

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Vintage Miniature Collie Dog Puppy Figurine Japan    US $10.50

Vintage Pixie stacking Mushrooms Figurine Josef    US $10.50

Vintage Pixie Figurine Japan Laughing    US $4.00

Vintage LEFTON Duck Duckling Figurine JAPAN 1950s    US $2.00

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The good news for collectors of vintage figurines is that you can often get your hands on these for a fair price on eBay if you keep your eyes open and are diligent about checking every week or so.  This can happen when there are not too many other interested buyers at the time you check.

Of course, not all figurines are created equal and not all of them are in demand.  Right now, popular searches for vintage figurines include clowns and dogs made by Lladro, Pendelfin figures (include bunnies or rabbits in your search), Goebel figurines, Snowbabies, and a very wide variety of Willow Tree Collectibles.

Not all of these popular brands are actually old enough to be considered true vintage, but often, people list anything retired with that label attached.  You never really know what someone selling one of these items will list it as if they are not an experienced seller.  For that reason, it can be a good practice to run a couple of searches, including the term "retired figurine" in one of them.

If you are a person looking to buy these up in bulk at estate sales, educate yourself first.  There are a couple of ways that these sales sometimes go.  One is when sellers just want to get things moved along to clear an estate or prepare for a move.  These folks will sometimes be happy to cut a deal to get everything moved out at once.  The other side of the coin is people who are probably having second thoughts about selling the collection at all.  They often will price things rather high to begin with and then not even be willing to strike a bargain for buying in quantity.  It would probably be best to just walk away from that situation unless you know that there are some really valuable pieces included in the lot.

Some people really go all out with their collectible figurines. Here is a great video that shows how someone did more than just store their collectibles on a shelf. It's beautiful!

Antique Wall Clock

The first time I realized how valuable and expensive an antique wall clock could be, was at an estate sale that I visited.  I think the gentleman who owned the estate had been some type of top level executive in a major national corporation.  The house was beautiful.  It was filled with unbelievable hand carved wood everywhere.  It looked as though he was a serious art collector as well.  Rooms were just overflowing with what looked like museum pieces as they tried to show off every item to possible buyers.  I could tell just by looking around that prices were going to be out of my league.

There were actually two antique wall clocks that hung in separate rooms.  They were both beautiful, but they were noticeably different in style.  One was much bigger than the other, both were made of wood and we're very well maintained.  I asked the gentleman who seemed to be in charge to tell me about the large antique wall clock.  He gave me many details, but to be honest most of them went right past me because I am not any kind of serious clock collector.  I just liked the clock.  He explained that it was an antique German wall clock and that it had been made sometime around 1890.  He said it would most likely sell for at least $1500.  Without my asking, he went on to tell me that the other clock I had seen was actually older.  It was a Seth Thomas regulator made from walnut.  I only remember that because I had heard of Seth Thomas clocks before and the "Regulator" name stuck in my head.  The gentleman predicted that the Seth Thomas wall clock would sell for slightly less than the other one.  I just nodded and grinned because I knew that I could not afford either one of them, but they sure were nice looking clocks.

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Antique Banjo Wall Clock Converted To Electric    US $41.40

Antique Sessions Regulator E Oak Wall Clock    US $73.00

ANTIQUE NEW ENGLAND CLOCK CO SHELF MANTLE WALL CLOCK    US $51.00

Antique Skeleton Mechanical Wall Clock    US $95.00

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Checking out the completed listings on eBay for these old clocks was really interesting.  I found that there was a large regulator wall clock from Czechoslovakia that sold for $10,000 recently.  That is one heck of a clock!  I really only expected to see clocks made from wood when I started my search, but I found that there were also several antique French wall clocks made from bronze.  They also seem to be quite popular.

If you are in the market to buy an antique wall clock, the prices were at least comparable to what I came across at the estate sale I mentioned.  It would definitely be worth your time to take a look.  My advice would be to contact the seller so that you can be certain about the shipping method that will be used and what precautions will be taken to make sure that the clock arrives at your home safely.  You may want to note that eBay now has a policy, if I'm not mistaken, that puts the responsibility for insurance on the seller's shoulders.  Be sure to ask about that.

If you are looking to sell an antique wall clock, do your research.  Include as many details as possible about the clock and its history.  If you know the year that it was produced, include that in your auction listing.  People may be spending a lot of money on the clock you're selling and it is your responsibility to provide them with as many truthful details as possible.  As I mentioned in the last paragraph, as the seller of such a valuable piece of merchandise, you will need to make sure that it arrives safely at its destination.  Before I ever listed it for sale, I would talk to local clock makers as well as a professional packing service to find out what requirements would be necessary to keep the antique wall clock safe and sound on the trip to its new owner.

I found this video of an antique wall clock and thought I would include it here. It was shot specifically to show off an eBay listing. The clock is probably long since sold, but it brings up the fact that with digital video so readily available today, many sellers would be wise to include a short video with their auctions. Especially when moving parts are involved, it can be really make or break a deal. If you are a buyer, consider asking the seller to post a video if they haven't thought of it on their own.

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Vintage Doll House Furniture Plasco Toys Coffee Table    US $5.99

Vintage Renwal Clock Coffee Table Dollhouse Furniture    US $4.95

Vintage Mattel Modern Coffee Table with original box    US $.99

Antique Vintage Pine Trunk Shabby Chic Coffee Table    US $32.89

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People often look to eBay for second hand furniture for at least a couple of reasons.  Some people are looking for cheap vintage furniture.  They like the look and figure that it might come cheap because it isn't new.  Others scour sites like eBay and Craigslist looking for one particular piece of furniture that would be just the right touch to finish off their home decor.  These folks are often the people who are ready and willing to pay whatever it takes to get the look they desire.  For some pieces of vintage furniture, prices can get quite high.  This can be a real hit or miss item.  Really, anything vintage is that way, but older furniture is something that people specifically search out.  People will spend months, or even years looking for specific antique desks or china closets that they simply must have.  After all of that searching, paying a price that is on the high side becomes a little bit more acceptable to them.

If you are looking to sell, well, you might be in luck.  As I mentioned, often, people are looking for just the right coffee table to put into their homes.  If you happen to own something that captures a lot of attention, you could find yourself rewarded handsomely.  I don't know that I'd recommend sellers putting a starting price too low for a vintage coffee table.  There is always a chance that no one will be all that interested and then you could end up having to deal with the hassle of  shipping a 99 cent coffee table across the country.  Keep your starting price reasonable and fair, but realize that many of these old coffee tables sell with just one bid in on them.