What is a Wooton desk worth?
“The Wooton desk, for anybody collecting late 19th century furniture, this is one of the ultimate pieces you would have.” Melchert asked for $14,500 and ultimately got pretty close to that with a final accepted offer of $13,500.
Where were Wooton desks made?
Indianapolis
An elaborate fall-front desk manufactured in Indianapolis made its way across the globe in the 1870s and 1880s–even, it is said, into the domicile of Queen Victoria. After winning a five-dollar prize for his design for a school house desk at the Indiana State Fair in 1868, inventor William S.
What was the Wooton desk and how did it function?
The Wooton desk is their better-known secretary desk; the Wooton desk company also produced a so-called rotary desk, which is in fact a pedestal desk whose pedestals have segments which turn on themselves to expose more drawers and nooks.
What is a Wooton?
A Unique Mass-Produced Item While each product looked unique, the Wooton desk was actually a machine-made product. In each model, the design, decoration, and number and arrangement of the various compartments were completely standardized, though clients could choose a cornice design from among different styles.
How can I date my antique desk?
Antique furniture hardware can help you assign a date to a piece, and a secretary nearly always has hinges. Take a good look at these to learn about its age. Look for a manufacturer mark or label. Often, antique secretaries will have a label affixed to the back or underside of the desk.
How do you find out who made a desk?
Spot the Signs: Tags, Stamps and Labels. A telltale sign of the furniture’s maker is a manufacturing tag, label or stamp bearing the name of the creator. Such a marking or label may have been placed inside a drawer on an old dresser, on the back of a chest of drawers, or on the underside of a chair or sofa seat.
Why is cocobolo so expensive?
It is much harder to mill and even harder to get good undamaged straight boards so you can work with them. Hardwoods of this nature eat through expensive cutting bits in weeks, where as the same bit would last a lifetime with normal woods.
Who invented the Wooton desk?
The company was established in 1870 when an Indiana entrepreneur named William S. Wooton who was seeking a patent for his desk design. It was granted, and the company made these desks until 1884. While every business professional today has a laptop and a cell phone, back in the late 19th century, they had a Wooton desk.
What are the characteristics of a Wooton desk?
The Wooton Desk Is a Victorian Collectible 1 Boasting an Incredible 110 Compartments. Wooton had two patented desk designs. 2 A Unique Mass-Produced Item. The secretaries came in four grades—Ordinary, Standard, Extra and Superior—and three sizes. 3 Changes in Style. 4 Prices, Then and Now.
Why are desks made in Indianapolis?
From 1870 to 1898, it and its successors manufactured desks in and around Indianapolis; the region’s abundant supply of immigrant craftsmen and timber, along with its proximity to railroads, made the city a national center for furniture production.