Posted 5 years ago
Jbowen2531
(1 item)
I’m totally kicking myself for not taking a before pic - But someone had this antique solid wood beauty out by the curb for heavy trash pick up!!
If you don’t know this about me, I LOVE vintage/antique furniture!! I love bringing the life back to old/unwanted classic pieces such as this ?? It’s beyond rewarding.
So after about an hour of some good ol’ TLC - Scrubbing, dusting, and A LOT of pledge, she’s shining like new ????
When I told my husband to stop because I HAD to pick this up - he thought I was crazy and told me it was a piece of junk lol
Now he loves it & it’s the perfect fit for our home ??????????????????
Did you get the base it sits on also?
No! This is all I saw out there!
Do you know what it is/ when it was made? @fhrjr2
Great piece. I am curious as to the dimensions of the piece? I am also interested in the distance between the floor and the desk panel when it is open?
fhrjr2, I thought the same thing but after looking at it closely, it's got to be a secretary and wouldn't be on top, even tho the sides appear as they are that there would have been a base. It's an odd-ball sort of beauty!
Jbowen, welcome to CW! I can say this... you have come to the right place if you're up for learning and sharing. I have found many treasures that way and it's a blast. Luckily you had your hubby with you to help you get it up in the truck! And FYI- as a general rule, I personally will not bring anything I have found into the house for at least two weeks which has thankfully kept my home critter free. A good rub down of orange oil before bringing it in is a huge help as well!
This piece is quite odd as it is and I don't quite understand why the glass windows go all the way to the floor, which would make it logical to be the top part of what would be found near a large dining table that holds all the linens and tableware. So the pulldown doesn't really make sense because if it were the top half, how could one even see what was inside, right?!? In fact, a secretary wouldn't have glass at all so this must be a converted piece. My guess would be the original piece in it's whole, somewhere around the Victorian Era. It looks like solid oak. See if the divider in the middle pulls out and look under it. Look all over the back for a stamped name or number. I'll see if I can find a link to the two different pieces I'm trying to explain becomes more clear to you.
Here's an example of what I was trying to refer to, said much better;
https://www.ebohemians.com/c/recent-added-antique-furniture/antique-furniture-store/antique-desks/
The next link I'm referring to the piece on the right, it is made of 2 pieces as I believe yours originally was.
https://www.ebohemians.com/c/recent-added-antique-furniture/antique-furniture-store/antique-cabinets-bookcases/
And finally here is what we all pretty much agree on, if you love what you have purchased or found, keep it and enjoy it!!!
Nice save! Still looks great without the base! Enjoy!!
Michael
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Jbowen2531 (and your husband) for saving this *beautiful* piece from potentially being crushed to death in the back of a garbage truck. I'll *never* understand quite why anybody would/could ever consider such a thing "trash"...only remaining hopeful that more folks (like you and me and no doubt most of the rest of us here at CW) also exist to stop and rescue those things, blocking traffic briefly if necessary...? ;-) :-) CONGRATULATIONS on a *fine* rescue!!!! <cheers><applause>
Thank you so much everyone for the feed back!! I’m so, so excited about this piece! It’s crazy that someone’s trash became my new FAVORITE furniture piece in my house! I’m so happy to be apart of this group because I’ve looked around everywhere for something similar but it’s so different! @ shareurpassion thank you for the links and that’s exactly what I was thinking - & I did get pictures of a few markings, can I post pictures in the comments? @welzebub I will take the measurements in a bit and post them!
@AnythingObscure I will never understand either! It’s very sad - I’m so happy I was able to pick it up before trash came!
Crazy people threw that out. Don't think there is base as it is a secretary desk.
I would have to go back to the house that originally disposed of it and just ask questions about it. They might know something of value or have more stuff for you.
It's fantastic!
No base you say???? When did you ever see a master cabinet maker or furniture maker design a piece like this to sit less than an inch off the floor at the bottom? With leaded glass doors that go all the way to the bottom, the doors would become hinge bound in no time at all without a base to support it. Just a person walking on the floor boards around it would cause slight movement which would compound as time went on. The height of the base would normally be in direct ratio to the elevation of the drop down when open.
I have a Secretary very similar to your New Old one Jbowen2531, and by the way, welcome to CW, because we all like to learn about what we collect! :^D I've had mine for over 30yrs. now and use it almost everyday, like most everything I have, it's packed with things I use, and things I collect, so maybe not good for a photo! :^D Mine has 4 Turned Wood Ball 3" feet, 2 in front, centered at the cabinets, and the same on the back, which make the desk when folded down 30" to the top, from the floor. You might be able to see where they could have been attached on the bottom of yours, if it was made that way, and find some type of wooden feet that goes with yours if you wanted. Mine also has a solid 2 door cabinet under the Desk, that goes to the bottom of it, a little different than yours. Thanks so much for showing yours, it might have been made 1910-30 period, I don't think much older or newer that that! :^)
Looks like some nice work to clean it up.
Too bad about the base-- functionality and overall look is odd with it sitting on the floor.
scott
Yep, after looking closer, I see what you're talking about, not having the Desk at a working height, I was blinded by the beautiful wood, and finish, on a Freebie! Really though, you love it now, and with the information that you've received, you can decide, where to go with, maybe put a little more into it, or just use it as is! I still think it's a beauty! Nice find! :^)
Here's a link to my post of our Secretary, just for you, Jbowen2531 :
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/272899-the-old-wooden-secretary-maybe-served-u
I hope this helps! It does me! :^)
Here's another one similar to yours, just to give an idea of a kind of base that it could have sat on:
https://www.harpgallery.com/shop/item28781.html
Good Luck! :^)
The reason I requested dimensions, to include the height of the open desk, was to figure out the height of the base/feet it would have sat on. Those desks are generally 28 to 30 inches off the floor. Billretirecoll's post confirms that with his example.
Came back to see what the comments were and got an idea that I thought was pretty good for this, like bill was saying, his was on 4 ball feet and just to prevent any hinge misfunction, you could take any kind of "feet" you think would match up with the wood here and add them to the bottom. If I see a dresser on the side of the road that needs fixing or is missing a drawer or whatever, I take the drawer pulls if I like them. Feet from a couch would work too.
Shareurpassion that method of just using feet alone off something can lead to more problems. If you take a closeup look at Bill's unit, where the ball feet are, you will notice a double bottom above the feet that extends beyond the glass door. That simple doubled bottom piece is what prevents hinge binding.