school desk
Hi all,
My first time to this forum and I hope you all can help me out. We are trying to get rd of several items, some of which we believe may have some value. I just don't know how to go about finding out if they are worth anything and if so, how much? Here's an example. Maybe you all can tell me what to do.
We have these two old desks (pictures below). I really don't know much about them, but they do have the "A.H. Andrews & Co.) on them. When I look up that company I find this information from the Encyclopedia of Chicago:
"This furniture company was founded in 1865 by Alfred H. Andrews, a Connecticut native who moved to Chicago in 1857. By the end of the 1860s, Andrews employed about 70 men, who made about $150,000 worth of furniture each year. By the beginning of the 1880s, A. H. Andrews & Co. had become the largest firm in the city's robust furniture industry, employing about 500 people and manufacturing about $600,000 worth of school and office furniture each year. During the 1880s, the company opened branches in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Andrews & Co. started to produce metal furniture in the early 1890s, but it entered bankruptcy and went into decline soon thereafter."
Given that this company apparently went bankrupt about 1900, I would assume that these desks are at least 100 years old. Wouldn't that give them some value? But how do I find what the value is and how do I market them? I have done many searches on google and not found much except ONE site with a similar desk (more ornate) for $160 (http://www.crowtrading.com/inventory/item_pages/FU1004.htm)
I just don't know how to proceed. And I have more items, many glass, to deal with as well (but that will wait for a further post).
Thanks for any help.
Comments (10)
lindac
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agosunnyca_gw
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Need help identifying antique school desk
Comments (4)By the prices seen at this site, old school desks used in country schools range from $30 to $100 per set. One set has the desk top with a seat for the next desk in front of it. The link below shows a desk with a fold-up top. These are more rare than the fixed top variety. One of the views shows a book storage bin. The book storage on fixed top desks was under the desk top. I spent my first 8 years of schooling sitting in a fixed top desk in a one room country school. Typical wood of the desk was oak. A row of desks was created by fastening the desks to two 1" thick strips of wood. A typical row contained 3 to 5 desks. These rows of desks could be moved to facilitate house keeping and rearranging. Here is a link that might be useful: Vintage Child's School Desk...See MoreMarantoni school furniture
Comments (1)Sinking....drowning....down down you go........See MoreOld school twin desk set - ideas?
Comments (2)It sounds like the finish to far gone to restore to a natural wood condition. I think I would strip, sand fill and paint. If the desks are solid wood you could strip down to bare wood and refinish the wood by staining or applying an antique finish. You might even stain the tops and paint the sides and legs with an antique paint and distressed wood finish....See MoreMarantoni school furniture
Comments (1)So Johnny can't read cause his a** hurts from sittin' on a hard chair. Now we know....See Morejemdandy
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoprairie_love
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolindac
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoberrypatch
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoirislover7b
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agopaulaellis
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolindac
14 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
lazypup