Desk in the upstairs bedroom

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
Probably my parents bought this at an auction or estate sale in the 1970s. I don't know if it's an antique, looks old, though. It was so dusty, I tried to clean it with furniture polish and it ended up looking smudged. Probably made mud with the dust. It has 4 drawers. Dimensions in photo. I sent the photos to an online appraiser, but haven't heard anything yet.

desk1.jpg

I doubt I can fit it i my new house - I already have a huge roll-top.

rolltop desk1.jpg
 

The little desk is attractive but I don’t think that it’s old or particularly valuable.

It would look nice in your new living room.

I like the roll top too. It will probably need a room if its own!

It’s time to take inventory and make some measurements so you can decide what goes and what stays.

Good luck!
 
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It's not a really good photo of the roll-top, but too many things to move off and it's too hot to bother. I had it when I lived at the first house my parents had. Then we moved here and I think I remembr that it comes apart, thankfully. But still too much for me. It has a matching chair, bookcase and wastbasket.
 

debodun said:
It's not a really good photo of the roll-top, but too many things to move off and it's too hot to bother. I had it when I lived at the first house my parents had. Then we moved here and I think I remembr that it comes apart, thankfully. But still too much for me. It has a matching chair, bookcase and wastbasket.
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I agree. Most of them do come apart.

The trick is putting them back together. 😉
Be especially careful of the roll. The canvas backing that holds the wood strips together dries out and rots.

I don’t know what they are worth today but thirty years ago they brought ridiculously high prices.
 
Deb, Linseed Oil is way better for cleaning wood furniture, keeps it clean longer, protects the wood, and you don't need to use much. Just pour about a quarter-size blob onto the surface and wipe it around until the rag starts running dry, then pour on a bit more. When the rag gets dirty as you go, fold it to a clean part, and it's a good idea to wipe the whole thing down again when you're done, to pick up more dirt.
Linseed Oil is about $10-$12 for a 32oz can through Walmart.com.
 
Murrmurr said:
Deb, Linseed Oil is way better for cleaning wood furniture, keeps it clean longer, protects the wood, and you don't need to use much. Just pour about a quarter-size blob onto the surface and wipe it around until the rag starts running dry, then pour on a bit more. When the rag gets dirty as you go, fold it to a clean part, and it's a good idea to wipe the whole thing down again when you're done, to pick up more dirt.
Linseed Oil is about $10-$12 for a 32oz can through Walmart.com.
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Linseed oil is what they used on the antique furniture when I worked for an auctioneer of European antiques.
 
debodun said:
Probably my parents bought this at an auction or estate sale in the 1970s. I don't know if it's an antique, looks old, though. It was so dusty, I tried to clean it with furniture polish and it ended up looking smudged. Probably made mud with the dust. It has 4 drawers. Dimensions in photo. I sent the photos to an online appraiser, but haven't heard anything yet.

View attachment 178200

I doubt I can fit it i my new house - I already have a huge roll-top.

View attachment 178201
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Never clean or treat anything you might think has value because you might cut the value drastically.
 
Aunt Bea said:
The little desk is attractive but I don’t think that it’s old or particularly valuable.

It would look nice in your new living room.

I like the roll top too. It will probably need a room if its own!

It’s time to take inventory and make some measurements so you can decide what goes and what stays.

Good luck!
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I'm so with you. There could be a lot of what goes. There must be some things that don't need to keep.
Don't want to make your new house into going through open paths @debodun
Quite a difference size of houses.
Decluttering might give you a good sense to become more free, and less stressed.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I don’t know what they are worth today but thirty years ago they brought ridiculously high prices.
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You are right-in the 80s EVERYONE wanted one-including me.But they were crazy expensive.When my MIL passed away in 1999,we inherited hers and used it until we were going to move two years ago and knew it wouldn`t fit. So we tried to sell it.No takers.Tried to give it to the kids.Nope.Advertised it for FREE. Not a single taker. Mr. Robinson ended up taking a sledgehammer to it.
 
debodun said:
Afer I moved a carload and came back at 9 am, I laid down and turned on the TV. Woke up at 2 PM.
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not in the least bit surprised... 🥱 you've taken on a mammoth task..a whole house which contains the contents of several houses, and hauling and moving things all by yourself.. not to mention the mental exhaustion dealing with everything else...

I wish you would just leave all the old stuff behind and get your best stuff moved into the new house.. and then take your time over what's left at the old place...
 
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One of my FB friends saw my post about moving and PMed me to ask if I needed any boxes or bins. I accepted the offer, but when she got here - they were these huge clear containers (about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide and 15 inches tall) - probably I couldn't lift them when packed or even fit in my car (Honda Civic). I tried as tactfully as I could to tell her this and she got miffed, picked them up and rammed them back in her SUV and snipped, "I was only trying to help!". I think the excessive heat and humidity played a large part in it. I am over-stressed with it, also. I work packing things in the containers I have and after about 10 minutes, I'm dripping (literally).
 
debodun said:
Afer I moved a carload and came back at 9 am, I laid down and turned on the TV. Woke up at 2 PM.
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I'm not surprised. It's hard work. Regarding those containers a friend brought you, could they have been filled and moved by the movers? Movers do steal but you would be able to identify if one of those boxes were missing vs. a bunch of cardboard boxes.

I'm convinced when I moved 2-3 boxes of mine were left in the truck probably with blankets over them. It could have been worse what they got.
 

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