Lessening interest in antique furniture--Parallels to antique cars?

[John_S_in_Penna]

At a Christmas party recently I ran into an old clock dealer.

I had bought a couple of antique clocks from him

but hadn't seen him in several years.

 

He said that the bottom fell out of the antique furniture market,

including clocks.  Young couples no longer have any interest

in antiques.  The bottom fell out during the 2008 financial panic

and the market hasn't recovered.

 

He said some clocks that formerly sold for $3000 were now

selling in the hundreds.  He gave examples of 80% declines.

 

The rarer pieces and higher end of the market have held up somewhat better:

 a tall-case clock which he bought for $16,000 he later sold for $7000--

less than half of what he paid.  "Only" a 56% decline was "better"?

"Antiques were supposed to be a good investment," he

and his wife said, "But at least we got enjoyment out of them."

 

I had no idea that antiques had come down so much.

My thought immediately turned to antique cars and their future.

We see the youngest adults--most of them-- having little interest.

Cars will always be around, but will prices fall for many of them?

Have forum members witnessed declines in other types of antiques?

Edited December 6, 2016 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[poci1957]

Hi John, I think this was addressed in several other recent threads.  I had a similar conversation a few years ago with a Midwestern antique dealer who said the same regarding her specialty of jukeboxes and pinball machines.  I think it is happening although the market for both antiques and cars seems to be propped up by baby boomers selling to each other.  IMO gen X and millennials may come around on old cars but their numbers and their spending will inevitably be less than the boomers and previous generations.   

[auburnseeker]

Ebay hammered the antiques market,  because now items once thought rare were now shown as more common than thought with multiple examples available at a fingertip. The only thing really holding well and growing seems to be the advertising market.  Mainly signs.  

[poci1957]

8 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

Ebay hammered the antiques market,  because now items once thought rare were now shown as more common than thought with multiple examples available at a fingertip.

 

That is a very good point, I guess I never thought of it exactly that way.  I just chalked it up to an easier connection between buyers and items, but that is indeed the next level, Todd C

[auburnseeker]

I use to collect the early rod magazines and my wife, lunch boxes.  Both those saw similar hits to the antique market with ebay.

[60FlatTop]

Ebay and the internet are part of a communication revolution. They have been a few communication revolutions over the last couple of thousand years. Each was quite significant.

Bernie

[Guest BillP]

I have a barn full of antique furniture not only from our own collecting over the years, but also from prior generations. Mahogany tall chests, walnut desk, intricately carved tall mirrors, marble top tables, a roll top desk, We recently down-sized the stuff from the house to the barn. I talked to a several local auctioneers and consignment shops. Essentially, there is no market for this stuff. One auctioneer said that the only reason people come to his furniture auctions is for the free hot dogs. People my age have all they want and younger people have no interest. It is essentially kindling wood.

[39BuickEight]

Agreed, thanks to the internet, most things that were "rare" are no longer "rare."  Good for buyers, good and bad for sellers.

 

As a general point about furniture.  There is a rule I live by.  Never buy new furniture.  Used furniture that is of good quality (real wood, strong hardware, good materials) is cheaper, stronger, more durable, and already depreciated.

[60FlatTop]

A few months ago I gave this 1995 Cutler roll top to a friend who was the only person whom really showed an interest in owning it and using it.

I had full provenance from new on the desk.

 

A lot of old stuff is like that.

[JV Puleo]

This most certainly hasn't happened in the antique (18th century and earlier) arms & armor world. I wish it would.

Ironically, it may have a lot to do with whether the market is supported by a hard core of real enthusiasts or by a larger group of hobbyists, at least partly attracted by the so-called "investment" potential. In 18th century arms and armor, most of the new collectors are in their 30s and 40s and attracted to the period of the American Revolution and earlier. Since the numbers involved here are equivalent to the price of many cars, it belies the notion that younger collectors don't exist. They exist but aren't necessarily drawn to the same things their parents or grandparents were.

 

It also has a lot to do with what is called "antique". A Townsend-Goddard highboy is a very long way from a knock-off Arts & Crafts dresser.

Edited December 5, 2016 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

Back to the question - no, I don't see a parallel situation with this.  I'm aware of the softening in the market on many antiques, especially furniture.  There is a big difference between something you have to just look at as opposed to being able to use and enjoy, like an antique car.  Keep em rolling! 

Terry

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, poci1957 said:

Hi John, I think this was addressed in several other recent threads....  

 

We've all long heard that the next generation isn't as interested in cars;

but I had never heard of the effect to this degree.  Evidently the drop in

antiques and clocks was sudden and drastic.  50% to 80% declines!

 

Sometimes, car sellers claim their cars are "excellent investments."

Well, maybe if the dealer can double his money by selling to a foreigner.

But for most cars, evidently not so!

Edited December 5, 2016 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[46 woodie]

As you know John, antique furniture does not come cheap. It fits into the same area as antique cars. Young people today have to work two jobs to make ends meet and that doesn't leave much for extras. I will be the first to admit that I have been very lucky and thankful in my life, to have the funds to be able to restore antique cars. Yes, I also like and own, several pieces of antique furniture but now a days it's a lot easier and cheaper for most to purchase home furnishings at IKEA or Furniture Warehouse. Not too many people today have $16,000 to lay out for a clock.

[John_S_in_Penna]

I'm probably an exception.  I was taught to buy

things of good quality and keep them forever.

I appreciate antiques.

 

Most newly made furniture looks nice but is of lesser quality.

For the prices of excellent-quality new furniture--

say $2000 for a sofa or $4000 for a desk--one could

easily buy antiques that have decades or centuries 

of life left to enjoy.  And have something special while

you're enjoying them!

 

Nothing will keep me from enjoying cars or any other antique;

but I'm also conscious of value.  Why should a person buy, for

example, a $120,000 antique car when he can enjoy a nice $20,000 one?

He can invest the remaining $100,000 properly

and very possibly octuple his funds in 25 or 30 years.

THEN, having far exceeded the rate of inflation, think

what his $800,000 may buy 30 years from now!

 

Edited December 5, 2016 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

56 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Sometimes, car sellers claim their cars are "excellent investments."

 

That's code for "overpriced"...

[Steve_Mack_CT]

It seems to me their is some validity to the observation that the Gen X and Millennials might be less collector oriented in general.  I would think that would apply to all manner of things furniture, cars, and even signs/automobilia in time.  I have been looking at some non auto collectibles and have come to the conclusion that anything I buy is for enjoyment and not an investment.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Imagine that cars really ARE good investments:

You could put your retirement savings in antique cars

and buy some really special automobiles!

[Rusty_OToole]

It may be connected to the fact that younger people haven't any dough. They have already been skinned by their schools and the big banks in student loans,  credit card debt, high housing costs,  and by the lack of decent paying  jobs since the big boys sent them overseas.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

2 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

...I'm aware of the softening in the market on many antiques, especially furniture.... 

Terry

 

Terry, since you're the collector extraordinaire,

with involvement in many types of antiques,

can you give specifics?  What amount of decline?

In which portions of the antique market?

There must be some aspects that are thriving

while some others are inactive.

[Grimy]

2 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Why should a person buy, for

example, a $120,000 antique car when he can enjoy a nice $20,000 one?

He can invest the remaining $100,000 properly

and very possibly octuple his funds in 25 or 30 years.

THEN, having far exceeded the rate of inflation, think

what his $800,000 may buy 30 years from now!

I won't be alive in 25-30 years, and (sadly) have no children.  I have and work on my cars purchased in the range of <$20,000 and even <$10,000, but also cars >$100,000.  I enjoy them all.  My most expensive acquisition ever, the 1918 Pierce, purchased a year ago after 18 years of lusting after that particular car, and for which I had to sell 2-1/2 cars, gives me incredible enjoyment and I've put 1,800 miles on it since January.  God willing, I'll put a lot more miles on it.  Your particular view does not apply to me and, I suspect, to a number of others--but I respect your own decision while disputing its "universal" application.

[F&J]

19 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

the observation that the Gen X and Millennials might be less collector oriented in general.

 

19 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

 I have been looking at some non auto collectibles and have come to the conclusion that anything I buy is for enjoyment

At age 65, I could write 10,000 words on how I view why things are now so different in this new century.  It is all part of the "perfect storm", with huge transfers of wealth in 2001 after the tragedy, and the 2008 meltdown....and also a huge percentage of boomer people who suddenly realized they are now "old".

 

Ebay at it's frenzied peak 10-15 years ago, was fueled by the new concept of "winning" an item, and feeling great when telling your friends that "I just WON this..".    But the perfect storm grew with higher commodity prices like $5 Gas and Home Heating oil.  You stayed off of ebay as you got depressed that you should stop these "feel good" items.

 

Many people are not as well off as they once were.  Add to that, when you get older, you start to question if "stuff" really makes you happy in the big picture of the Autumn of your life.

 

A very "financially successful" business owner I visited 9 years ago in Central Connecticut, had 3 very good small businesses in one huge monster building.  Heating Oil, Ambulance Service, and a Excavation service....and a huge heated area for a collection of large antique trucks.  He said he just turned 69, and had just returned from doctors orders to take a vacation in Florida to help ease his massive heart issue/surgery.  He was showing us all of his 25-30 trucks, and seemed to escape his woes for a moment doing that, but then said in a depressed tone: "I made a LOT of money in my life..........and I thought I needed all this stuff".  That will never be forgotten by me.

 

He had a millionaires new diesel bus motorhome in it's own bay, but right at that doorway, blocking it in, was a tiny 10 foot aluminum rowboat that he could quickly tie to the roof of his SUV, to "go fish in a local lake".  Food for thought.

 

.

....and I just read Rusty's reply now, and his post is another huge part of the perfect storm of the 2000's

17 minutes ago, Rusty_OToole said:

It may be connected to the fact that younger people haven't any dough. They have already been skinned by the big banks in student loans,  credit card debt, high housing costs,  and by the lack of decent paying  jobs since the big boys sent them overseas.

When I was 23/and single in 1975, buying my first tiny micro starter home,..... there was no such thing as "variable rate mortgages", then followed by a string of newer gimmicks to get people buying again. Like "condos", because single family houses went too high because of variables, then came "home equity loans" to get more spending going.. and the final hint that people were SO economically drained....was the "non-income verification mortgages".  That was proof that "they" were running out of tricks to keep the people spending beyond their means.

 

.

[LINC400]

I have mentioned the comparison in other posts.

 

I have been collecting antiques since I first moved out on my own almost 28 years ago. I started buying antiques because they were way better quality and way cheaper than what I could buy new. Plus I just thought the stuff was way more interesting.

 

Ebay has had both positive and negative effects on antiques. Cheaper more common stuff was discovered to be cheap and common when on any given day you could find 20-30 of an item listed with prices from cheap to ridiculous. However, a rare item could sit in an antique mall for decades with limited exposure and no one with only a casual interest willing to pay the price. On Ebay, I have found pieces that I would have never come across going to antique malls near my house or even in other states. So if a few people have been looking for a hard to find piece, prices can skyrocket on Ebay.

 

As far as antique furniture, yes, prices have fallen for several reasons.

 

Millennials and Gen X are generally not interested. They do not want old stuff that their parents or grandparents had. Everything has to be the latest "in" thing or it is no good. They also have no clue about quality. They buy most things online and just rely on the description. if they don't like it, they just return it. You cannot return antiques. That is also a big turn off because they are usually indecisive, and have to be able to return it if their friends don't like it. None of the ones I work with are hurting for cash either. they would just rather spend it on cell phones, electronics, designer clothes, and travel.

 

People that have been collecting for years are not even buying much furniture. I can maybe find a place for a vase or cocktail shaker, but I do not have any more room in my house for another large piece of furniture, let alone another bedroom set or dining room set. A small table can be used in various places, but how many dining room sets do you need in a house?

 

You can ship a small item for not too much, but who wants to pay shipping for a large desk or bedroom set off Ebay? 

 

HGTV and other home shows featured antiques years ago, and that gave antique prices a boost. But now they are generally showing House Hunters or shows where you pick a house, gut it, and fill it with all new stuff. The interiors are almost always the same. Hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, and granite or quartz countertops, and a center island with stools. Thus eliminating the need for most kitchen and dining room tables, Hoosier cabinets, and buffets and breakfronts. The exception would be shows where they "repurpose antiques". This means you take a nice wood piece, paint it, sand some of the paint off, and then hit it with a hammer or chain giving it "patina". So no one will pay a high price for an expensive piece to do this to it. At least I hope not.

 

Edited December 5, 2016 by LINC400 (see edit history)

[Mark Huston]

As a member of the baby boomer generation I have accumulated “stuff”, however, I don’t care what my antique furniture, various collectibles, and old car are worth, today, or tomorrow.   I don’t waste my time worrying about the value any of my stuff  because I plan on having them until the day I die.  When I am gone my heirs will keep what they want and sell the rest.  At that time the market will dictate what things go for not what I had invested.   I will be long gone and beyond caring that something may have been sold at a loss.     

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I agree Mark.  I am just expanding my view on collector cars to all manner of collectibles - future value won't likely color my purchase decisions, best I can do is research and try not to pay too much for an item based on today's values.   

 

This excludes the very top tier of course, as discussed a thousand times here and likely applicable to other types of collectibles.  To one of John's earlier points, I have grown fond of what a much more knowledgeable car friend once told me - "You can have as much fun with a Model A as a Model J" (well, almost..) 

Edited December 5, 2016 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Joe in Canada]

One of the things hammering the antique market is reproductions!!!! I went to an antique auction two weeks ago and bought a coal oil lamp that was not cheap. After I got home looking at the lamp then goggling it I find it is a FAKE. That will be the last lamp I will buy. To me the same thing can happen to our car market with all the cheap Chinese knockoff parts you can buy. How can you have a rare SS Camaro when you can go a buy a new Chinese  body or the bolt on parts for the 6 Cyl. that now has a 427. Then just add that historical document with it you see for sale here in the Forum. I think that there are more brass Ts and 33-34 Fords out there now then back in the day. This is what is hurting the hobby is the after market making things not so rare. Like collector plates the market availability is only limited to the number of people that wants one. Even Carroll Shelby made reproduction's in my way of thinking. All this going on will bring down the value or scare people off from buying.  Antique dealers are on there own as there are not many clubs for them to prop the market up as the car clubs do. It is only a matter of  not too distance time.

[avgwarhawk]

5 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

At a Christmas party recently I ran into an old clock dealer.

I had bought a couple of antique clocks from him

but hadn't seen him in several years.

 

He said that the bottom fell out of the antique furniture market,

including clocks.  Young couples no longer have any interest

in antiques.  The bottom fell out during the 2008 financial panic

and the market hasn't recovered.

 

He said some clocks that formerly sold for $3000 were now

selling in the hundreds.  He gave examples of 80% declines.

 

The rarer pieces and higher end have of the market held up somewhat better:

 a tall-case clock which he bought for $16,000 he later sold for $7000--

less than half of what he paid.  "Only" a 56% decline was "better"?

"Antiques were supposed to be a good investment," he

and his wife said, "But at least we got enjoyment out of them."

 

I had no idea that antiques had come down so much.

My thought immediately turned to antique cars and their future.

We see the youngest adults--most of them-- having little interest.

Cars will always be around, but will prices fall for many of them?

Have forum members witnessed declines in other types of antiques?

 

 

I have seen a decline in antique furniture in some case.  But as strange as it sounds I sold a antique couch to a girl who was getting married.  She wanted it for her home in PA.  When I talk antique it was hand carved big cat paws and scrolling along the top exposed wood.  The couch was solid and about 100 years old.   Off she went with it.  I have a soon to be son-in-law who absolutely loves antique stores and old cars.  He has a 65 VW Ghia he is putting back together.   The interest is there but maybe not as much as it used to be.      

[avgwarhawk]

1 hour ago, Mark Huston said:

As a member of the baby boomer generation I have accumulated “stuff”, however, I don’t care what my antique furniture, various collectibles, and old car are worth, today, or tomorrow.   I don’t waste my time worrying about the value any of my stuff  because I plan on having them until the day I die.  When I am gone my heirs will keep what they want and sell the rest.  At that time the market will dictate what things go for not what I had invested.   I will be long gone and beyond caring that something may have been sold at a loss.     

 

 

This is how I regard my items.  These are things I enjoy. As long as I'm here I'm going to enjoy them.    I have no interest in what the items can sell for since I don't plan on selling any of it.  For me, this is the best way to view items in your possessions that were purchased because the item interested you. 

[avgwarhawk]

Concerning eBay,  as it appears to have ruined one market(antique furniture) it has helped with other things.  Like that part for your Hudson 6 states over that you would never had known existed if it where not for eBay.   I remember back in the 80's at the local junkyard operator getting on the phone and repeating a part that he was looking for until another yard called advising he/she had the part.          

Edited December 5, 2016 by avgwarhawk (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

10 minutes ago, avgwarhawk said:

Concerning eBay,  as it appears to have ruined one market(antique furniture) it has helped with other things.

 

How has ebay "ruined" the market?  Because it demonstrated to buyers that items being sold as rare and expensive were actually neither? 

[Xander Wildeisen]

Most people getting out of collage are up to their eye balls in loans, taxed to death and living in their parents basement. I do not think a 3,000 dollar dresser or a 12,000 dollar clock is on their list of things to buy. Turn the country around for the middle class, and people will buy your clocks.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I have mentioned in other related forums that I feel if a younger person doesn't have some personal connection in some way to a vintage item, then to him it is just a curiosity and not something that he feels compelled to own. Something I can recall my parents or grandparents having owned is thus something from my childhood and an item I identify with, often warmly. I've sighted before as my example the vintage radios and record players with which I'm familiar. With some notable exceptions, they have also plummeted in value lately. I guess that it's not too surprising that interest and, as a result, prices decline with the passage of years. I suspect that a lot of items are coming on the market these days because us baby boomers are to the point where we are selling off our "treasures" as we downsize. That increase in supply, while interest in general wanes, is sure to have a major affect in prices. I'm biased, of course, but for me the last truly interesting movement, in general, was the Art Deco period. I mention that here because as I write this I'm laughing to myself trying to imagine young folks having any interest in "Spanish Mediterranean". Maybe the real problem is that we stopped making anything of any interest at all decades ago.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

One of my rules - don't buy anything you don't really like and would not mind keeping forever.  I know there are many areas that have softened including toys.  The exceptions are items of high quality in any category.  The world of antiques has always been interesting.  Seems to me it's largely involved just moving stuff around to the right market.  I knew a dealer in North Carolina who traveled a circuit-he would by oak furniture in the mid-west and south, take it to Pennsylvania where dealers would snap it up and sell it there.  People would go to PA because they felt it was a great source of oak furniture.  The same dealer would also go to anywhere to buy claw-foot bath-tubs and then ship them to California where they were all the rage there.   What happened eventually though was the internet. It enabled folks to search and find almost anything, or to compare prices.  It's been interesting to watch high-end signs lately. The market has been concentrating among fewer players.  They little guy is squeezed out in most cases.  The high prices have fueled the fake market and ebay is cluttered with repros, aged fakes, and fantasy items.  Those just trying to decorate their garages and man-caves have resorted to buying reproductions.   I've heard rumor of a back-lash as a number of big-time auction houses have become greedy and bumped buyers premiums to absurd levels.  There must be cycle things like this pass through, but as long as there are buyers there will be sellers.  

 

If I had some spare bucks, I'd be looking at high-end early (very-early) European toys from the major producers like Carette.  Good early advertising items are also worth looking at and right now it seems Ice-cream related, and quality beer stuff is on the rise. 

 

Typewriters have had a serious "evolution" and now there is a mile of difference between common (but still interesting/unusual) items and the truly rare and valuable pieces.

 

Heck, who really knows - I once had a good friend start a collection of television rabit ears.  The reasoning is, they are obsolete, were made in amazing variety, and are virtually throw-away items today and could be bought for next to nothing.  Their day will come again and a serious collection of them in all their amazing shapes and forms would be quite impressive. Who would ever thought that vinyl record albums would have such a strong come-back!

 

I think there are folks out there who say they can predict the future.  for me, I'll keep collecting what I like.   Don't forget to being me more old spark plugs at Hershey next year.  

[TerryB]

Antique taste changes as generations age.  Furniture is subject to decorating trends seen on TV shows on HGTV that tell people how to buy and repurpose items.  In that market the goal is to buy low and modify to your decor as you want it to be.  Glassware and pottery markets have changed dramatically too and once fine and desirable items are now 50 to75 % less than they were 20 years ago.  Items from the 1950s-1970s are gaining traction as the buyers remember these items from their youth and look to hold on to them.  Think about cars from the 1960s and early 70s.  They are the stars of most TV auction shows.  When a car from the 1940s or even 1950s shows up, it's often the deal of the day. At age 64 I was the odd guy having a nice 1937 Dodge pickup, my friends all have muscle cars and sought them out.  They thought my truck would be better as a rod instead of original.  I liked the old original stuff and still can't get excited about most muscle cars.  Same goes for antiques, I like early stuff so the softer market for them is kinder to my wallet.

Terry

[60FlatTop]

A lot of people think I bought this piece of geezer bait last year just 'cause I getting old.

 

Actually, I am planning to use it to build a berm across the front yard to slow down the Millennian's heading for the curb with my stuff before my body reaches room temperature.

Bernie

[avgwarhawk]

1 hour ago, joe_padavano said:

 

How has ebay "ruined" the market?  Because it demonstrated to buyers that items being sold as rare and expensive were actually neither? 

 

   

It as ruined a market for some.  Ref the clock seller story in this thread.  Think about this...I have a widget.  I have never seen another widget like it.  It is a rare widget then. Very expensive as a result.   Then a new means of selling items appears.  Soon widget after widget appear on this new selling site.  My once rare widget I have never seen before is not so rare after all.   My once very valuable widget is not worth much and now ruined for me.   Let's take it a bit further, Ebay has opened doors to less than honest people as well.  

 

      

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

Most people getting out of collage are up to their eye balls in loans, taxed to death and living in their parents basement. I do not think a 3,000 dollar dresser or a 12,000 dollar clock is on their list of things to buy. Turn the country around for the middle class, and people will buy your clocks.

 

Very good point, Xander!

My parents said that, in buying excellent-quality things,

that you typically build up your collection of furniture, etc.

over many years.  Buy one piece at a time, and

take care of it and cherish it.  Not instant gratification,

but lifetime enjoyment.

[60FlatTop]

A father and son were standing on a hill overlooking the Rhine River. Below two coal barges were passing each other, one headed north, one headed south. The father said "Son, I would like to tell you about the value of knowledge."

 

Could have been widgets instead of coal.

[Paul Dobbin]

 

I know we all value our collections of stuff.  People always ask what it's worth, so they must think it's valuable.  Sometimes they ask what I'd take for this or that out of pure curiosity.  I just answer How much do you have?  Other times they offer to trade and I reply, sure how many bedrooms do you have? or How Many acres do you have?  Usually brings a smile.  If they persist I say "Talk to my widow at the estate sale".

The reason is, I own this stuff for my enjoyment and a guy can't drive around in a stock certificate or a CD.

Maybe if health declines or I discover I'd rather do 1000 piece picture puzzles, then there is the AACA Buy/Sell Forum and Ebay to pass the fun along to the next owner.  If I don't want it anymore, the price is less than the stuff I'm still in love with.  That's how it works!

Edited December 5, 2016 by Paul Dobbin
duplicate posting (see edit history)

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, TerryB said:

Antique taste changes as generations age.  Furniture is subject to decorating trends seen on TV shows on HGTV that tell people how to buy and repurpose items.  In that market the goal is to buy low and modify to your decor as you want it to be. 

 

Furniture is tightly coupled to taste and trends - agreed.  But from a quality/cost perspective can make a lot of economic sense.   It took 7 years but I finally found a round table that would seat 12  and fit in  my square dining room.  It came out of the Yale library and is about 120 years old.   There are modern versions that are very similar but cost twice as much.  The downside was using folding tables disguised by table cloths for many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

[auburnseeker]

I just traded in my newer desk for a 1920's? Mahogany desk.  I have had it for some time in storage and just recently got the space to put it to use.  It use to be the desk for the president I believe of the Buffalo wire wheel company and was used at his summer estate.  I didn't realize it until I was cleaning out the desk after getting it from the camp where they were throwing it away.   In the stuff was a full set of production photos of the wheels and an old embossed binder from the Buffalo wire wheel company with hand written share amounts and who owned them on lined paper in it.  I believe it was dated in the early 1930's.  It even has an old Indian Motorcycle decal stuck to the inside bottom of one of the drawers.  I just like neat old crap in general though.