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Desk Accessories

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Desk Accessories For Sale
Period: Early 20th Century
Period: 1930s
Leather-covered Desk Dish with Smoking Accessories from the early 20th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
Leather-covered Desk Dish with charming Smoking Accessories from the early 20th Century. Made in Austria by J. Weidman K.K. Hoffabrikant in Wienna Wear consistent with age and use. ...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Desk Accessories

Materials

Steel

Asprey Art Deco Sterling Silver & Shagreen Magnifying Glass
Located in Bath, GB
A magnificent magnifying glass by the creme de la creme of English retailer's, Asprey of Bond Street, London. The silver is fully hallmarked for London 1928 together with the maker's mark W.M. The silver is also signed "Asprey London". Excellent antique condition with minor wear commensurate with age measuring 7 3/4" x 3 5/8" x 5/8". A slight wobble to the magnifier due to the traditional pinned construction rather than glued, mentioned purely for accuracy. The handle is made from polished Shagreen, a leather made from sharkskin or the skin of a Stingray. This type of Shagreen was first made popular by Jean-Claude Galluchat (d1774) a master leather worker in the Court of Louis XV in France. It became a fashion amongst the French aristocracy and later throughout Europe. Shagreen is derived from the French word “Chagrin”. Asprey is a British retailer of jewellery, leather, silver and other luxury goods. Founded in 1781, the House has historically been recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent luxury goods brands and has a substantial client base of members of royalty, heads of state and important actors on the world stage. For over two centuries, Asprey has been regarded as a top British luxury lifestyle brand and the Bruton Street Flagship Store is considered a must see London destination. Asprey’s broad product assortment includes jewellery, leather goods, accessories, silver, watches, clocks, first edition...
Category

1920s British Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

Italian antique marble sampler paperweight
Located in Milan, IT
Italian antique marble sampler paperweight
Category

Early 1900s Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble

Antique Tiffany Studios Zodiac 6-Piece Bronze Doré Desk Set
Located in Cincinnati, OH
This lovely 6-piece bronze doré desk set was made by Tiffany Studios of New York. The early 20th-century set has a warm golden finish with its original patina and has been made in Tiffany's popular Zodiac motif featuring stylized depictions of the 12 signs of the Zodiac set in ovoid cartouches. The Zodiac signs are set amongst intricate Celtic-style knots. The desk set is comprised of a 2-row letter rack, a pair of desk blotter ends, a pen tray, a letter opener, and a large inkwell fitted with a hinged lid. The inkwell comes complete with its original clear glass ink reservoir. This particular selection of pieces is quite practical and represents an ideal manner in which to start a collection of Tiffany Zodiac desk set...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Edgar Gilstrap Simpson ARTS & CRAFTS INKWELL, RUSKIN POTTERY LINER C.1900
Located in Stourbridge, GB
A fantastic quality beaten copper with turquoise finial arts and crafts inkwell signed by Edgar Simpson. A superb jewellery designer whose workmanship is of the very highest quality ...
Category

Early 1900s British Arts and Crafts Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Copper

Tiffany Studios New York Grapevine Bronze Blotter Corners
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous set of four Art Deco or Arts & Crafts period bronze "Grapevine" blotter corners By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Each measures: 5.75"W x 5.75"D x 0....
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Rare antique Desk model, chopping block, Bones, Silver plate and marble
Located in NEWARK, GB
A rare antique desk model or sculpture. It is designed as a chopping block, a large tree stump with an arrangement of bones on the top giving it a s...
Category

Early 20th Century British Edwardian Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Sterling Silver

Tiffany Studios New York Grapevine Bronze and Slag Glass Inkwell
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Art Nouveau period "Grapevine" inkwell By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 4.13"W x 4.13"D x 3.75"H. Very good original vintage cond...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Art Deco period Egyptian revival style enamel and silver-gilt desk set
Located in London, GB
Art Deco period Egyptian revival style enamel and silver-gilt desk set Continental, c.1920 Box: height 10.5cm, width 27cm, depth 26cm Inkwell: height 7.5cm, width 16.5cm, depth 8c...
Category

Early 20th Century European Egyptian Revival Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver, Enamel

1920s French Art Nouveau Three Bronze Hinged Apples and Pear Trinket Boxes
Located in Haarlem, NL
Antique hinged bronze patinated apples and a pear trinket boxes on a twig with leaves, to keep or collect your little trinkets in. They used to be called bed-apple or bed-pear, and they were used for putting your jewellery in on your nightstand before going to bed...
Category

1920s French Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Desk Top Letter Box / Holder
Located in Fulton, CA
English oak letter box with fitted interior and lid. Nice desk accessory or storage for special items.
Category

Early 20th Century English Jacobean Desk Accessories

Materials

Oak

Edwardian Sterling Silver Inkwell with Hinged Lid
Located in Vienna, AT
Edwardian, sterling silver and rose quartz Inkwell with hinged lid, Birmingham, England, 1912, Levi & Salamon - makers. Hinged sterling lid surrounds a beautiful amber coloured middl...
Category

Early 20th Century English Edwardian Desk Accessories

Materials

Crystal, Sterling Silver

Rare Antique Bronze Inkwell By Joseph D´Aste (1881-1945), Young Boy and Goose
Located in Greven, DE
Beautiful inkwell by the artist and sculptor Joseph D´Aste. Nicely chiseled bronze work on a red marble base. In the middle of the plinth is a boy holding gently a goose in his arms. Right and left of the boy are the two inkwells with original inlets made of porcelain. In the marble base is a space espacially for the fountain pen. The bronze is signed at the back "J. D´Aste". D´Aste was born in Naples, Italy in 1881. He moved to Paris around 1900, exhibited at the Salon from 1905. He produced numerous groups and statuettes of children, mostly depicting popular and rural scenes, as well as animal studies...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Tiffany Studios New York Grapevine Bronze and Slag Glass Pen Tray, Circa 1910
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Art Nouveau period "Grapevine" pen tray By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 9.75"W x 3"D x 0.75"H. Very good original vintage condit...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Edward VII Silver Mounted Desk Blotter
Located in Hudson, NY
Bearing the mark of "Brook & Son, Edinburgh, 1908," this Edward VII silver mounted desk blotter is a rare find. The blotter—which clearly shows sign...
Category

Early 20th Century English Edwardian Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver

AUSTRIAN COLD PAINTED BRONZED CARPET SELLER INK STAND AFTER FRANZ BERGMAn
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely made in Austria stamped Ink well depicting an Arabic carpet seller which is after and original design by Franz Bergman This is a very ...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Spelter

Art Deco Wood, Fur and Leather Desk Set, 5 Pieces by Dan Karner France
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite desk set by Dan Karner, also known as Daniel Karner, showcases the beauty of French Art Deco design. Crafted with genuine pony skin fur, rich cognac leather, intricate...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Crystal

Tiffany Studios New York Zodiac Bronze Doré Large Inkwell
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique gilt bronze large inkwell featuring Zodiac designs By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 6.75"W x 7"D x 4"H. Very good original vintag...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Tiffany Studios New York "Zodiac" Bronze Doré Rocker Blotter, Circa 1910
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Art Deco period bronze rocker ink blotter featuring Zodiac designs By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 5.63"W x 2.75"D x 2"H. Good original ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Tiffany Studios New York 'Zodiac' Bronze Doré Letter Rack
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Art Deco period gilt bronze desk letter holder rack featuring Zodiac designs By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 9.5"W x 2.5"D x 6.25"H Very...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Unusual Desk Top Antique Lantern Model Brass Curio
Located in London, GB
An unusual brass desk top, mantelpiece or shelf curio. Likely England or France, c1900s. Raised over a black marble bass, this details desk top model of a street lantern has ...
Category

Early 1900s British Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Brass

Art Deco Bulldog Still Bank, Money Bank, Gold Painted Metal
Located in Antwerp, BE
Cute Gold Painted Metal Bulldog Money Bank . This Moneybox Bulldog Dog Figurine has Big Eyes which are looking into yours, so you can't say no to him. It's a Detailed Bulldog Figuri...
Category

Early 20th Century European Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Tiffany Studios New York "Zodiac" Bronze Doré Pen Tray
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Art Deco period gilt bronze pen tray featuring Zodiac designs By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 10"W x 3.25"D x 0.5"H Good origina...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Rare Nude Art Nouveau Celluloid Straight Razor by Ern. C. Friedr
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Rare nude Art Nouveau celluloid handle Straight Razor. This is a great antique straight razor with a detailed Art Nouveau Nude standing in a gre...
Category

1910s German Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Steel

Quality antique solid silver ink well and tray by Robert Pringle
Located in Ipswich, GB
Antique Solid Silver ink well and tray, having a square glass ink well with a solid silver lid, sitting on a solid silver oval shaped tray with a moulded edge raised on reeded taperi...
Category

Early 20th Century Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver

Rare Nude Art Nouveau Ripped Celluloid Straight Razor by Ern. C. Friedr
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Rare nude Art Nouveau celluloid handle Straight Razor. This is a great antique straight razor with a detailed Art Nouveau Nude standing on the w...
Category

1910s Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Steel

Tiffany Studios New York "Zodiac" Bronze Doré Blotter Ends
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous pair of Art Deco or Arts & Crafts period bronze blotter ends featuring symbols of the Zodiac By Tiffany Studios New York, USA, Early 20th C...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Kralik Loetz Art Nouveau Iridescent Glass Inkwell
Located in Vienna, AT
Antique iridescent purple glass inkwell by Kralik in the "Pampas" decor, i.e. a Kralik decor shift on Loetz Pampas. Lobed square form with typical trailed...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Five Piece Faux Crocodile and Silver Gentleman's Set by Barrett & Thompson 1922
Located in High Wycombe, GB
A Stylish Set of 5 Items of Sterling Silver & Faux Crocodile Brown Leather Gentleman's Accessories by English Silversmiths "Barrett & Thompson" Hallmarked in London 1922 Set includes Two Flat Wallets A Pocket Photo Frame...
Category

Early 20th Century British Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

Terra Cotta Figure of a Tiger
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Dramatic pose - inscribed "Tigre Furieux Per Clem" and singed by the artist.
Category

Early 20th Century French Desk Accessories

Materials

Terracotta

Stunning antique continental porcelain inkstand
Located in Ipswich, GB
Stunning antique continental porcelain inkstand having a stunning quality continental inkstand, rococo style with figural scenes and flowers covering the inkstand with two covered re...
Category

Early 20th Century Desk Accessories

Materials

Porcelain

Ransomers Patent De La Rue 02 Antique Traveling Inkwell
Located in Vienna, AT
Beautiful antique traveling inkwell, made of wood and steel. Great condition. By De La Rue.
Category

Early 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Antique Cloisonne Inkwell
Located in Vienna, AT
This inkwell comprises a base and hinged cover. The base is elaborately decorated with red, gold, blue and white against a green background. The inside of the inkwell is colored red...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Edwardian Sterling Silver and Rose Quartz Inkwell with Hinged Lid
Located in Vienna, AT
Edwardian, sterling silver and rose quartz Inkwell with hinged lid, Birmingham, England, 1912, Levi & Salamon - makers. "Egg and Dart" border around edge of lid and on bottom rim of ...
Category

Early 20th Century English Edwardian Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

Beautiful Highly Decorative Letter Scale Antique, German, 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful highly decorative letter scale. All written in German. With porcelain Enamel Face. Nice item for your writing desk or just as a display item at your cupboard.
Category

Early 1900s German Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Asprey & Co. London Oak & Tooled Racing Green Leather Pop-Up Writing Desk 1920s
Located in High Wycombe, GB
Luxurious, Asprey & Co. London (Royal Warrant) Oak & Tooled Racing Green Leather Pop-Up Writing Table Made in England in the 1920s. Item is sold complete with a Burgundy tooled red leather desk set also from Aspreys. It's a very attractive item befit with an aluminium desk calendar, letter opener and two vertical pen rests. The rectangular and hinged two panel top encloses a green leather writing surface which reveals itself when opened from the top, item is raised on square tapering legs. Desk comes with two original large glass inkwells...
Category

1920s English Edwardian Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Mahogany, Leather, Oak

Antique bronze Inkwell tittle ALL DAVIL, signed
Located in Milano, IT
Introducing the exquisite Antique Bronze Inkwell - a mesmerizing piece that blends artistry and functionality flawlessly. Crafted with utmost precision, this inkwell showcases intricately carved devils...
Category

1920s Italian Gothic Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Art Déco English Bronze Stork Head Papper Clip/Letter Holder with Marble Plinth
Located in North Miami, FL
Art Déco english patinated bronze papper clip/letter holder depicting a stork head with marble plinth By: unknown Material: bronze, marble, copper, metal Technique: cast, patinated,...
Category

Early 20th Century English Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Copper, Metal, Bronze

Antique Art Deco Cast Bronze & Brass Collapsible Book Stand with Camels
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This very well executed cast and cold-painted bronze and brass book stand is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from Austria and dating to approximately 1920 and done in a per...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Blue and Gold Porcelain Inkwell By Crown Stafforshire
Located in Vienna, AT
A Crown Staffordshire powder blue ground gold plated chinoiserie inkwell early 1900s. Excellent quality inkwell gold gilt Chinese scenes Printed mark and of the dealer T Goode & Co. ...
Category

Early 20th Century English Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Porcelain

Rare business card tray, solid bronze around 1900, Jugendstil Art Nouveau France
Located in Wien, AT
Wonderful business card tray, made out of solid bronze, an original of the Jugendstil - Art Nouveau period, made around 1900. This nice historical object has a rectangular shape an...
Category

Early 1900s French Jugendstil Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Scottie Dog Cast Iron Paperweight
Located in San Diego, CA
A wonderful vintage Scottie dog cast iron paperweight, circa 1940s. The piece is in very good vintage condition and measures 3.75"W x 1.75"D x 3...
Category

Early 20th Century American Desk Accessories

Materials

Iron

Traveling Inkwell Milk Churn Shape
Located in Vienna, AT
This figural traveling inkwell was made during the very early 1900s. It is made to look like a milk churn. We believe it is made of nickel plated brass; some of the plating has worn ...
Category

Early 20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Giant Cut Glass Sterling Silver Inkwell
Located in Vienna, AT
A very nice example of a large glass inkwell with silver marked lid with a hallmark ingraved. To the back of the lid under the hinge are initials a...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

Signed Tiffany Studios Art Nouveau Table Lamp, Early 1900's
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This vintage early 20th Century leaded glass and bronze table lamp was made by the Tiffany Studios, New York. The handcrafted leaded shade is made u...
Category

1910s American Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

French Chess Theme of Ancient Egypt Plaster & Wood Restored, circa 1920
Located in Labrit, Landes
French chess game in the thematic of Ancient Egypt. The chess pieces are in painted and waxed plaster, the board is in wood and the is also a display shel...
Category

1920s French Egyptian Revival Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Plaster, Wood

Antique English Hallmarked Sterling Silver & Crystal Clock Inkwell, Circa 1900
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English hallmarked sterling silver & cut crystal clock inkwell, circa 1900.
Category

Early 20th Century English Desk Accessories

Materials

Crystal, Sterling Silver

Beautiful Highly Decorative Letter Scale Antique, German, 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Vintage Post Office Scale from Columbus Bilateral 1920's. Old original post letter balance scale, Antique Postal Brass Tin Bilateral Scale. Ni...
Category

1920s German Victorian Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Tiffany & Co. 1920 Art Deco 8 Days Desk Clock Sterling Silver & Enamel with Box
Located in Miami, FL
A desk clock designed by Tiffany & Co. A beautiful and elegant easel back desk clock, created in New York city by the Tiffany & Co. studios, during the art deco period back in the early 1920. This rare piece has been designed in a squared curvilinear shape and carefully crafted up in solid sterling silver .935/.999 . The watch is gilded and is fully embellished with applications of purple-violet and white enamels over a geometric guilloche patterns. It is fitted at the reverse, with an easel back retractable hinged stand. Movement: Is Swiss mechanical wingding, 8 days. The dial is creme-white with arabic golden numerals and with black hands and inscribed, Tiffany & Co. Swiss. Weight: 180.95 Grams, (1115.99 Dwt). Measurements: 80 mm by 80 mm by 16.5 mm (3.15 x 3.15 x 0.65 Inches). Clocks Hallmarks: Stamped with the maker's mark and signed, "TIFFANY & CO. 8 DAYS SWISS". Case Hallmarks: Stamped with the maker's mark monogram, the Swiss mark of the standing Bear for the silver assay, and signed, "CONCORD WATCH CO. STERLING SILVER ARGENT 0.935 CONCORD W. CO SWISS 1608". Concord Watch Co, was founded in Biel, Switzerland in 1908. From the start, the company had its sights set on the American market. Concord produced luxury watches for several jewelry companies, including Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. During peace talks in the Second World War, President Harry Truman gave Concord watches as a gifts to Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill. The North American Watch Company...
Category

1920s North American Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Antique Perpetual Calendar, French Table Calender, France, Early 20th Century
Located in Greven, DE
Beautiful antique perpetual calendar made from marble with complete and original set of plates for the dates. France, early 20th century.
Category

Early 20th Century French Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble

Art Deco Egyptian Faux Snakeskin Writing Desk Set, Ashtray & Letter Rack
Located in High Wycombe, GB
Art Deco Egyptian Faux Snakeskin Writing Desk Set, Ashtray & Letter Rack Measurements for the items combined
Category

1930s British Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Chrome

Antique English Equestrian Themed Silver Plate Inkwell.
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Antique English Equestrian Themed Silver Plate Inkwell. Horseshoe oak base and crystal inkwell with a jockey’s cap.
Category

1920s Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver Plate

Art Deco Shagreen & Silver Plated Magnifying Glass c.1930
Located in Bath, GB
A handsome and most unusual magnifying glass in a winning and highly sought-after combination of English silver plate and Shagreen. The ferrule frame and terminal are all silver pl...
Category

1930s British Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver Plate

Vintage 1920s Industrial Vulcanized Office Factory Desk Wastebasket Trash Can
Located in Hyattsville, MD
American vulcanized fiber company factory office trash can, small to medium in size. The cleanest example that we have ever found, even with paper label to the outer bottom as well. ...
Category

1920s American Industrial Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Natural Fiber

Pewter Inkstand by Nils Fougstedt for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1930
Located in Örebro, SE
Very rare and amazing pewter inkstand with glass tube by Nils Fougstedt, adorned with a flute playing, crosslegged Pan figurine -1930. Good vintage condit...
Category

1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Pewter

Art Deco Desktop Calendar & Chrome Weather Station With Barometer
Located in High Wycombe, GB
Art Deco Unigraph Desktop Weather Station. Featuring a Barometer, Thermometer & Calendar In A Chrome Frame With Black Painted Base Reg. No 843105 Art Deco 'Unigraph' desk weather station...
Category

1930s British Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Chrome

Art Deco Spelter Sculpture, Signed: Prof. R. Volpi 2359 Made in Belgium
Located in Verviers, BE
Art Deco His studio was located in Schaerbeek (Belgium), where he worked as a sculptor for a company called "Carli et Fréres". Modeled and cast as two Two Geese with a Child Beautif...
Category

1920s Belgian Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Spelter

Ronson England 1929 Art Deco Black and Creme Lacquer Rondelight Table Lighter
Located in Miami, FL
A stainless steel lighter designed by Ronson. Very beautiful desk Rondelight lighter, created in London England by The Ronson Co. during the art deco period, back in the 1929. This is a very unusual lighter designed with wonderful geometric patterns and crafted in solid steel with a main spherical body similar to a billiard ball. Embellished with black and creme lacquer creating a great contrast with the polished steel. It is extremely well made and solid construction with very nice care and attention to all details. This surely is a very decorative piece and a great conversation item in gorgeous and exceptional preserved condition. Weight: 254.6 Grams, (163.21 Dwt). Measurements: 57 mm by 57 mm by 76 mm (2.25 x 0.25 x 3.0 Inches). Marks: Stamped with the maker's mark and signed, "RONSON TRADEMARK MADE IN ENGLAND RONDELIGHT BRIT PAT. 621570 FILL HERE RONSON The Ronson lighter company started as The Art Metal Works in 1897 and was incorporated on July 20, 1898, by Max Hecht, Louis V...
Category

1920s English Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Steel, Stainless Steel

Antique, New and Vintage Desk Accessories

Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.

Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.

Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.

As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.

Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).

Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.

The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.

Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.

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