Several months ago, the Wooton desk was the cover story on Collector magazine. At the time, it created a huge sensation in the industry. It’s happening all over again now that Highway 41 Antique Emporium in Morro Bay has posted photos of their Wooton standard (possibly extra grade) desk. Priced at $28,000, the desk has been restored and is in incredible condition, according to Francine Esposito, owner of Antique Emporium. It measures 70″ tall x 40″ wide x 30″ deep and was crafted in around 1874. The Wooton desk is known for its seemingly infinite nooks and crannies. Oceanside jewelry dealer T.C. Leary says she has just the thing for all of those hiding places: her parents’ World War II love letters that made it back and forth between Europe and the United States. Facebooker Jerod Mark had the fortune of seeing a similar Wooton desk in person. The Glendale resident said that there is a large estate known as “The Doctor’s House,” which has been turned into a museum, and it has a desk just like the one at Antique Emporium. There was some controversy as to the grade of the desk. There were four grades: Ordinary, Standard, Extra and Superior. The desks were expensive prestige furniture ranging in price from $100 to $750 depending on the grade. They were used by prominent figures in the White House and by titans of finance and industry like J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, Ulysses S. Grant, Spencer Baird at the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Edward Hofma, Charles Scribner, Joseph Pulitzer, and England’s Queen Victoria. Mike Aversa, a well known furniture appraiser decided that it was likely a standard grade based on the photos. “it’s not quite as fancy and ornate as some examples, but still very nice,” he said. Antique Emporium is located at 520 Atascadero Rd. in Morro Bay. Call (805) 771-8000 for more information.
