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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shangas, post: 351896, member: 360&quot;]I&#039;m amazed that this thing is two pages long, and nobody thought to call me?</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve seen a LOT of antique desk-sets like this...I would, since this is the stuff I tend to collect...anyway. My contribution will count for naught, but here it is... </p><p><br /></p><p>--- --- --- --- </p><p><br /></p><p>It&#039;s definitely Victorian. The heavy detailing and decoration lands it firmly in the late 1800s, early 1900s at the latest. Desk sets made after WWI were much less elaborate than this. </p><p><br /></p><p>It&#039;s likely gilt brass or bronze. Something this elaborate would&#039;ve been VERY expensive when it was new and would&#039;ve been made to sit on a big, power-desk. Imagine a large, double-sided partner&#039;s desk, or similar. This isn&#039;t some home-office affair - it&#039;s for a big executive type. Its sheer size tells you that - it needs a BIG desk to sit on. </p><p><br /></p><p>I can also promise you that this thing will weigh a TON. I had a four-piece brass desk-set once from the late 1800s and it was probably close to two or three kilos of brass on its own. So I don&#039;t want to imagine how heavy this thing is! It is most definitely not a reproduction. I don&#039;t know anybody who would go to the effort to fake something this elaborate. </p><p><br /></p><p>The actual inkwell-cups will be porcelain, or milk-glass. Often missing, due to being broken or separated or lost or thrown out. If you search hard enough, you CAN find replacements (try eBay), but they will be tricky. It&#039;s much easier to get clear glass replacements, but they won&#039;t be authentic - almost all antique inkwells like this had liners made of white porcelain or milk-glass. </p><p><br /></p><p>The central compartments are for stamps, nibs, paperclips, etc. The curved edges are to make removing items (most likely nibs or stamps due to their small, fiddly nature) easier on the fingers. </p><p><br /></p><p>Complete, cleaned and polished, this would be selling for a LOT of money in an antiques shop. If I owned it, I&#039;d never sell it![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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