After two years of thrifting, I finally figured out that those weird little drawers in vintage desks are actually for storing quill pens and ink bottles, not my loose change

I found a 1920s writing desk last Saturday at the Collin County flea market and when I asked the seller why there was a leather blotter and a tiny inkwell built into the top, I realized I had been stuffing coins into the inkwell hole for 24 months like a total goof.

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_patel5710h ago

After two years of thrifting" ha, that's rough but I've done similar stuff. I picked up an old roll top desk at an estate sale and for like a year I was prying open this little secret compartment thinking it was where the owner hid their valuables. Turns out it was just a slot for holding a quill or a dip pen, I felt like a total clown when I looked it up later. Your mileage may vary but half the fun of old furniture is figuring out what all those weird nooks and crannies were actually for. I still find random pencil stubs and old stamps in mine months later.

jordanl821h ago

Yeah that quill compartment thing got me too. I had this old writing desk from an auction and there was this thin slot in the back of the main drawer. I spent like a week trying to figure out if it was a hidden money slot or something. Turns out it was just where they kept the inkwells and pens. But what got me was I found a little wraparound groove in one of the side cubbies and it ended up being a place to hold an old ink bottle so it wouldn't tip over. These old desks were built for stuff we don't even use anymore. Every little nook had a purpose back then, it's kind of wild how everything was so specific.