Vintage American Seating Co. School Desk With Inkwell

It`s an American Seating Company of Grand Rapids Michigan USA school desk.

 Vintage. I would guess somewhere in the 50`s due to the presence of an inkwell. Maybe a little earlier, maybe a little later.

 Functionally excellent . Assembles, Breaks down and adjusts just fine.

 Has 2 logos. 1 underneath the desktop as usual and another on the back of the seat. Pictures 7 & 10.

 Cosmetically fair. The metal base is kind of rusty particularly around its feet. It could use a prep and paint job. The woodwork on the seat while strong does have some nicks along the edges , some graffiti, and some errant paint splatter. The desktop while equally solid does have some paint on it. One noticeable scary looking defect. Take a look at picture # 6. Thats on the right hand side where the split desktop hinges. A nice big chunk is missing exposing the hinge. It does not hamper it`s function is any way. It looks like it`s been that way for a long time as someone took the time to doodle in it. Too tempting and obvious not to I guess.

 Assembly & Adjustments.

 Breaks down into 3 pieces. Base , Desktop and Seat. There are 2 unions that connect the desktop and seat to the base. They are loosened and tightened with a 9/16 open end wrench. (easily by the way) ( See picture 3). This design also gives you the option to adjust the seat and desktop up or down to suit the child using it. You get about 4 inches of play with the seat and 6 inches with the desktop.

 Measurements.

 Desktop. It`s split. 24 inches long by 18 inches wide. The first 4 inches or so from the front edge are level with the ground. This is where the inkwell and 2 slots for pencils are. Right beneath the pencil slots is the split. The rest of the top is hinged and angles downwords about 2-3 inches total as runs twords the seat. There is a dog mounted to the underside of the desktop to prop up the back edge, making it level with the first part of it if so desired. (See picture # 8)  It`s overall height is adjustable from 24 to 30 inches from the floor as described above.

 Seat measures roughly 14 1/2 inches deep front front to back and is 16 inches wide. It`s height is adjustable from 12 to 16 inches from the floor as described above.

 The back of the seat is 16 inches wide and roughly 14 inches high. The lowest wooden part of the seat is swivel mounted to make it a little easier on your back. In picture # 9 you`ll notice that the seat is mounted on a circular base. This allows the chair to turn to the left or right a few inches in either direction to make getting in and out of it easier.

 The bases largest dimensions are 29 inches long by 21 inches wide.

 Weight without packaging 48 lbs.

 Shipping. The last picture in the lineup is roughly what`s going to arrive at your house. Yes there will be lots of additional packaging and cushioning in the critical areas to insure it arrives there the way it leaves here. Best insurance in the world. I`m allowing myself 12 pounds for packaging. Believe me, I`ve shipped these before , even overseas, the stuffing adds up quickly. An even 60 pounder. Eligible for USPS parcel post shipping. May ver well turn out to be the cheapest service as you view your options. You may have to wait an extra day or 3 depending on where you live in relation to me but it`s worth it. But the choice is yours. UPS and USPS Priority also offered.  No Fed-ex just yet. Their drop off point is an hour round trip from here through heavy traffic. Too much gas , too many horns and fingers for me to put up with on a regular basis. Should they open a drop off point close to here I would gladly use them.

 International shipping.

  I won`t be able to ship this internationaly in one box. It would exceed both weight and size limits of what the post office is willing to ship. I have shipped these overseas before. In 2 and sometimes 3 boxes as they break down into ship friendly sizes and weights. There is no way at this time to program the shipping calculator for 3 packages for one item shipped internationaly. Therefore I technically decline to ship this internationally but in reality I will. You`re really going to have to brace yourself for the cost though. On top of the exhorbiant charges levied by the post office I am going to have to tack on an additional 25 dollar handling charge to recover my fees from the cost being so high. The short story is. I`ll do it but it`s going to cost ya.

 It`s a nice solid desk. It does have the biggest top I`ve ever seen. The top has a rail on the bottom to prevent pencils from rolling off and a feature I mentioned earlier in the ad I`m not sure about.

 It looks like ,,,, you can stand this on an angle with the desk partially open and use it that way. But at present there`s nothing to prevent the bottom edge of the desk from sliding backwords and shutting. There is some hardware under there that doesn`t seem to have a practical purpose. It`s not broken. It looks like an intentional way to foil this function. There should be hooks on the end of the brackets or a lip or something. I studied the wear marks and the desk appears to have always been this way. Then again I could be missing something.