Discover which famous author's $9,000 writing desk could be yours

 

 

A desk that once belonged to best selling British author Catherine Cookson is currently up for grabs for £5,500.

Lydia's House, an interior design consultancy in Newcastle, UK, is selling the Victorian burr walnut writing bureau following extensive restoration work on the piece.

The author, who died in 1998, put it up for auction in 1991 when she moved home, reports local newspaper the Shields Gazette.

Cookson was the best selling British author of the 1990s, with 14.5m copies sold.

Memorabilia associated with great authors has a history of performing well but we think the £5,500 estimate for Cookson's desk is possibly optimistic if past sales are any indication.


Did Cookson pen her novels from this desk?

A writing desk used by Agatha Christie to pen many of her novels sold for £2,000 at auction in 2009.

The fact that there is doubt over whether Cookson wrote any of her many novels on the desk may dampen interest.

"I looked on her biography, and she was so prolific around that time, and there's no reason she couldn't have written some of her books on this," Mandi Cresswell, of Lydia's House told the newspaper.

Alisdair Wilson, the manager of South Shields Museum and Art Gallery, which houses a number of Cookson items, isn't convinced.

"I suspect she might have used it for the personal stuff we all have in our lives, but I wouldn't think it was her working desk," he told the publication.

It just goes to show, that when it comes to collectibles, provenance is everything.

We will let you know the latest news on the writing desk sale as it happens, so make sure you check back here regularly.

 

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