Wilhelm Furniture Company Desk Value

Q: At an estate sale in the 1950s, I bought a cherry drop-front desk with Queen Anne legs. It’s 39 inches high by 30 inches wide. There is a mark in a drawer that says: “Wilhelm Furniture Co., Sturgis, Michigan. Manufacturers of library & sewing tables, ladies desks, bookcases.” What is the desk’s value?

A: Stebbins Furniture Co. was founded in Sturgis in 1887. It was renamed Stebbins-Wilhelm Furniture Co. in 1907 and became Wilhelm Furniture Co. sometime between 1913 and 1917. Wilhelm Co. made desks, radio cabinets, bookcases, tables and smoking stands in a variety of woods and styles. The company closed in 1939. A cherry Wilhelm Co. desk recently sold for $70.