Interesting, indeed.

I like it. My guess is that they routed out slots to fit some electronics cords, and the larger hole in the main area is probably there to drop the power cord through. Or not. lol.

It almost looks like they combined two pieces. The top is oak and has Craftsman features. It might be around 100 years old. But the bottom doesn't look like oak. I've seen a lot of mahogany pieces with a similar design. Possibly Victorian.

Supposedly built in 1878…

It does look as though someone married two or three pieces. The deck top looks a bit unrelated to what it’s resting upon. The oak top, as Eilene pointed out, might be a third unrelated element.. And look at the brass screws holding the two lateral brackets onto the desktop. They are not hidden from view.

The glass panel may pull out from the bottom and the glass door might then move up, then slide inward on tracks, so that is is then at the roof of the very top cupboard piece, out of the way. One curious thing is that the carving on the front skirt (apron) of the tabletop appears somewhat echoed in the design of the hardware (handle?) at the top of the glass. To my eye, the lower section seems the most foreign to the ooak top and cupboard.

To me, it looks like the top is held on by screw caps on either end and would lift off for access to what is behind the glass. The openings in the glass look more like they were intended for air circulation than cords, and that top box appears to be an added insert. Why? Dunno.

If you do decide to get it, you might want to look into Odie's Oil and related products (cleaner, butter, wax). I recently used them on two antique sewing machine cabinets but started with my late mother's office desk -- not sure if it was originally intended as an extra large writing desk or a dining table with shallow drawers in the skirt, but it was scratched and very worn along the front center edge. I had gotten a couple of splinters off that edge, so I needed to do something and thought I would probably have to paint it, but I wanted to try sanding and going more gently if possible. That led me to some searching and finding the Odie's Oil. This photo shows the first coat in progress on one of the sewing machine cabinet tops. I just love the way it brings out natural beauty in the wood - color and grain you didn't know were hiding in there. There is a video on the website that shows him treating an antique table or desk -- that it the process I used on these cabinets. I didn't use the cleaner on my mother's desk, just the oil and then a layer of the butter (a mix of oil and wax) to give a little more smoothness in the worn area.

Cute! i would be very tempted to chalk paint the legs and basically everything wooden but the flat horizontal surface,

I agree with those who think the piece is a marriage of 3. Those big bolts on the top are strange.

Maybe it was fabricated so the owner could keep a snake behind the glass.

I was thinking a lizard or something -- but not something I'd make use of. Possibly very small potted plants. I can't think of any reason ink or pens, etc. would be kept separated like that. It was something for a specialized purpose created intentionally. It may be able to be separated if not glued together.

If you can fix it up and make good use of it that's a plus. It's better than having it being dumped in the landfill. And if it has a story behind it all the better.

The stories so often get lost. I have 2 pieces that were my grandmother's and they were prized possessions. Best I can tell, they have no inherent value - the value was apparently in their story and that part has been lost. So I have something I feel duty bound to protect and absolutely no need or desire to keep them. No one else wanted them. But even this cobbled table would have more interest -- or less hesitation in changing it, if you knew the story.

I also agree that it is three different pieces married together. I don't think it is a happy marriage, either.

Sorry, but i have to agree with Cyn. As a lover of antiques, I hate it when they cobble up pieces like that!

Okay, I thought it was quirky/cool but you guys have convinced me that it’s just quirky/dumb. LOL.