vintge items on your computer desk

[freebird]

What vintage items do you have on your desk, either at work or at home.
I have a cannonball, a glass fountain pen and ink holder (holds 3 pens), an antique globe and a vintage desk lamp that I painted "hammered copper", and no that's not a drunk policeman lol. I'm in the process of re-arranging furniture, so I won't post photo's yet, but as soon as I can I will do so.

 

[DerMann]

My desk, as messy as it is, has a Waterman 52V, Parker Vacumatic, two dip pens, about 25 assorted nibs, and a pince nez.

Doubt the five bottles of ink and detachable collar count, they're all new production....

 

[DeaconKC]

Several vintage Sheaffer fountain pens in an old [?] coffee mug and on the desk next to the computer hutch, an old rotary phone, file card box and banker's lamp. Do the 1928 .45 and 12 gauge double barrel nearby count?

 

[rmrdaddy]

WWII era 8 round en bloc clip for an M1 Garand....loaded of course!

 

[ShortClara]

I have a deco 20s desk, and on it a postcard in glass from Chicago from 1913

 

[DerMann]

Oh gosh, I forgot I had my Webley and Scott Mk.VI from 1916 in what should be in my filling cabinet.

The leather ammo pouch with 11 rounds of .455 is sitting next to my phone's base and a copy of My Tank is Fight!.

 

[freebird]

I just added (I'm still cleaning house) a vintage portrait of myself at 4 years old wearing a sailors suit, and will add a 1964 G.I. Joe as soon as I can obtain a doll stand.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A Western Electric 300 telephone

Copies of the 8/31/33 issue of the New York Daily News and the 1/6/48 issue of Variety

Two 78rpm records I loaned out for use in a play and have yet to put away: Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra doing "You've Got Me This Way" on block-label Decca, and -- lord help us all -- Arthur Godfrey doing "Too Fat Polka" on red Columbia.

Reference books: My 1931 edition of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and the 1939 Variety Radio Dierctory,

A cigar box full of golden-era bottle caps.

Two damaged frames clipped from a 35mm print of "42nd Street" I ran last year.

 

[kowalskt63]

I have this nice WWII era shell on my desk. Don't know much about it, it was in my hall closet when i was a kid. My dad was in army and actually at Pearl Harbor when bombed. He died when i was only 5, so I never really got to talk to him about the war. I'd love to get to know more about this one. Any ordinance experts on board?
Here's whats stamped on bottom (As best as I can make out):
5 - 1943 A L (Anchor Symbol) LO 29 79

 

[SamMarlowPI]

stromberg-carlson phone
30s lamp
bates listfinder
detective mags
30s stapler
ww2 trench art cannon shell for a pen holder
pictures of my grandpa from ww2, grandma from 50s, dad from 60s and vietnam, grandmas autograph book from 1933, grandpas japanese bayonet from ww2, and framed pictures of myrna loy, gene tierney and lauren bacall surrounding my desk...all i can think of...just picked up a 50s stapler and a big paymaster check thing, that looks to be in too good condition to be vintage, from a yardsale...for $3 i couldn't resist...but it's heavy as a son of a gun so i'm confused...

 

[David Conwill]

I'd love to get to know more about this one. Any ordinance experts on board?
Here's whats stamped on bottom (As best as I can make out):
5 - 1943 A L (Anchor Symbol) LO 29 79

My younger brother has one of these - his is steel though, not brass. As near as I can tell, they're 40mm anti-aircraft shells as were used on Bofors AA guns on lots of U.S. Navy ships during WWII and after.

As for vintage on my desk - none at the moment. But the desk and chair are from the twenties.

-Dave

 

[Spitfire]

Looking round from left to right:

A fan (Texa design)
A altimeter from cockpit made into a alarmclock
A RAF Officers cap (Kings Crown)
A Rolodex
2 Corgi 1:72 Hawker Hurricane models
1 Corgi 1:72 Spitfire model
A Org. RAF Flying helmet Type C with gogels (Mark VIII)
placed on a plastersculpture of Dante's head.
A RAF Fighter station wall clock (1940)
A framed photo of Sq.Ld. Albert Lewis with two original medals - DFC and the 1939-1945 Star with Battle of Britain Clasp - hanging underneath the portrait.

Thats about it.

 

[kowalskt63]

My younger brother has one of these - his is steel though, not brass. As near as I can tell, they're 40mm anti-aircraft shells as were used on Bofors AA guns on lots of U.S. Navy ships during WWII and after.

As for vintage on my desk - none at the moment. But the desk and chair are from the twenties.

-Dave

Interesting tidbit as I've been told my dad was an anti aircraft gunner with the Army during the war. I'd imagine it was an artifact he just happened to bring home with him. Boy it would be interesting to find out the real history. Perhaps this one was part of a barrage that took down an enemy aircraft that infamous day? Hmmmm....

 

[JassCat1923]

desk

Y'all have such interesting stuff! On my desk is a 1924 Western Electric candlestick phone, a Jugendstil silver tray full of business cards, and photos of a couple of 1920s jazz musicians. The dek itself is a lovely Deco piece from about 1933.

 

[C.K.Farnsworth]

vintage stuff...

Well I own a lap top and use it on my lap generally. However I have a pair of unmatched antique book cases near by...one of which has a photo of my paternal grandfather (10 years old) in 1936 standing next to my great grandfather they are both wearing fedoras and Knit square-bottom ties with white long sleeved shirts, no jackets, dress trousers are flat front with no pleats. My Great grandfather was a railroad engineer for Southern Pacific R.R. and you can see his watch fob hangnig out of his watch pocket in the front of the pants near the waiste. They are leaning on a white picket fence in front of their house in Winslow Arizona. Also there is a photo of my maternal grandfather from 1941 with his band "the Hoosier Drifters" they are posed with their instruments.
I will post the photos sometime when I get around to scanning them.

 

[miss_elise]

being at work, the only vintage thing on my desk is a copy of my oma & opa's engagement photo...

 

[RudyN]

As of right now the only vintage items on my computer desk are my four fountain pens, Also there is my father's sheath knife that he carried while he was in the Navy (1927-56) and I am pretty sure it is WWII vintage or earlier. Almost forgot that in my pipe rack there is a 1930/31 Peterson System pipe and a new made pocket watch (manual wind).

 

[Paisley]

I have a card from my employer on my desk. It shows two women, c. 1955, saying, "Don't tell me they've been trying to write their own letters again." "Looks like it. Listen to this one, 'To Warm It Mane Consern...'"

 

[zaika]

i don't have a desk at home.

and nothing vintage at work. [huh]

the obsession hasn't reached that far, i suppose. lol

 

[David Conwill]

you can see his watch fob hangnig out of his watch pocket in the front of the pants near the waist ... I will post the photos sometime when I get around to scanning them.

I would love to see that photo. Personally, I always wondered how you carried a pocket watch without wearing a vest - I've got a rather nice one that I never wear for exactly that reason.

Oh, and to keep this on topic, I had a case open in Westlaw earlier from 1885 - does that count as vintage?

-Dave