The circa-1885 Wooton Patent Cabinet Office Secretary desk that the University of Colorado is auctioning off is seen at the Boulder campus' distribution center last week
March 2017 (Boulder, CO) The University of Colorado Boulder is selling an antique Wooten Secretary Desk, manufactured date circa 1875, through the online government surplus auction website GovDeals.com.
An appraisal of the desk was completed by The Antique Trader, based in Denver, CO, in October 2016. The Antique Trader appraised the value of the desk to be $7,500. A copy of the appraisal is attached to the auction page for review.
The desk was a gift to the University from Dr. F. A. “Gus” Garcia, received by Dean Graves, Director of Development in 1981. Dr. Garcia was a renowned US Navy Officer, and surgeon. He was also the winner of numerous awards for his outstanding service to the Children’s Hospital, the Colorado Medical Society, and many more, including the University of Colorado.
Dr. Garcia, a University of Colorado Boulder alumni, provided a written memo to Dean Graves acknowledging the gift of a “Teller Desk” and included a description of the desk stating its previous owner as Willard Teller, brother of United States Senator Henry M. Teller, sometime before his death in 1905.
Through investigations completed by the Norlin Library staff and relayed to Steve Marvel, University Property Services Supervisor / Internet Sales, it is believed there is a distinct possibility the desk was owned and used by Henry M. Teller in the late 1800s / early 1900s. Henry was an early Colorado attorney, railroad promoter and US senator between 1876-1882 and 1885-1909. Henry also served as the Secretary of the Interior from 1882-1885. Mr. H. Teller was an avid opponent of the Dawes Act and established the Teller Agreement, which halted the annexation of Cuba following the Spanish-American War.
The proceeds from the sale of the desk will be returned to the department from which it originated, as is policy for all the University’s sales. The University of Colorado Boulder posts items for auction as they are declared as surplus and inventory is constantly changing.
Anyone interested in bidding on the University’s items can register as bidder with GovDeals. Registration is free and can be completed at www.govdeals.com/Register
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Media Contact:
Molly Nations Steve Marvel
GovDeals University of CO, Boulder
334-312-3861 (303) 492-1120
