Identity and value of a desk and chair marked "david"

My wife's father bought this desk and chair set approximately 20 to 30 years ago. The only marking is the word "david" on the underside of the desk.

We need to sell it in our downsizing process. Any idea who made it, and the current value? What is the best way to sell it?

 

Better to see it with full image. Welcome. Furniture people would like to know where you are from and can you take a picture of the mark.

 

Welcome, deanbrew! Fascinating design and construction! Looks like the wood might have been repurposed from some earlier use? Do you know approximately where your father-in-law bought these? Craftsman-made items usually sell close to where they were made and that could provide some useful search terms.

 

Thank you for the tip. I didn't know how to embed the photo in the text. Here is a picture of the ID mark. It looks to me like the name "david" and the date "4/83". My FIL lived in Pennsylvania, and the desk is still in PA. Hope this helps.

 

Those are fantastic ! An artist in California made furniture out of driftwood , but the name escapes me . Where are you located ?

 

See the post above yours, Johnny. Pennsylvania.

 

A search for 'burled wood furniture maker david' did not find anyone I thought would be your David, but does find examples of the genre you might use to get an idea of value. If David was selling in 1983, the heyday of crafts shows, he may no longer be making furniture.

 

Using 'spalted' instead of 'burled' in a search produced a few additional candidates.

 

Thank you for the help. I was kind of at a loss how to even look anything up. Any additional help is greatly appreciated.

 

Yep, agrees, looks like "spalted" maple.

"Much like Ambrosia Maple and other forms of figured maple, Spalted Maple is technically not a specific species of Maple, but rather a general description of any type of Maple that has been allowed to begin initial stages of decay, and then subsequently dried (preventing further decay).
The partial decay, called spalting, gives the wood dark contrasting lines and streaks where fungus has begun to attack the wood. If the wood has been rescued from the spalting at the right time, the lumber should still be sound and usable, with little to no soft spots or rotten wood."

 

Thank you for this explanation.

 

Is there a term or phrase for the overall style of the desk and chair? Organic or flowing come to mind, but perhaps there is a known furniture term I don't know about. I searched for spalted desk, but didn't come across anything similar.

 

Maybe try bio morphic ?

 

Would call this naturalized craft or art furniture. The term live edge will bring up somewhat similar furniture, though this piece really doesn't exhibit much live edge characteristics.

 

Yes, Bio-morphic is a good word to describe the form. Interesting pieces.