Antique writing bureau auctions: slope-front desks, searched at once

Writing bureaux, from a simple Edwardian slope-front to a fitted mahogany bureau bookcase or secretaire, are collected for period, timber, and completeness of the original fitted interior, pigeonholes and small drawers, with a working lock and key adding further value. A bureau bookcase in original condition is a substantially better find than a married or heavily restored example.

Why writing bureau lots get missed

General furniture sellers often list a bureau simply as "writing desk" without describing the fitted interior or period, so a genuinely good example with an original fitted interior can sit unrecognised inside an ordinary-looking listing.

One search across every platform

Auction Bid Assistant's free browser extension searches the-saleroom, EasyLive, Bidspotter, Invaluable, NumisBids, iCollector and LiveAuctionWorld simultaneously, alongside eBay. Search "writing bureau," "bureau bookcase," "secretaire desk," or "antique bureau" generally and results return across all of them, with images, estimates, current bids where shown, and sale countdowns, sorted by platform in tabs.

Real results for "antique writing bureau": genuine slope-front bureaux, including a mahogany and oak compact writing desk, found in one search.

It works by searching from inside your own browser, the same as opening and searching each site yourself, just done in seconds. Nothing is stored on our servers, permissions are minimal, and the extension never places a bid on your behalf.

Alerts: for the periods or styles you collect

Save a search ("bureau bookcase," a period, or "antique writing bureau" generally) and get emailed the moment a new lot matches it, across all covered platforms including eBay, rather than relying on remembering to check each one.

Want to try before installing?

The same search box works on this website with no install at all for eBay, iCollector, LiveAuctionWorld and Featured Auction catalogues, a quick way to see matching writing bureau lots before adding the rest of the platforms via the extension.

Built for how furniture buyers actually work

Save any lot with one click from search results, export your shortlist as a printable PDF or CSV before a sale, and on the day itself the optional live bridge feeds the auctioneer's asking price into the free bid calculator, so your maximum (with buyer's premium and any applicable taxes included, plus a reminder to check delivery cost for large pieces) is always in front of you.

Common questions