Good morning, Scott,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

The Carnegie provenance would almost certainly add some value to this Davenport style desk but it's always difficult to qualify that as there are rarely examples of comparable works with identical histories to base a monetary comparison.
Without the Carnegie provenance, the desk would likely bring just a few hundred dollars at auction - maybe in the $200-300 or $300-500 range. Is the Carnegie provenance worth ten times that? Twenty? As time passes between us and Carnegie, his influence diminishes.

The market for antiques is quite soft and many those of us who follow antique auctions and trends are seeing prices that were being paid in the 1970s and early 1980s; I would not be surprised if you offered this at auction and it sold for much more than was paid to acquire it from a 1971 auction.

Based on the photographs and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A Regency mahogany inset-leather Davenport desk
Late 19th Century
The slanting lid inset with gilt-embossed leather centering an inset oval brass plaque inscribed AC with an anchor, over a well interior with drawers and a blue lining, raised on acanthus carved cabriole legs, the lower case fitted with a side-opening cabinet on one side and stacked drawers on the other.
32 inches high by 20 inches wide by 23 1/2 inches deep
PROVENANCE: by repute, part of the cabin suite furniture on board the Cunard Liner "Aurania" and used by Andrew Carnegie. Acquired in November 10, 1971 auction at Louis Joseph Marine Auction (Boston), lot 110
$4,000-6,000*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, and thank you for using Mearto.