Andrea Valluzzo, over at Antiques & The Arts Online, has the full story:

Holbrook, MA: It's not every day a Stickley desk like this comes along.

On a recent house call to look at some collectibles, a cannonball, a gun and similar merchandise, Kelley Auctions' appraiser Michael Lynch spotted the circa 1904 desk with original ebonized black finish and rare Grecian urn inlay and asked the owner about consigning it.

The woman, who was selling some of her recently deceased parents' items to finance some needed car repairs, suggested he buy it outright for a few hundred dollars.

Instead, the specially made Stickley desk was consigned to auction and after weeks of presale advertising and building interest, it crossed the block on September 5, attaining $214,500, including premium. The desk, now one of six known examples to exist, was unknown prior to the auction. Each desk is numbered; this one is marked #3.