The Wooten desk was designed in 1874 by William Wooten. The desk pre-dates standard paper sizes, typewriters and filing cabinets and thus this desk was the penultimate furniture piece for those who liked and needed to file and organize for their business or research pursuits. Your desk is done with quarter-sawn oak which dates it to a little later in the 19th century than 1874. The 1869 date found and noted on it is a patent date for the lock mechanism used. They were 4 levels or grades of style that could be ordered, each one more ornate and heavily decorated than the one before. Yours is the 'Ordinary Grade' which was the most affordable and least decorated. It is done in the Aesthetic Movement style from the Victorian era. The estimate is based on actual past auction sales of comparables in the 'Ordinary Grade' level.