Honest antique condition. Solid oak; the tooled leather shows real age with darkening, craquelure, and edge losses, most visible on the lettered panel. Sold as a characterful, well-worn pair.
A pair of Arts and Crafts oak bookends faced in hand-tooled, hand-colored leather, the kind of earnest early-1900s craftwork that turned a plain block of quartersawn oak into something with a story. One panel carries a little green-jacketed gnome stepping out from between two open books; the other spells out the old motto in illuminated Gothic letters, Live not without a friend. Pyramid brass studs pin the leather at each corner.
These are weighty solid-oak blocks that actually hold a shelf of books upright, with the warm patina and folk-art charm that only turns up on a genuine period piece. Wonderful on a desk, a mantel, or bracketing a stack of your best-looking spines.
Buying vintage online takes trust. I've been at this since 2018, with nearly 500 five-star reviews on Etsy and a top-rated Poshmark closet. Everything is packed carefully by hand.
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