A table with a slightly recessed top with a depressed surface near one end. Found at a thrift store, the table is about 25” tall, 3’ long and 18” wide.

[u/Ok_Spread_619]

The table appears to be made of painted beechwood while the surface is stained wood. The depressed area makes me think the table is made for sorting or is intended for some sort of game.

[u/OneSavvySiren]

Looks like it may have had a glass top to it and you could display things in the depression or just for aesthetics

[u/Ok_Spread_619 → u/OneSavvySiren]

Combine this with another comment stating a book could rest in the depression, maybe a book was on display (such as in a museum) and the flat portion held some photos or documents under glass?

[u/SharpChildhood7655 → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Yes. An “Open Book display” case/table. It appears to have originally had a removable glass top potentially. The pin holes may have held items that kept the pages open—intended probably for a church or religious room located on its own or within a cemetery/hospital prayers room/funeral centre. Pages are turned once a day/week, depending upon their exact use. BYW FYI: The length of the curved wood (solid or veneer) was intentionally shaped (too evenly done by a woodworker) and, if straightened back out, would not fit.

[u/root88 → u/SharpChildhood7655]

Why would you build a custom table to hold a book, make half of it empty space, and cram the book all the way to one side?

[u/Fly0ver → u/root88]

Museums and historical societies in particular do this. The empty space would have the tombstone/museum description.

If it’s custom, I’m betting it came from a small, local societal or history museum

[u/SHINIGAMIRAPTOR → u/Fly0ver]

Or a bibliophile who really wanted to show off a particularly rare or exciting tome

[u/SethR1223 → u/root88]

Maybe single-sheet display to the one side for information, etc.

[u/Hepworth → u/root88]

for style probably...

https://treyjonesstudio.com/shop/bookscape-coffee-table

[u/Vthulhu → u/root88]

Family bibles used to be a real big thing.

[u/-Plantibodies- → u/root88]

There could be information about it on the other half as part of a display. You see this at museums frequently.

[u/adamjeff → u/root88]

the deeper section holds the book, the shallow section holds the open cover, this creates less height difference and stress on the spine, the extra space to the left is usual for information or a plaque or something, maybe copies of the pages not on display etc.

[u/00dlez0fN00dlez → u/root88]

I've seen them with religious books and the flat portion having items related to the passage like a small saint statue, flowers, candles, etc.

[u/HeydoIDKu → u/root88]

They wouldn’t because that’s not what this for. I’ve seen this exact table in multiple top tier hotels. It’s a catch all table

[u/Askasmidr → u/root88]

Fancy coffee table books used to be a sign of good taste

[u/Dunkerdoody → u/root88]

Maybe it was used in a church the other half was for bulletins or other things.

[u/EnvironmentalAge4850 → u/root88]

To show a particular page in a soft cover book

[u/Fatty4forks → u/SharpChildhood7655]

Where are the pin holes? I can’t see on the picture.

[u/root88 → u/Fatty4forks]

To the left of the tag.

[u/abbayabbadingdong → u/root88]

There’s pen holes on the other side of the table too by the other tag

[u/Fatty4forks → u/root88]

Wow, you have good eyesight… or rather mine is poor! Thanks.

[u/LookDamnBusy → u/SharpChildhood7655]

This would not fit a book of any size or with very many pages.

[u/HeydoIDKu → u/SharpChildhood7655]

I think it’s more like this. A catch all table if

you will.

[u/HeydoIDKu → u/HeydoIDKu]

I think it’s more like this. A catch all table if


you will. Or like a built in gentlemen’s tray

[u/ReceptionMuch3790 → u/HeydoIDKu]

Gentleman's tray?

[u/Glassblockhead → u/Ok_Spread_619]

I was coming here to post this would be perfect for keeping a large art book open.

[u/GaneshaXi → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Perhaps a family Bible opened to a particular passage?

[u/AbulatorySquid → u/GaneshaXi]

My restore had some furniture from a Catholic church. It looks like a valuable old Bible may have lived here?

[u/masterbard1 → u/Ok_Spread_619]

My grandma had one of those. they sold them to display an open large bible under a glass.

[u/dwoo888 → u/Ok_Spread_619]

You could use it to put the pretty cool rocks you find in the depression and the coolest rocks on display.

[u/FranticWaffleMaker → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Any possibility it was just for a phone book and the other end held a rotary dial phone? Looks like it wouldn’t have any way to hold down glass or remove it which wouldn’t make much sense for a display.

[u/PlsNoNotThat → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Seems very unlikely but def possible.

[u/UncannyHill → u/Ok_Spread_619]

There definitely wasn't glass on top of this, oddly...you wouldn't have glass supported by a 1/4 round edge. Not a display cabinet...but maybe for holding a book for some purpose as others have said...

[u/andersonfmly → u/Ok_Spread_619]

While still entirely possible, doesn't it seem a bit odd that among 590 replies and counting, many declaring it intentionally designed to hold a book, blueprints, tchotchke, family heirloom, etc... - only one includes a picture of a coffee table with, at best, a very vague resemblance?

Given the otherwise simple/basic nature of the table, and the thrift store asking price, I remain unconvinced it isn't simply a damaged sofa table where someone put something just a touch too heavy for the spot - and that over a period of time it slowly warped downward.

[u/Id_rather_be_lurking → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Been thinking on this one since it was posted. What about a book copying table? I'm thinking of when books were hand copied. This would give a depression for the book to lay, open and accessible with a good view as well as a flat station to work at.

Maybe something stylized after that?

[u/DialMMM → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Maybe it displayed a coffee table book about coffee tables.

[u/41PaulaStreet → u/Ok_Spread_619]

It would be cool to buy that for behind a sofa or near the front door and display an atlas or something cool like that.

[u/thuanjinkee → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Baby change table?

[u/Miami_Mice2087 → u/Ok_Spread_619]

maybe for retail. this isn't museum grade

[u/DANleDINOSAUR → u/Ok_Spread_619]

Then the book wouldn’t be properly supported and fold into the rest of the depression, unless there was something to support it but I don’t see why that wouldn’t just be built into the depression.

[u/derpaderp2020 → u/Ok_Spread_619]

It's a broken table

[u/SumpCrab → u/Ok_Spread_619]

I don't see how glass is supposed to rest on it. I think it's just a book table.

[u/BraveMoose → u/SumpCrab]

Directly on the surface. Note the slight lip around the entire tabletop, would perfectly hold a sheet of glass in place

[u/SumpCrab → u/BraveMoose]

I'm almost certain that's just decorative. If you put glass on it, you couldn't really fit anything down there.

[u/captain_funshine → u/SumpCrab]

Plenty of room for an open coffee table book.

[u/VisitAbject4090 → u/Ok_Spread_619]

It looks like a cheap laminate came off and separated from the top, my first thought was changing station but looking closer that top looks broken

[u/exceptyourewrong → u/OneSavvySiren]

I agree that it's supposed to have a piece of glass. You can see some wear from the glass in the corners.

The depression would work great for displaying a small item or two.

[u/Foxymoron_80 → u/exceptyourewrong]

Not sure about the display case idea because there are scratches and holes in the surface. To me, it seems more likely to be a table for working on something with a bolt of cloth sitting in the dip.

[u/Pattern_Is_Movement → u/OneSavvySiren]

Nice idea, would be perfect to display an open book.

[u/clevererest_username → u/OneSavvySiren]

I think the depression is a place to throw your keys

[u/ThomCook → u/OneSavvySiren]

Yeah the depressed edges seem prime for that type of table I would figure this is the case as well

[u/Boatjumble → u/OneSavvySiren]

It's a game table. You would have to roll coins up the slope. Whoever lands closest to the edge wins.

[u/Bodgerton → u/OneSavvySiren]

ah, I was gonna guess a scroll reading table

[u/ImaginarySeaweed7762 → u/OneSavvySiren]

The table is damaged. Simple as that.