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Posted 9 years ago
jscott0363
(903 items)
The newest addition to my trunk collection. I just got this dome top canvas covered trunk. I was just amazed at the condition of this one. With the exception of the missing tray, it's 100% complete. The canvas covering is in pristine condition. The interior is still lined with the original linen fabric and in fair condition for it's age.
All I had to do for this one was to clean about 100 years worth of dirt from the exterior, replace the leather handles (cast iron end caps on the handles), replace the fabric lid stays and cleanout the interior.
This one has the original owners initials (L.C.T.) stenciled on each end. I thought the lithograph, inside the lid, was one of the best I have in my collection. This one also still has a transfer company tag tacked to the end of the lid. I thought that was pretty cool. The tag is really brittle though and I'm afraid it'll eventually just crumble away. Still trying to figure a way to preserve that old transfer tag without destroying it first.
A BIG thanks go out to our CW friend Jim Cardoza, of hmsantiquetrunks.com!! I now know that this trunk is from the late 1870's to mid 1880's. Thank you Jim for the wonderful information and history.
So, this one doesn't look too bad to be about 135 or 140 years old!!
Thanks for stopping by and having a look at my 100th CW post!!
Scott
very special and very beautiful!!! nice one!!
Sean, Thanks so much for the nice comment. Also thanks for the love and for stopping by. Much appreciated as always!
Mani, Thanks so much for the love and for stopping by. Always so very appreciated!!!
Michael, Thanks for the love and for stopping by to have a look. Always appreciated!!!
Scotty this is a beautiful trunk.
Caperkid, Thanks!! Once in great while I'll stumble across one in really nice condition like this one. But, not too often. Thanks for the love and for stopping by. Much appreciated!!!
A trick of special forces when having to use paper maps, etc., is to use (real) varnish. Almost as good as the old silk "escape maps" of WWII. The maps can be folded & refolded, over & over again. I've been given maps treated this way & can vouch for it!
BB2 Thanks for the tip!! I have a small can of varnish in my shop somewhere. I'll have to do something with the tag or it's just gonna crumble away.
If your "beatle-shell" varnish has gotten thick, try "333" to thin it.
Nice trunk Scott,
The tag appears to read- from: The Suffolk Iron works
Fine Gray Iron,Malleable Castings
Amery. st. Boston Mass.
Do you think that they made the Iron castings on the trunk? I sure do.
A neat color gray ,made with graphite
This company was incorporated in the commonwealth of Mass. March 17 1854
By John D. Richardson , Josiah Dunham Jr. and J. Avery Richards.
The company was dissolved in 1894 after 40 years.
So. I don't think the tag was put on after that date.
BB2, Thanks again friend. Much appreciated!!
Drill, Thanks so much friend!! That is really interesting. So, I'm right in saying that this one is from the 1890's then. I do believe you're absolutely correct about Suffolk Ironworks making the iron castings on this one. It all makes a lot of sense. I was so focused on the rest of the trunk that I didn't pay a lot of attention to the name of the company on the tag. The tag is so brittle.
As always Drill, thanks so much for dropping by and for your wealth of knowledge. Always very much appreciated!!!!
Thanks for the loves
KathyKay
and
fortapache
And thanks for stopping in. Always appreciated!!!!
I believe it to be from the late 1870's to mid 1880's, and here is why. Those latches were patented by CA Taylor in 1878, patent #203,860. This was a two piece part that was riveted together holding the bail and spring, and is easily identified by the three holes in front. In 1882, patent # 255,122, JH Sessions patented the latch we see most often that has the two "plus sign" cutouts in front. This was a marked improvement over the Taylor design as it was only one casting, and the bail and spring were held together simply by bending the cast-in tabs over. This latch also was much more serviceable as the spring could be easily replaced by sliding the broken one out and inserting a new one. On the Taylor latch the latch had to be broken apart (a task) to replace a spring. The latches tell us the trunk could not be before 1878. Common sense tells us that probably by the mid 1880's (at latest) these Taylor latches were completely phased out. Also when I see these latches, along with the design of the exterior and interior, it confirms my suspicions. Second, the tag. It is a baggage tag. I have removed a great many of these and I can tell you no two are alike. That is because travelers used anything they could get their hands on to use to put their name and address on. When you turn these over you often see another name or printing from a card or advertisement. The tag told the consigner, usually a railroad, who the owner was in case the baggage was unclaimed. Do you honestly believe that a trunk maker would bang four nails through their newly made trunk to attach a tacky tag advertising who supplied their castings? Would you buy a new car that had the paint job defaced so the manufacturer could tell you where he got his bumpers (China)? No. The baggage tag tells us the owner was an employee, high up muchety muck, or salesman from that company. The traveler who owned this trunk had the luxury of a pre printed company hang tag to use as his baggage tag.
The gray color you see on the castings, stampings, and the nails, is due to all of those parts being hot dipped in tin. Tinned. The fact that you can see almost all of the tinning shows how little this trunk was used. Once the tinning is worn, or scratched off, as on the clamp corners, the iron will rust.
Hope this helps,
Jim
hmsantiquetrunks.com
Jim,
You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge of trunks. Yes, it does help me out tremendously. I can now put an approximate date on this one and I've learned a lot more about this than when I first got it. I did not know about the tinning process or how it was done.
Thank you so very much for all of the wonderful information here.
Your welcome. All cast iron trunk trim came either japanned, (black) or tinned. Tinned was more expensive, so it was generally on more expensive trunks. Tinning was still relatively cheap, and looked great, however it is very soft and after a hundred plus years of use, it tends to disappear. When you find a trunk that still has tin on the nails, you usually have a very well kept trunk.
Jim
hmsantiquetrunks.com
Jim,
I did not know that about the tinning. That's very good information to know.
Thanks again so very much!!
Scott
Collectomaniac, Thanks for the love and for taking time to stop by and check out the trunk. So very much appreciated!!!
Jean, Thanks so much for the love and for stopping by. I really appreciate it very much!!!
crswerner, Thanks very much for the love click and for stopping by. Much appreciated!!
Trey, Thanks for the love. Much appreciated!!!
FatBoy, Thanks for the love and for stopping by. Very much appreciated!!!!
chrissylovescats,
Thanks for the love and for stopping by. Merry Christmas!!!
Scott
AnnaB,
Thanks for the love and for stopping by. Merry Christmas!!!
Scott
Rick,
Thanks for the love and for stopping by. Always very much appreciated!!!
Way cool, Ill have to give it to you, NICE TRUNK!
Well, thank you Dave!!!
The contrasting colours on this is beautiful. Such a joy to find one (and for me to see one) in pristine shape!
Tman,
Thank you very much for the wonderful comment! I was more than thrilled when I found this one in such amazing condition. Believe it or not, I cleaned it with Magic Erasers. They did a fantastic job!!
Sorry I missed this one while I was MIA, beautiful!!!
Pops,
Thanks so much!! I'd forgotten I had posted this one. Glad you like it. Thanks for the appreciation and for stopping by. Always greatly appreciated!!!
Jenni,
Thanks very much for the love and for stopping by!!