Posted 14 years ago
WebbLaura
(1 item)
My husband and I bought this Steamer Trunk at a Flea Market for 45.00 dollars. We thought it looked liked an interesting peice of history, but did not know much at all about it. After reading about other trunks on this website, we think that it is a Charles Taylor of Chicago. We discovered that the lock has the Eagle Lock Company of Terryville, Connecticutt printed on it. Can it be a Charles Taylor with an Eagle Lock ? It has four, small wheels on the bottom of it. It also has a metal covering on it with a design on it. It has five wood cross slats across the top. There is black metal covering it on the bottom and sides. The inside has a tray that lifts out. There is a picture of a little girl and a dog inside of the lid. we would love to know more about this little treasure.
You have a cross slat, embossed metal trunk. It was made in the early 1900s. Without a makers label ( or hardware particular to a make such as Martian Maier, Drucker, etc) there is NO WAY whatsoever to know who made your trunk. These were extremely common, and were made by many different makers. Many put no label on them ( or the label was a hang tag, or sticker) as these were for resale by dept stores, Sears/ Ward catalog or other stores that sold trunks. I have many ads that list "Trainloads of trunks" but most of the time they do not list who made them. Many sellers would also put their own label on them, Macys, etc.
PS. Taylor made a very recognizable trunk, and always had a label/Brass tag, and or "Taylor" hardware. Also his trunks were quite "plain", but very durable with excellent construction.
Webblaura: The 1900 Sears catalog list about 40 different trunks with drawings,descriptions and prices.The original catalog is not easy to find but several have been reproduced that are not bad.I seen a dvd of the 1900 catalog on eBay,this is a excellant reference into the early part of the century and a valuable tool if your a collector.Have fun on your quest.
Webblaura: Just got out my 1900 catalog ,the page # for trunks is 576 and 577.
Yours looks like what they called a "crystalized metal cover trunk" very interesting reading. Thanks for sharing your photos with us.Lee
This is the closest one I've seen to the one I have. Mine has the exact same Grecian pattern laid into the tin and a lithograph of a little girl wearing a sailor outfit holding a cat. Other than that they're exactly alike. Does anyone know what these are worth in this kind of condition or slightly better?
My trunk has that same picture any info on it?