Posted 7 years ago
bamablonde…
(2 items)
I came across this trunk and need some info about it. Found some similar but cant seem to pinpoint this one. The only marks are a stamp on bottom that i think says 110 30. There are also some pencil marks on the inside bottom. please tell me what ive got and some advice what to do with it.
Well, the bad news is that if it doesn't have something that identifies the maker like a sticker or plate with a name on it or some kind of hardware particular to a maker there isn't really a way to tell who made it. There were a lot of companies that put out trunks and a lot of them got the same hardware from the same suppliers. The good news is you have a what looks like a nice trunk on your hands, I like the embossed design on it. You can do about whatever you want with it from keeping it as is and using it that way or you could put some elbow grease into it and make it look like new or something in between, it's entirely up to you. Here are some sites that might be helpful.
https://www.brettunsvillage.com/
http://www.hmsantiquetrunks.com/index.html
http://www.thisoldtrunk.com/
Look around and check things out, you might just find a new hobby/obsession.
Like FatBoy said, without a makers label impossible to say who made it, very common for trunks like this not to have a label. I think this trunk could be from early 1900's, the number 110 may refer to the style and 30 probably refers to the width of the trunk 30 inches, the stars and moon tin I think is a little less common than other tins, I have been buying, selling and refinishing trunks for only six years now but have not come across one yet, not saying it's rare just less common. as time went on I believe in order to cut cost, some trunk manufacturers only put fancy tin on the tops and front, leaving the sides and back usually covered with paper also this trunk has a cheaper inexpensive lock than you usually see on this type of trunk, The pencil marks inside are usually measurement marks and such. The stamped tin slat clamps were patented in 1880, hard to tell from pictures but the latches on the front were patented in the early 1880's 83 or 84, but most trunk hardware was used for decades, very common trunk for the time. greendog
P.S. not a steamer trunk, this is a travel trunk, steamer trunks were of specific shape and size, rectangular, in the 30 to 36 inch in length and not more than 14 inches in height, so that they would fit under the bunks of steamer ships as room was limited, hence the name steamer trunk. greendog