Posted 4 years ago
Trunkaddict
(2 items)
My husband who is a trunk restorer/refinisher is facing surgery next week and he really needed some incentive to get well. This trunk fell in our lap at just the right time. It will be his next project when he's able. For anyone that is familiar with Martin Maier trunks do you think this trunk came without latches originally? The lock is gone but that will have to be dealt with later. We are truly blessed to find this trunk.
Well sue, yes, the rare Martin Maier corner latches are original to the trunk, they were patented in 1879 but for some reason were not used very much, as you know I'm a collector of MM trunks this is only the fourth set I have seen and have heard of two others, nice trunk.
I have a set on one of my shiny MM that you have looked at.
The missing lock was a Corbin lock patented 1883, rear hinges patented 1879 along with front corner latches, MM hardware patented 1885 all by Martin Maier, Detroit Mich. this trunk is probably mid to late 1880's
Thanks for the info. We may need guidance along the way. We mostly do flat tops and certainly want to do this trunk justice.
you know where I'm at, anytime.
Very nice MM sue — where did you guys find this one?
Hope to hear things are going to be okay
this trunk is so beautiful even in this condition - can't wait to see it refinished. Thanks for sharing
BigD338 We found it after talking to a fellow about another trunk he had advertised for $20 dollars. I could tell he didn't know much about trunks because the lock and latches were worth more than $20 so I contacted him and said because the box itself was damaged pretty bad that he should remove the hardware and sell that for more than $20. He really appreciated the advice and then mentioned another trunk he threw on his trunk after rescuing it at a recycle facility. He sent me some pics of the Martin Maier and after picking myself off the floor, we made a deal. We ended up traveling to Levittown, Pa to get it.