Posted 12 years ago
oklaholdem
(2 items)
I found this trunk this past Spring on the curb during our monthly Big Trash Day weekend. It was a rent house being cleaned out after long-time renters had moved as determined by all the curbside-trash as well as the cool items screaming to take them home. I have 2 other antique trunks and can tell this one is much older than the others. It is wrapped with a thin sheet of metal (all the dark area, which I'm assuming is tin or zinc) however, all the interior fabric is gone. It has the original tray, two of the original wood rollers on the bottom and original clasps and lock. I'm familiar with the Yale & Towne Mfg Co. and their full history but have been unsuccessful in determining the age or trunk manufacturer. The closest I can come is probably 1880-1920. If anyone has any information I would greatly appreciate it. Hooray for Big Trash Day!
nice trunk, i actually saw your name & had to check it out.
Great trunk -- great find! Standard flat top trunk for its day, probably in the late 1880's judging by the latch. If your clamps and corner pieces are cast iron and not stamped metal then for sure it is this era. There were many companies making these types of trunks and buying standard parts from suppliers from all over, which makes it hard to establish a maker without a label. As well, there are no unique aspects to this trunk that would help establish who may have made it. It would be tin covered and not zinc, as zinc has a blueish hue to it. (there is a zinc one on my site to compare) I have pulled several like yours out of the trash and love the rush!! Hooray for big item day -- and great score!
oklaholdem: Nice pickins-The 1902 and 1908 Sears catalogs have some great info-they devote several pages to trunks-nice illustrations-great descriptions-include prices.The orginal catalogs are hard to come by-many good reproductions at decent prices.Thanks for sharing the photos with us.