Storage or Shipping Chest?

[OneTreasure]

When posting in "What Is It?", please give members the information they need to help identify your find: Hear goes...

1. Post sharp closeup photos of both the front and the back. (Just as soon as I can figure out how...?)

2. State the actual size of the item. It's 23H x 21D x 39 W (It's quite a large chest - no drawers - possibly for storage?)

3. If there are any inscriptions which cannot be easily read in the photos, type them in full in your post.
Unfortunately there are absolutely no identifying marks, labels or anything on this chest, other than the decorations of the 4 handles and the brass ring finger hardware for opening the top that I stumbled upon in a prior post for OCT 'Chest'.

4. If there are maker's marks, numbers, symbols, or other marks on the back which are not easily seen in the photo, post a closeup or a drawing of them. NONE.

5. Indicate the composition of the item. For example: "thin brass, filled with lead on the back."
I cannot identify the wood. Maybe pine? It's prettly distressed, but has been "reconditioned" prior to us aquiring it.
We bought it in the early 80's at an antiques and other stuff local flea market. We have used it as a coffee table ever since.

• Do not deliberately withhold any information just to "have fun" seeing if members can guess correctly.
I have searched on and off many times for information about this chest, but have had no luck finding anything useful until I found the thread about the old Chest someone else was iquiring on, and a member - White Shaddow - posted a photo of a chest with the same exact brass finger hardware to open the top lid.

• Once your item has been identified, don't forget to mark it "Solved." I Will...

Please contact me if you have any useful information for my search.
Thank you, and good luck in your next Treasure Hunt!

• Finally, if someone identifies your item or provides other helpful information, take time to post your appreciation— and maybe send a PM to say, "Thanks!" too. I Will...

PS: I think I figured out how to add the photos...I hope they come thru...

[OneTreasure]

More Photos...

The first picture is from the inside looking at the lock on the base of the chest. The metal strip at the top is actually the upper portion of the locking hardware that has been torn free of the chest's lid. It is not removeable as the locking mechanisim appears to be broke and the face plate is obviously missing. (See 2nd last photo of chest lid where top plate belongs.)
We have not attempted to unscrew the harware from the chest to see if we can remove or seperate the two pieces.

Photo 4 (9th one in first post) show the lid hinge. I think it is unusual because it appears to be cut into the wood as well, see the 2 additional screws in the side wood?

Anyone have any ideas about the hardware on this chest?

Thanks.

[BosnMate]

It could be a tool chest, or storage, or for shipping. It's really hard to say, it's built very heavy duty, and because the antique dealer spiffed it up, sanded and etc. how do you know what has or hasn't been removed from the inside. I've seen some really heavy duty, well made tool chests that resemble yours. FYI, I have a wooden box about 2/3rd's the size of yours, perhaps a bit smaller, that was used to deliver beer, the company's name is still on it. It's a lockable box, well made, but not quite as heavy duty as yours. My folks kept it by the fireplace and kept wood in it. It's never been cleaned up, and is quite a bit worse for the wear. I can remember my mom, who would have been 100 years old this year, telling us she could remember the company, and she remembered these boxes sitting in front of bars. The beer delivery would be in the morning before the bar opened, so the bottles were set by the door, locked up in the box, much like milk was delivered every morning, except the milk wasn't locked up. So your box could have been used for something like that, but my s.w.a.g. -- guess -- would be that it's a well built, heavy duty tool chest.

[stefen]

My impression is that this is a homemade chest as opposed to being a factory-made shipping or display container.

The craftsmanship is crude reflecting the work of a person who is not an experienced woodworker. This is also reflected in the mix and use of unrelated hardware. The side handles appear the be cast and similar to hardware from the craftsman period. The finger-hole is totally out of character for a chest of this dimension.

In fact I suspect it's a marriage of what material that were available at the time.

[Breezie]

What a beautiful trunk! I'm thinking it is a handmade dowry chest probably made by some girl's father. As far as the date is concerned, the dovetail joints look hand cut, so it would have been made before the 1870s.

I'm sure it makes an outstanding coffee table. Breezie