Date this old trunk?

[forester]

Hi. Check out this dove-tailing. The chest has a rounded top and what looks like the original corroded hardware. But haven’t been able to guesstimate it’s age despite my googling.

 

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[ARC]

WOW.
Um......... speechless.
This is the type of thing that floats my boat.
You have one of 2 things... and ONLY one of two things.

1. you have a chest that was a repurposed chest made / from India.
Which is still old and made with old repurposed hardware's and woods made to "play the part".
(still worth a bunch of money)
2. You have a superior antique chest from a VERY early period of time and worth a crap pot of money.

Either way it should be salvaged from its nest and air compressed off and out.
I would love to see the interior... please post pictures and i will follow this thread and comment with opinions as we go.

Bottom pictures with details would also help / be nice.
GREAT piece.

 

[forester]

Hi. Check out this dove-tailing. The chest has a rounded top and what looks like the original corroded hardware. But haven’t been able to guesstimate it’s age despite my googling.

WOW.
Um......... speechless.
This is the type of thing that floats my boat.
You have one of 2 things... and ONLY one of two things.

1. you have a chest that was a repurposed chest made / from India.
Which is still old and made with old repurposed hardware's and woods made to "play the part".
(still worth a bunch of money)
2. You have a superior antique chest from a VERY early period of time and worth a crap pot of money.

Either way it should be salvaged from its nest and air compressed off and out.
I would love to see the interior... please post pictures and i will follow this thread and comment with opinions as we go.

Bottom pictures with details would also help / be nice.
GREAT piece.

 

[forester]

WOW.
Um......... speechless.
This is the type of thing that floats my boat.
You have one of 2 things... and ONLY one of two things.

1. you have a chest that was a repurposed chest made / from India.
Which is still old and made with old repurposed hardware's and woods made to "play the part".
(still worth a bunch of money)
2. You have a superior antique chest from a VERY early period of time and worth a crap pot of money.

Either way it should be salvaged from its nest and air compressed off and out.
I would love to see the interior... please post pictures and i will follow this thread and comment with opinions as we go.

Bottom pictures with details would also help / be nice.
GREAT piece.

Thanks for replying. I will move it from the back porch into the house. I had no idea that it might be particularly old or of much value. Do you wonder what stories it could tell! Thanks again.

 

[ARC]

Sorry about my response time... great new pictures... can you see if those are screws that have been added in bottom ... and what type if they are.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I agree with:
1. you have a chest that was a repurposed chest made / from India.
Which is still old and made with old repurposed hardware's and woods made to "play the part".

1. Parts of the bottom supports are badly wormholed but adjacent wood is untouched.
2. The hardware is a mishmash of period styles and doesn't fit. The "lock" serves no useful function.
3. The top does not match the bottom in construction style or wood types.
4. The wood on the main body of the chest appears to be relatively new except for some staining.
5. The staining on the chest appears to have been done in two stages after it was assembled. Something like "Two weeks on this end in the midden then turn it over and another two weeks soaking the other end." You can see this on the back where the stain marks cross over onto the top in a perfect line.
6. The distressing on the front of the chest is unnatural.
7. The baseboard moulding around the bottom is recent period milled wood joined in a way that wasn't going to ever happen in a quality shop before 1920.
8. Despite the "old" appearance of the chest there are no human wear marks, not on the metal or the wood. No greasy wood or smoother edges where a hand would touch a lock part. It doesn't look lived in but it does look beat up.

Still it's a nice chest and an interesting conversation piece.

 

[GlowingArtist]

I think the hardware is from the 1930's about. Chests almost never last multiple hundreds of years unless they are carefully kept in a moisture controlled environment I bet like a museum.

 

[forester]

Sorry about my response time... great new pictures... can you see if those are screws that have been added in bottom ... and what type if they are.

Hello again. Yes, those ARE single slotted screws. Other places on the bottom look like they used dowels, but I haven’t dug down to see if there are screws beneath the surface. Seems like an awful lot of work to assemble a phony “old” trunk. They might have put their carpentry skills to better use making a brand new one!

 

[ARC]

Hello again. Yes, those ARE single slotted screws. Other places on the bottom look like they used dowels, but I haven’t dug down to see if there are screws beneath the surface. Seems like an awful lot of work to assemble a phony “old” trunk. They might have put their carpentry skills to better use making a brand new one!

Well... here is the dealio... remember when i mentioned India ?

There was.... and probably still is... a very skilled and detailed area of wood artworks created in the forms and styles of serious antiquities such as items like your chest.
Doors were / are another item produced which were in demand.
Great detail is taken to achieve this "look" and "feel" of old world.

NOW...... do not confuse the thought of your item possibly being from India origin as being "cheap" or crappily made... which they are not.
These items in fact are many times VERY expensive depending on the varying degrees of attributes and craftsmanship.
They are made to look like an ancient item... this requires talent and an art form in itself and repurposed parts from actual old stuff to complete.
Which is why they can cost $$$.... even though they are made in a region where productions are cheap.
These however actually require not only a skill but handmade hardware's and fasteners and time to complete to achieve a believability and look.
And many times the chests and such ARE REAL antiquity derived / reborn with repairs and added elements at times.
Many old doors and chests are in fact made using the OLD woods OF the periods or close.

I am not saying that this is what you indeed have... it may be an actual antique complete as is chest from... sheeeeeshhh anywhere for that matter.

I suggest you do a quick search for "antique India chest" in google to kinda see what i am talking about.

 

[forester]

Well... here is the dealio... remember when i mentioned India ?

There was.... and probably still is... a very skilled and detailed area of wood artworks created in the forms and styles of serious antiquities such as items like your chest.
Doors were / are another item produced which were in demand.
Great detail is taken to achieve this "look" and "feel" of old world.

NOW...... do not confuse the thought of your item possibly being from India origin as being "cheap" if it is... or crappily made... which they are not.
These items in fact are many times VERY expensive depending on the varying degrees of attributes and craftsmanship.
They are made to look like an ancient item... this requires talent and an art form in itself and repurposed parts from actual old stuff to complete.
Which is why they can cost $$$.... even though they are made in a region where productions are cheap.
These however actually require not only a skill but handmade hardware's and fasteners and time to complete to achieve a believability and look.
And many times the chests and such ARE REAL antiquity derived / reborn with repairs and added elements at times.
Many old doors and chests are in fact made using the OLD woods OF the periods or close.

I am not saying that this is what you indeed have... it may be an actual antique complete as is chest from... sheeeeeshhh anywhere for that matter.

I suggest you do a quick search for "antique India chest" in google to kinda see what i am talking about.

Hi. Thanks for your latest post & the great info. A friend is moving and told me I can have it. I will definitely not let it get thrown on the scrap heap, and I’ll Google research it as you suggest. Thanks!

 

[forester]

Hi. Thanks for your latest post & the great info. A friend is moving and told me I can have it. I will definitely not let it get thrown on the scrap heap, and I’ll Google research it as you suggest. Thanks!

Been thinking about that chest. I think that the molding, base and round feet were added later. The 2 struts with the feet were just screwed in to the original bottom. If removed it would look more like a typical trunk style from olden days.