Wood - Vintage trunks and chests are usually made of partly or all wood. The antique wooden interior offers strength so that the vintage trunk can hold heavy woolens and household goods. The wooden parts of the antique trunk may be made of oak, pine, mahogany, ebony, or cedar. Vintage styles of cedar chests are often used as decorative furniture within the home. Because cedar repels moths, antique cedar chests are often used to hold clothes and fabrics. Metal - Brass, steel, and iron were often used to make the latches, corners, and edges of a vintage-style steamer trunk.
The metal on an antique trunk is designed to protect the trunks corners. After years of use, the antique metal may develop a characteristic patina. A metal patina is a change in color that takes place with exposure to oils from the hands and oxygen in the air. Leather - An antique trunk or vintage chest often includes handles made of leather. Leather handles are gentle on your hands for picking up and lifting the antique trunk or vintage chest. The antique leather handles become softer with use, and they offer durability and longevity.
Choose a material - Choose an antique wooden trunk made with oak, pine, or cedar. While trunks were mainly used for traveling and transporting possessions from point A to point B, chests are generally considered fixed and permanent pieces of furniture, usually used for storing things such as blankets and assorted bedding.
For this reason, chests can be more ornate, while trunks have a more practical form of decoration. Like many things in the Victoria period, trunks started out with a pretty simplistic design and grew to be much more intricately designed.
Initially composed as just a lockable, wooden box with a paper-lined interior either decorative paper or something simple like newspaper , trunks soon came to be covered in leather, paper, canvas and some form of metal hardware e. Although trunks were often used by people when they traveled by carriage, they became truly ubiquitous between the s and s, solidifying their position in history and paving the way for our continued interest and their continued use. Flat-Topped : Pretty self-explanatory, these trunks had mostly flat tops and were primarily used for travel, as they were easy to stack and store on trains, ships and carriages.
They were made out of a mix of materials: wood, leather, canvas, metal detailing, sometimes covered in waterproof fabric. Mold spores only need a surface to land on, excess moisture, air, and often warmth to thrive and cause mold growth. Mold can be toxic and hazardous to humans and pets. Clean metal antique trunks with a mixture of one part white vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle.
Gently clean paper lined trunk interiors by spraying the vinegar solution on your cleaning cloth and carefully wiping down the interior. Rinse and wring the sponge out as needed. The best way to do this is by cleaning the canvas as much as possible — usually by dry brushing it as much as possible, then by gently dabbing at it with a damp sponge.
Get as much dirt off as possible. Apply a coat of paint stripper to the outside surface of the trunk. Allow the paint stripper to sit on the trunk for approximately 10 to 20 minutes. Scrape the paint or finish from the surface with a putty knife. Lightly sand the stained wood surfaces with steel wool.
Remove all of the sanding debris and apply another coat of stain. There also seems to be some white mold on some of the drawers of the truck which would indicate it has been stored in a very wet place for several years. I fear that the mold I am seeing is not good and if you look closely at the second image on the bottom inside I can see water damage.
I would ask for more photos to verify this and get some closeup photos of the drawers to make sure they are not molded. Ask a Question Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
The photo is not of very good quality. Advertisement Check if the metal brackets have stamps. By law items such as locks, latches, etc. This will help determine the approximate year of manufacture. I don't know how high your trunk is. If your trunk is no taller than 14", then you can name it Steamer Trunk. Steamer trunk is a trunk, no more than about 14" high width and length does not matter.
This size requirement was one the steamship company's imposed. To determine the price, I need to know size and more photos, especially of the interior. I have an old antique steamer wardrobe trunk. It is canvas covered and in pretty good condition. I want to know how much I should sell it for. By Robin from Fresno, CA. I found this 'Restored' trunk! With that being said, we buy a trunk, put 20 - 30 hours of work, buy parts and materials as needed, and supplies to finish the trunk, and then sell it.
Advertisement If you are selling an antique trunk, it is like they say, 'condition is everything'. We have a Trunk Valuation page that will help give you some guidelines in trying to value your trunk.
I also recommend to look in antique stores, websites, and yes, even ebay for some price ideas, but remember to evenly compare what you have to what you are looking at. Also, remember that what they actually sell for is what you need to know, not what they are asking for it, as they can ask whatever they want, but that does not mean it is worth that much.
Most of all, be realistic. We do not do official appraisals, but we do recommend Brettuns or The Trunk Shop who will do this for a fee. Hi Robin, We've sold a few nice vintage steamer trunks,and unless you know exactly how the person buying it is going to want it refinished, the best way to sell it is pretty much "as is". If you are going to advertise it somewhere like eBay or ETSY, you'll need to consider the cost of shipping. That can be a lot more than the trunk's initial cost.
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