Old Trunks Worth

[Aldrik]

Brown Trunk  

I inherited my parents estate and they had both of their parents estate and their grand parents stuff in a trailer. There were several trunks from when my great grandfather came over from Holland. We will be having an estate sale soon and would like to know what to ask for them. Can you please help? I will sent photo's of all of them. How do I send more then 1 image?

Cathy ANSWER: Hi Cathy, I collect, restore, sell, and research antique trunks of all types. This flat top trunk is from about 1890 until 1910 based on the hardware patents and style. Many things affect a trunk value, as with any antique, including style, age, size, condition, completeness, location, etc.  Trunks of this type usually sell in the range of $100 to $250 if there is no serious damage on it. Having the original interior tray helps the value somewhat too. In a retail antique shop you would see prices on the higher end of this range.  But I've purchased some for half that price at flea markets, so the price range does vary by location.  Many American made trunks were sold overseas and then brought back by immigrants.  Everything about this trunk tells me it is American made.  If I see pictures of your other trunks I can let you know what I think about them.  I hope this helps.     

Marvin Miller

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------Camel Back Trunck  

Thank you so much for the quick response. I would love to send more photos. This next one is at my parents house and I do not have a photo of the inside but it also has the tray inside like the other one. ANSWER: This trunk style was patented in 1880 by Charles Taylor and was called the Cross-Slatted trunk. Some companies called them Round Top, Cross Slat, or Barrel Top.  The name camel back was not used in any old catalogs, ads, or patents that I have seen. This embossed metal covering with the acorns and leaves came out a little later, late 1880's. This type trunk was made by many companies in the U.S. from around 1888 to 1915 and is shown in several old catalogs. With the metal in good original condition with the two colors, and with the interior tray and trim this trunk is usually worth between about $200 to $400. The acorn pattern embossed metal is harder to find than many patterns, but there were a couple dozen different patterns that were made.  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------Huge Black Trunk  

This is a huge big black trunk, the whole inside is cushioned and lined with pink material with tiny flowers. This is the one my mother was thought to have come over from Holland. The only photo I have right now is one I took on my cell phone. Thank you so much again for your response, it means alot to me. I would like to send just one more photo after this one evan though I have more trunks.

Cathy

[Bemelle]

Cathy, This chest or trunk is a handmade item probably made just for shipping items over to the U.S. from Holland as you mentioned.  This is not a trunk manufactured by a trunk company.  Some people call these immigrand chests, but the value is much harder to estimate on this.  It all depends on what someone is willing to pay and what they can do with it. The really large size could make it more difficult to sell and also makes it very hard to ship due to the cost.  Selling this locally is about the only option and then you would just need to see what someone is willing to pay.  Since there is no elaborate or ornate hardware or other special features the value is probably not as high as your other antique trunks.   Good luck.