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Attachment 48809
At the #DCPenShow I bought one of the GoPens pen trays for this cabinet. (If you have any idea what this cabinet was originally made/used for I’d love to learn.)
My goal: never need to buy another tray because my collection exceeds the space!
Oh, what a beautiful case!!!
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I wonder if it could have originally been made for use in a Post Office for stationery, letters and stamps. Those look like small racks for postcards, letters or envelopes. Does that wooden panel pull down as a roller to close at the bottom?
I’ve wondered if it was used in someway for stationary. 🤔
That top panel (one panel of wood) pulls straight out then tilts down to cover the front.
Beautiful cabinet, I would restore it carefully !
👍 I have sooo many projects I’d like to do but it’s definitely in my mind to do that one day.
OK it's not a roller panel then. It looks like it was a specially made cabinet by someone who wanted it for a specific purpose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Dillon
Chrissy after your question about the top I took a look and with the right lighting/angle and I can faintly see some letters! I’ve never seen that before!
Here’s what I have discovered by googling the letters I could guess at: it’s made for or by Dill & Collins. They were paper makers around 1900. One site refers to a similar one, with less drawers, as a desk organizer for envelopes and paper.
It’s so cool...I’m actually kind of using it for how it was intended over a century ago.
Thanks so much for asking about it as I wouldn’t have looked and maybe never discovered the lettering. (It’s really hard to see)
Love the go-pens trays. You can make virtually anything into a pen display or storage box. I use acrylic drawers from TJ Maxx.
Did Dill & Collins become Collins later on by any chance? Publisher of dictionaries and school texts?
I found this reference https://www.worldcat.org/title/dill-.../oclc/48698381
It may be a drawer for paper samples. The shop/sales person would take the drawer around and use it to sell the wares.
Here's a delightful little book showing what they did with the paper from 1918 https://archive.org/stream/someexamp...age/6/mode/2up
The book also describes the paper types, and what they were used for.
Thank you Sandy for your posts!
Those little cubbies at the top used for wrapped samples makes sense. They are basically useless for anything I’ve tried. I wish they were a bit larger to hold envelopes but someday I may discover a use.