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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Rauville on October 05, 2012, 02:41:39 PM
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Here's an old wooden spice cabinet that has been hanging around for years. It was at my parent's home for as long as I can remember. About 40+ years ago my Dad took a coat of white enamel paint off it...and it came out looking as it does now.
It measures about 10" wide x 27" long, with contrasting wood construction using small round nails throughout.
My question being: When were loose spices popular enough to spend the time making something like this? I know I should have asked my parents when I had the opportunity, but I never did.
(Excuse the photo quality...apparentl y Iphones are beyond my skill level.)
(http://www.dakotachihuahuas.com/iphone1%20026.jpg)
(http://www.dakotachihuahuas.com/iphone1%20027.jpg)
(http://www.dakotachihuahuas.com/iphone1%20029.jpg)
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This spice cabinet...is Germanic in its design....loose spices are still readily available....but they were very popular from the turn of the 19th century through to the 1940,s ..there are a few about..but not as ornate as this one...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lovely-Shabby-Chic-Painted-Wood-Spice-Cabinet-ANTIQUE-/270637827069?pt=Folk_Art&hash=item3f034583fd
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here,s another albeit a bit bigger...but i think this seller is either a comedian...or he,s put a point in the wrong place.... ;D
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-HANGING-SPICE-CABINET-REFINISHED-1880-1890-/330544740986?pt=Antiques_Furniture&hash=item4cf6007a7a
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He is kidding isn`t he ???
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He is kidding isn`t he ???
apparently not.....i sent him an email...offering him a £100.....i,ll let you know what he says...
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Thats about what its worth unless he has those drawers lined with gold !!
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Nice, I've never seen one so ornate!
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I sent the seller of the $7k cabinet an email with my offer of $160
Hi, are these drawers lined with gold...because if there not...then i think you had better get used to having this cabinet..on your wall,..either that or you are a comedian...who is trying out joke,s on us poor buyers.. ;D
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Love it, love it, love it! ;D
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That comedienne has an offer. Rauville's it much nicer! Who would spend that? ???
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Methinks he must have it stocked with some very 'special spices' ;)
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Now thats an idea !!!!
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Looks like a handcrafted sawtooth/zigzag dueling doves item to me .... reminded me (screamed at me , actually) , @ first glance , of the types of 'experimental/old-timey' styles that small &/or home shops would turn out in the later 1960's .
Seems to have some Scandihoovian/Hansdavoodcrafter influences !
Spice cabinets , napkin holders , salt&pep sets , (& all kindsa kitchen stuff for moms/girlfriends) were a very common agenda for H.S./J.H.S. 'industrial arts/woodshops' students in the 50's,60's & 70's in the U.S.A.
Tin containers (most common then too) would often rust from humidity in kitchens & destroy spices ... before the advent of cheap glass dispensing bottles , well , everybody knew that wood didn't rust .
Wooden spice cabinets had the advantage that mom would not break her nails , when opening the spice container .
It sure looks like somebody put some sweat into your very cool wall-hanger , Rauville !
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wood construction using small round nails throughout.
Rauville, if you could remove one of the nails then you could maybe better date it.
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Are these two doves inlaid..or overlaid?...this looks like marquetry....on a bigger scale
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Are these two doves inlaid..or overlaid?...this looks like marquetry....on a bigger scale
The doves are inlaid. Probably taking it off the wall would be the first thing I should do...maybe later.
It's strange...but I never remember seeing an actual wooden spice cabinet being used as such while I was growing up. It wasn't until they became an "antique" that they seemed to appear.
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Are these two doves inlaid..or overlaid?...this looks like marquetry....on a bigger scale
The doves are inlaid. Probably taking it off the wall would be the first thing I should do...maybe later.
It's strange...but I never remember seeing an actual wooden spice cabinet being used as such while I was growing up. It wasn't until they became an "antique" that they seemed to appear.
That,s probably because your mind was on other things....and anything that was old....was instantly relegated to a memory bank....and stored for future reference...
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Wooden spice cabinets were popular at least until WWII.
This one, I think, is much older. It has some heavy folk art influence as well. A price in the thousands does not surprise me, even if it IS optimistic on the seller's part.
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Wooden spice cabinets were popular at least until WWII.
This one, I think, is much older. It has some heavy folk art influence as well. A price in the thousands does not surprise me, even if it IS optimistic on the seller's part.
i,m confused again...what one does,nt surprise you?...if its the one that i,ve pointed out....well all i can say is....i,d be in shock if it was worth anything like a couple of hundred,let alone thousands..and as for the seller being optimistic....i,d say he needs his head looking into....over here i,ve seen better sell for next to no money....i suggest you take a look at some of the online auctions that take place every week here in Scotland...and after seeing what sells here...you might find yourself on a flight over here with a big empty box....
http://www.taylors-auctions.com/acatalog/Images_Furniture__Sale_Images___13th_October_2012_3.html#tabsTop
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Beautiful piece.
Could you please post a pic of the back side?
I am bewildered...on the 2nd pic...is that a metal strip with a hanging hole - right hand side bottom of piece?
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That,s for hanging it on the wall...but it will probably be out of site as its no doubt held with a single screw at the rear...and may have just slipped....Hawkeye. ... ;D
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Beautiful piece.
Could you please post a pic of the back side?
I am bewildered...on the 2nd pic...is that a metal strip with a hanging hole - right hand side bottom of piece?
Those lower metal strips appear to be part of the original design to anchor it to the wall. They are actually inlet into the body of the cabinet.
(http://www.dakotachihuahuas.com/spice%20001.jpg)
(http://www.dakotachihuahuas.com/spice%20002.jpg)
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"In medieval Europe, a pound of saffron cost the same as a horse. Spices were an economic force that carved ancient trade routes over land and 16th-century circumnavigation by sea. From the West Indies and beyond, spices came into Colonial Philadelphia for sale to the wealthy. In 17th-century England, and then in the colonies, valuable spices were often locked up in spice boxes.
18th century American spice boxes are a very big deal to collectors, i have seen them go for hundreds of thousands or more, particularly from Pennsylvania. This lil guy below went for over 100k last year
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"i,m confused again...what one does,nt surprise you?..."
Actually both, come to think of it. The price on the one you linked to doesn't surprise me, just because of some of the loons on E-Bay. I think we've got an ongoing thread about that.
And more importantly it wouldn't surprise me if the spice rack in question wasn't worth some heavy coin, and for real(s) As Sir Paul said in better days..."I've got a feeling, yeah!"
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Rauville, you might have hit the lottery, lol. I would never sell it though.
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I would!
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I would agree the OP spice box is a one of a kind folk art type deal, it's most likely 20th century so i wouldnt know about value but certainly it's in the several hundred dollar range. I would add that spice boxes are still being made today although not for holding spices like in days long ago. The southern colonies had lockable sugar chests that were in use well into the 19th century and are very popular with collectors today. It's odd to think now that spices, salt, sugar were once upon a time in America very valuable, so valuable they were kept under locks & keys but, they were.
I would add theres another possibility, a seed chest. I am guessing there are no markings to identify what was held in drawers?
Heres an example of a late 19th century (1880s) seed chest
http://www.donolsonantiques.com/prod.php?pNum=3&name=Beautiful+Diminutive+Paint+Decorated+SEED+CHEST.....SOLD
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I think you may just have hit the nail on the head with this link....although not near as ornate as Rauville,s...the design is very similar...
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Generally speaking, spice boxes have a lockable door that closes over small drawers & the drawers are sometimes lined with tin or zinc to keep the contents as fresh as possible. In looking at OP chest again, I am guessing it is most likely a seed chest. Seed chests are very collectible as well, if i was OP I'd have someone examine the construction details who knew what they were looking at, round nails were available in the late 19th century.
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Unless that piece below the drawer plinth was salvage, I would say this dates to the 19th century. The sawmarks on the backing piece make me think so, too. I agree with Jacon that this piece should be appraised.
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The two metal pieces at the bottom back were to keep it straight on the wall !! Probably had a tack or small finish type nail !! When the cabinet is longer than it is wide it will creep out of level when doors close or you get something out of the drawers,,over time it gets crooked !!
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Although your cool little item has been refinished , R , perhaps a fine-tooth-comb over all of it (i/s , o/s) search might turn up a sig from the maker ?
I still get the feeling that this was made for someone that the maker loved/knew .
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The lack of locking doors or locks was also causing me to not jump in with agreement on this one.
This was either made for seed or decorative purposes.
I recommend a hands-on appraisal. I do think it is older and nicely made!!!!!!
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After drawing from the well of knowledge here, my thanks go out to all of you for your thoughts and advice. My personal theory regarding the age of the cabinet is that it might date back to the era of “tramp art”, early 1900’s possibly?
I’ll share a secret with you: Back in the late 90’s, while experiencing a euphoric eBay high after my 15 minutes of fame, I suggested to my Mother that putting her spice cabinet on the “net” would be a good idea. At the time, I posted it on eBay with a $99 start…and it never received a bid! The failure of the cabinet to elicit any interest proved to be a rather humbling reality check that just because something appealed to me didn’t mean much.
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My personal theory regarding the age of the cabinet is that it might date back to the era of “tramp art”, early 1900’s possibly?
Exactly what i was thinking, tramp art, first quarter 20th century. Worth an examination of construction details for sure though, quality sells, tramp art or not.
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After drawing from the well of knowledge here, my thanks go out to all of you for your thoughts and advice. My personal theory regarding the age of the cabinet is that it might date back to the era of “tramp art”, early 1900’s possibly?
I’ll share a secret with you: Back in the late 90’s, while experiencing a euphoric eBay high after my 15 minutes of fame, I suggested to my Mother that putting her spice cabinet on the “net” would be a good idea. At the time, I posted it on eBay with a $99 start…and it never received a bid! The failure of the cabinet to elicit any interest proved to be a rather humbling reality check that just because something appealed to me didn’t mean much.
Methinks you had a luck escape with it not selling....or else this might have been another dang it story.. ;D