Messages

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Advice on old toy chest

« on: January 22, 2012, 05:06:41 pm »

Thanks to everyone for the comments so far!  This was exactly the kind of input I was looking for.  I'll post some pics of it as soon as I can remove all the Christmas junk that's arrayed on top of it at the moment.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Old Postal Scale - Made In England

« on: January 20, 2012, 11:16:33 am »

Gee, I'm just a Noob here, but may be able to contribute something anyway!

I have sitting right in front of me an otherwise identical scale on a wooden base that's definitely not more than 20 years old.  Based on the appearance of the superstructure stampings (cheap, stamped -- not machined) parts swaged (not assembled with small screws and tapped holes) together with rivets, I'd say that your item and mine were made by the same manufacturing techniques (cheap) around the same time frame.  I'd also bet you a pizza that the base is one of those Indian brass castings that you find everywhere and probably not worth a heck of a lot more than its scrap value.  The weights shown in Sapphire's picture are identical to those with my scale, also cheap (likely Indian) castings.

Sorry.....

BTW, you can verify that the parts are stamped by comparing the front and back edges.  Stampings will have rounded edges on the top side, and sharp edges on the back.  If you look at something like a Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos clock, you will find good examples of machined structural parts -- the front and rear edges of the pieces are the same.  Sharp or rounded, they're the same.  And you won't find any rivets in one of those either.

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Antique Questions Forum / Advice on old toy chest

« on: January 20, 2012, 10:51:29 am »

I'm shopping for opinions at the moment, so here's a real Noob question for everyone.

I have this light knot-free pine toy chest vintage ~1952.  (Yeah, I got it when I was a little kid)  It's about 3.5' W x 18" H x 18" D with a hinged lid.  As you might expect, it's pretty beat-up (or should I say "distressed" to increase its potential value?) having served as storage chest and workbench for an active, curious, and mechanically-inclined (I had the biggest Erector Set on the planet, I think) little kid.  The top is really beat...  distressed, but the sides are not too bad and still have the original goofy flying-kitty decals on them. 

Anyway, here's my dilemma:  my wife likes the thing and wants to refinish it.   That would entail sanding the sides (kitties freed to fly wherever they like) and ....  I'm not sure about the top.  Some of the hol...  distressing is rather deep -- too deep to sand out.   Then stained and lacquered.

OTOH, I think it's fine the way it is.  Except for those stupid cats, it looks acceptable, and consistent with what it is and how it was used.

So, if this has any actual value, would refinishing it destroy it?  Or is it just another piece of postwar junk that's just as well off in a landfill, so any "improvements" wouldn't alter its value one way or the other?

All opinions welcomed and appreciated!