Wooden Boxes my Great Uncle made

[floydianoise]

Actually I have to do some more research about whether he was my great uncle or great great uncle.  I think he was my Great Aunt's wife and she was born in 1888. . . so they're not super old, most likely.  They are cool, though.  Hand in-laid pieces of wood.  Must have taken forever.  How would one go about finding the value of something like this.  He was a regular guy and they are keepers for sure, but. . .

[floydianoise]

Box #2

[talesofthesevenseas]

I wanted to bump this one back up to the top again. I don't have an answer for you but I'm hoping someone will. Beautiful work your ancestor did!

[Sara Finn]

Nice 'folk art' boxes, floydianoise.

I'm wondering if the boxes were made from 'found' items (cigar boxes, etc.) that your relative embellished with all the nice veneers, or were they 100% hand-made?
Woods & hardware used in the boxes can affect value too.

[ironlord1963]

     Yes a wonderful box for sure.   The only input I can make is I have a friend that makes wonderful boxes, From fallen Tree to Finished boxes.   These are wonderful boxes and he gets tops $70.00 for a great one.  Sounds pretty good but his labor well exceeds this price.  So many wonderful boxes around old to new, import to Folk.  Everyone already has a few boxes, and bet most boxes we have were gifts from someone else.  In this case I would bet the value is really more into the unique properities of the item.  I am a bit curious now and will have to go look at whats happening on ebay.

[hosman321]

I'd say $50-$100 area. They are beautiful!
Links to similar but different ones. They all go for about the same price if they were made in the last 50 years or so. Older than that and they might be worth a bit more.
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-MARQUETRY-INLAID-WOOD-ITALIAN-MUSIC-BOX-large-/360291141910?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e3068916

http://cgi.ebay.com/Syrian-wood-inlaid-box-/370416539972?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563e8bd944

http://cgi.ebay.com/Inlaid-wood-and-mother-pearl-trinket-box-marquetry-/150486620943?pt=Antiques_Decorative_Arts&hash=item2309b39b0f

[tony641]

Those are very cool.  I especially like the top one.  Wish I had the skill and patients to do something like that. 

[waywardangler]

I have many boxes.  Mainly cedar souvenir type boxes, miniature cedar chest samples, art deco metal, wood tackle and tool boxes, band saw boxes made from trees with the bark still on, and what not.  Probably over 30 wood boxes.  Floydianoise's are simply beautiful.  Who wouldn't love those boxes!  If I am going to store items, I am going to store them in something nice and decorative.

[floydianoise]

Thanks everyone.  Just getting into antiques lately, although I also grew up around them.  I've mentioned before that my grandfather was a local antique dealer.  I've recently inherited some and other family members also have some.  These are way cool boxes, each approximately 12"x8"x6" or so.  I don't know much about how or what they were made from but am going to check with my Dad to see if he knows more about them.  Thanks for all of the help.  I keep asking about prices and value but its because I'm new and have no idea.  I'll be keeping all of the items.  Lots have a family history.

[KC]

floydianoise, just keep asking the questions…..the folks on here love to stretch their brain cells and help out!

I have to get the lead out and find the boxes we have inherited….they all have moving parts and hidden compartments….where did we put them??

[floydianoise]

KC. . . .good luck finding that stuff!  Somewhere I have a first edition Flash Gordon comic that I've misplaced.  How the hell did I mange that?  (Pay attention to your stuff Mr. Pink Floydianoise!)

[KC]

Just for grins....for 21 years we have heard my mother gripe/complain/blame my dad for apparently/accidently throwing away all of her child hood photos when they moved into their "new" home 21 years ago.  He has told her that he just couldn't imagine having done that and apologized profusely for it over a billion times at least.

Well....yesterday she went up in the attic for something and thought....what is in that large trunk that I always walk around....and YOU GUESSED IT...it was full of her family photos.......NOW lets see if she ever tells the story again (with the appropriate ending) and apologizes a billion times!  LOL  We are so relieved that she found them!

[hosman321]

That is so awesome KC! All of our old family photos are the most important items I have and I don't know what I'd do if they were all tossed! A lot of my family members were/are hoarders and all of my pictures are probably the last ones left. Theirs were either tossed out or destroyed. Makes us feel guilty sometimes that we have so many boxes full of them and they have none. But I'd never trust them with originals, they all just get copies. I know they're safe with me.

[floydianoise]

Make that my Great, Great, Great Uncle.  His name was Charles Mallison.  I'm not sure in what year he was born, but his wife, Bertha, was born in 1888.  I suppose that they could be from around the 1920's give or take a few years but it depends on if he made them when he was younger or older.  I have some things that were his fathers as well and he fought in the Civil War.  Dwight D. Mallison (the father), according to his obituary, was in just about every battle of the Civil War that you can think of including Gettysburg and was, apparently quite a local hero.  The Obit. lists them all.  I'm not sure how he survived so many unless he spent all of his time hiding.  Good luck?  A quality soldier?  Inaccurate military technology of the day?  Who knows, but its interesting to think about.  I have his Civil War footlocker (I think that's what it's called) in my possession.  I remember Aunt Bertha from when I was a kid, but don't really remember speaking with her.  I just remember that she was an old, white-haied woman who lived with my Grandparents at one point.  I wish I had known enough then to have asked her about Charles or Dwight. . .