One of my clients (I run a very small eBay based consignment business) has an old ice box for me to sell. And while I'm normally decent at research for this sort of thing, I'm at a loss this time. Part of that being is that there is no brand or mark on it anywhere visible. I have looked underneath, behind, and inside of the box itself. I can find no indication of who manufactured it originally. It stands approximately 43 3/8" tall, 33" in length (face of it), and 18" deep. On the site visit, I forgot my magnet, so I could not confirm that the hardware was brass or plated. I would have to assume that the hardware is brass. I checked each of the screws going into the hinges and latches, and they are all identical and correct for the time period.
The rear legs have been "repaired" some time ago. Whoever did it did not even try to match the styling, wood, or even blend it into the piece itself. They essentially made it useful again if not cosmetically correct. There is some rust on the inside, and parts of the metal are bent. The upper right door has been hit hard, and has some cracks in the top corner. Something is separated or loose, but you can still see them.
And now the worst part...
The owner at one point in time attempted to refinish it. He's a nice man, and I know he meant well, but he did not understand the qualities of wood that old, and it came out rather badly as the pictures will show. It's an excellent restoration or re purposing platform, and the owner is not too concerned about how much it will sell for. Neither of us know the history on it. When I asked him, he told me "My wife bought it twenty some odd years ago from an antique shop up north".
Can anyone tell me anything about it in terms of possible manufacturer and price? Mainly price, but I want my listing to be clear and honest.
Thank you.
