antiques-trunk.com: antique trunks

RESTAURATION SERVICES
It is my pleasure to restore and refinish a wide array of the trunks from that busy time and display for others to see on the site, or should they wish, enjoy in their homes. Many of the styles and hardware designs were available only for a few years. Many of those built before or around the 1870's era were still made a great deal by individual craftsman in the small shop
environment and exist in somewhat limited numbers.
At Zagrovic antiques and trunks, trunks are completely and thoroughly restored. The inside is stripped down to the bare wood and sealed with our proven sealers so that mothball or other odors will be removed and will not return. We will reline the trunk with whatever a customer wants but most are done with wallpaper. We keep a good assortment of papers and fabrics so that you can choose what you want ahead of time. The entire trunk

is cleaned of dirt and rust before being restored. We paint the outside trim and all hardware with rust-preventive paint. The outside wood is stripped of the old finish by hand, we use no chemical strippers. The wood is then sanded and sealed and a high quality furniture finish is applied. Any embossed patterns are repainted in two colors to bring back the relief. New handles (and straps if applicable) are applied. The entire outside gets an extra coat of very hard but invisible protective coating. Trays or "inserts" are refinished, as well as any compartments and lids. The bottom and back of the trunk are treated as if they were going to be on display too and get the same treatment as the rest of the trunk. When the trunk is finished it is absolutely beautiful and will be just as original as possible.

SPECIFIC EXAMPLES BEFORE AND AFTER THE RESTAURATION

UNRESTAURED TRUNKS

RESTAURED TRUNKS

HISTORY OF TRUNKS & PRODUCERS
Antique ship suitcases and trunks originate from the period between 1750 and 1930. During this time, the design of suitcases and trunks continually changed and evolved, but so did the quality of craftsmanship as well. The charm, mystique and great variety of antique suitcases and trunks motivated me to devote myself to their protection and restoration.

In this love, I am not alone: their beauty has been fascinating people through centuries! Antique suitcases and trunks were manufactured for doctors, circus performers, travelling salesmen, musicians and for a great variety of purposes. The earliest trunks meant for travel originate from America: they were manufactured quite primitively and can be traced back to the beginnings of the 17th century. In the 18th century, trunks become more emeblished on the outside, primarily with brass and iron hardware and leather straps, while their interior is covered with different fabrics or paper, depending on the quality of the trunk. The majority of ship trunks that can be found in Croatia stem from America. Most of them are found in Croatian coastal towns and ports such as Split or Rijeka.
There they are typically called «''bauli» or «bavuli». It used to be a rule that each passanger travelling from America, together with the ticket for the trip, also gets a trunk, so that order could be kept on board. The majority of such trunks can be traced back to the middle or the end of the 19th century: this is the era when a large number of Croats emigrated overseas. The trunks used to be ranked in three classes, depending on the price of the ticket. When one speaks of aesthetics, the most beautiful antique trunks to me originate from the time of historicism and were used for storing children's toys.

Some of the trunk manufacturers were: WILLAM CROCKETT AND CO., CHARLES FCUSHING, BELBER, HARTMANN, HOMER YOUNG CO., DUGUID BROTHERS, FABER TRUNK OR. H.G FABER AND SONS, FLORIDA TRUNK MFG.CO, MARSHALL FIELD AND CO., WHEARLY TRUNKS, .LOUIS VUITTON, PANDS TRUNK CO., SEWARD TRUNK AND BAG CO., G.ROULSTONE, WENTERS SHOP LONDON, ERNST LANGE COMPANY- DRESDEN GERMANY, DONCASTER STEEL TRUNK LONDON- MOYLE GEORGIA, .J.DEMUTH- BERLIN, J.MERRIMAN AND SONS- LONDON, F.CARLTON- LONDON 23.CROUCH AND FITZGERLAND NEW YORK, KELLY AND FLANAGAN- NEW YORK, EGGEMAN DUGUID AND CO- OHIO, UNITED STATES TRUNK COMPANY- FALL RIVER, SCHMIT BROS-EAGLE TRUNK, BLOMINGTON TRUNK-COMPANY ILLINOIS, HOUSTON TRUNK FACTORY- HOUSTON TEXAS

Trunk labels
Trunk makers put labels in their trunks during the 19th century and to a lesser extent in the 18th Century. Trunk labels were not widely used however until trunks were mass-produced in factories by the end of the 19th century, at which time there were hundreds of manufacturers producing trunks around the world.