Now I must confess, since I began decorating my art studio with antiques, I have been pining for a wooden vintage card catalog cabinet, but the large ones far exceed my budget. They are crazy hard to find, and when I do, the price (and shipping!) is exorbitant. This one was the perfect size for my desktop; at 24" wide, would fit beside the antique watchmaker's cabinet I found awhile back. From the images in the auction, I could tell it would require some badly-needed TLC - something I was more than willing to provide.
After nervously watching the auction for a week, I was convinced I would be outbid by a sniper at the last second. To my joy, I ended up being the ONLY bidder and got it for a third of what I was willing to spend! Yahoo!
Not only was it packed perfectly, it arrived in only a week from Wisconsin. Believe me; we Canadians can wait a month or more for a box from the US - Customs can hold up shipments forever, but since I got this so cheap, there was also NO duty or fees (which probably explains the fast service)!
It was in good shape overall, so I decided that I would not give this a full restoration... I only wanted to clean it up and keep the vintage look. Here's a shot before I took a scrub pad and mild soap with hot water to it:
It was sticky and gummy and had a musty odor. As I washed the poor thing, the rinse water poured off in a dark brown sludge.... it was coated in grime; what pickers / junkers call "farm fresh" I believe. After just a few minutes of elbow grease, here's a before and after comparison of two drawers. Yep, those ARE brass pulls alright!
It took only two hours to clean it up; I still have to make new labels for the pulls but I couldn't wait to load it up on my work desk:
Before cleaning, I discovered lettering painted on the front, so I was especially careful around what remained:
So of course I had to Google it, and found out that this was, in fact a cabinet from "The Diem and Wing Paper Company of Cincinnati, Ohio". Cool beans! Google also found a current eBay auction for an invoice from this very same company dated 1894, so I just had to Buy It Now:
When it arrives, I am going to frame it over the cabinet (looks around in vain for a few inches of bare wall)
* Sigh *
Well, I will TRY to find room over the cabinet, that is...
I am linking this to:
gorgeous!!!! i love the rustic wood and the brass combined!
ReplyDeleteMy heart would be pounding until that auction was over and it was mine. Oh my goodness, it's gorgeous. Looks like you did a really good clean up job and the lettering is just beautiful. I love little storage drawers and this is a real treasure.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I guess you did score!! And oh my it really was dirty wasn't it?!?! Well you've done a fine job getting it all cleaned up and properly placed on your desk....so do tell where's the number tickets? You know so that I can get my number and anxiously await my turn in the bottom drawer....it would be purrfect for an afternoon snooze!
ReplyDeletePurrs!
Romeo and "her"
LOVE IT!!! I think you just have this luck with gorgeous stuff! :)
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Thank you Cassie! Yes, I have been trying to replace (as much as possible) all the plastic in my studio with warm woods and metals. I was very lucky to find this!
ReplyDeleteBetsy, it was pounding! I tried NOT to watch those last few minutes... I hate the feeling! But it is great to have my tapes, glues, and other supplies inside. The three drawers on the right are even the perfect size to hold letter size paper!
Thank you Romeo (and "her"), and welcome! I think you pulled number 4... after my three felines. Unfortunately, the drawers were too small for them.... but they had a purrfect time playing in the huge cardboard box it came in!
Kasia: Thank you! I do have the best luck. :)
What a beautiful work table organizer. You did a great job of cleaning it up as well. SO lucky you found the lettering AND the company. Way exciting!
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly are E-Bay bucks? A kind of credit?
Small House / Big Sky Donna
http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com
Your little cabinet is delightful, Maureen! I love the fact that there are three different sizes for the drawers. I have a vintage, desktop card catalog, but I like yours even better. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you at the party each week.
Blessings,
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
House Crazy (Okay, I LOVE that name!): eBay Bucks are a kind of credit system. You are awarded money for every purchase you make (based on the final sale price). At the end of three months, they total them up for you and you can spend them just like normal money; on your next eBay purchase, they take that amount off of what you owe the seller! And thank you for your comments about the cabinet - I was so lucky to have just been in the right place at the right time!
ReplyDeleteLiz: Thank you! I know, that drawer combination is something I had never seen before. I love the fact that the three drawers to the right are perfect to hold letter size paper flat! I look forward to partying with you again sometime soon - thank you for hosting Time Travel Thursday!!