Clay Parrish
04-26-2016, 6:23 PM
I've been wanting to share this with y'all for a while. I thought someone might find it interesting, and maybe I can get some thoughts on taking care of this cabinet.
This is an old oak stamp cabinet used in the Post Office Department (the precursor to the US Postal Service). My great-grandmother ran the local Post Office in Summerfield, NC. When they shut down her office to move to a new building (I believe it was in the late 1950s or 1960s) she took this cabinet and it's mate. One went to my father, and another to his brother. Dad says he remembers them using it to store money and stamps when he was 9, back in 1960
336437336438
I think the cabinet is really cool. It's solid wood construction with three drawers and a locking hinged panel on the front. The key is really worn down with use, and I need to take the lock to a locksmith for new pins and to have a key custom made (nobody I've talked to has suitable blanks). I keep it unlocked, since the key tends to stick.
336439336440
The top drawer is separated into 9 compartments: 6 square ones with curved bottoms in the front for coin and 3 longer ones for bills. The middle drawer is a simple large space - until you pull it all the way out, revealing a secret compartment for hiding small valuables (probably where they stashed larger bills). The base has a small partition that is missing the original thin dividers, as well as a removable solid wooden tray apparently meant to hold more change.
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The finish is original, although I am sad to say that as a child, I put some marks on it. It has been carried all around by its various owners, so it has plenty of nicks and marks, but that's 'history' - right? I am concerned to say the wood appears to have some little splits in a few places. I'd like to know what the best way is to take care of the wood while preserving its patina and history.
On the bottom, it is marked:
(Stamped in ink:)
------------------------
INSPECTED
JUN - 8(?) - 1950
R.(?) P. WOODY
POST OFFICE DEPT.
------------------------
(Burned on:)
------------------------
National Cabinet (logo)
L. I. City
N. Y.
------------------------
(Stenciled on:)
----------------------------------------
PROPERTY OF THE POST OFFICE DEPT
309 STAMP CABINET 1950
NATIONAL CABINET CO. L. I. C. N. Y.
----------------------------------------
L.I.C.N.Y. is Long Island City, NY.
Can anyone tell me anything else about it, or how best to maintain it so my children will be able to one day enjoy it?
This is an old oak stamp cabinet used in the Post Office Department (the precursor to the US Postal Service). My great-grandmother ran the local Post Office in Summerfield, NC. When they shut down her office to move to a new building (I believe it was in the late 1950s or 1960s) she took this cabinet and it's mate. One went to my father, and another to his brother. Dad says he remembers them using it to store money and stamps when he was 9, back in 1960
336437336438
I think the cabinet is really cool. It's solid wood construction with three drawers and a locking hinged panel on the front. The key is really worn down with use, and I need to take the lock to a locksmith for new pins and to have a key custom made (nobody I've talked to has suitable blanks). I keep it unlocked, since the key tends to stick.
336439336440
The top drawer is separated into 9 compartments: 6 square ones with curved bottoms in the front for coin and 3 longer ones for bills. The middle drawer is a simple large space - until you pull it all the way out, revealing a secret compartment for hiding small valuables (probably where they stashed larger bills). The base has a small partition that is missing the original thin dividers, as well as a removable solid wooden tray apparently meant to hold more change.
336441336442336443336444
The finish is original, although I am sad to say that as a child, I put some marks on it. It has been carried all around by its various owners, so it has plenty of nicks and marks, but that's 'history' - right? I am concerned to say the wood appears to have some little splits in a few places. I'd like to know what the best way is to take care of the wood while preserving its patina and history.
On the bottom, it is marked:
(Stamped in ink:)
------------------------
INSPECTED
JUN - 8(?) - 1950
R.(?) P. WOODY
POST OFFICE DEPT.
------------------------
(Burned on:)
------------------------
National Cabinet (logo)
L. I. City
N. Y.
------------------------
(Stenciled on:)
----------------------------------------
PROPERTY OF THE POST OFFICE DEPT
309 STAMP CABINET 1950
NATIONAL CABINET CO. L. I. C. N. Y.
----------------------------------------
L.I.C.N.Y. is Long Island City, NY.
Can anyone tell me anything else about it, or how best to maintain it so my children will be able to one day enjoy it?