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What was file cabinet intended for?

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climb.on

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I picked up this cool old file cabinet. It has the same outside dimensions as a legal file, but only the one legal file drawer on the bottom. All the thin drawers have 3 divided sections. Anyone know what the original purpose of this cabinet was? I'll be using it for general shop small parts storage, I'm just always curious about this sort of thing.

I actually came across another very similar cabinet in wood (very expensive though) that had the same kind of configuration. Legal file below, bunch of thin drawer flat files above, with 3 divided sections.

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300Deluxe

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Well it's similar to a flat file intended for blueprints, but obviously not wide enough. I would assume it was intended for paper/document storage, with the media laying flat. Definitely a specialty cabinet.

Nice score, and interesting to me as I'm in the metal storage product industry.
 
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climb.on

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300Deluxe said:
Well it's similar to a flat file intended for blueprints, but obviously not wide enough. I would assume it was intended for paper/document storage, with the media laying flat.

Nice score, and interesting to me as I'm in the metal storage product industry.
Click to expand...

My best guess is maybe a title agency or mortgage broker would keep those thick stacks of closing paperwork in there.
 
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Caman

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According to the companies history, they started out making cabinets for banks. Maybe it's designed to hold cash, or checks? Or some other bank type paperwork?
 
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southalabama

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Looks like a forms cabinet to me.

Back in the day prior to computers there were preprinted forms for almost all aspects of legal work. They'd pick the form and fill in the blanks.
 
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James-W

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When I was in the Army back in the late 60's we had parts cabinets that were very similar to that cabinet. But they had dividers in them for the storage of small parts.
 
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RivennHewn

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Opthamologist's cabinet to hold replacement lenses, frames and misc. parts.

Sold a couple of them about a year ago.
 
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climb.on

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PelicanPines said:
Saw something like it ... in a vault ... at a jewellery manufacturer. Kept the displays in it at night. I remember it because of the bottom file drawer...
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Well that would explain all the jewelry I found in it when I got it home! :beer:

Actually, the guy I bought it from mentioned when he cleaned it out, he found someone's sealed will in the bottom of it from 1955. Not sure when or where he got the cabinet from though.
 
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climb.on

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The company is still in business, so I emailed customer service some pictures and asked if anyone there, knew what it was used for back then. This was their response:

"I was not sure myself what this cabinet was used for so I asked around our office and this is what I found out...... "this file was used many ways. Medical field, legal office master card holding, shop use separating sized screws, bolts etc."

This was very interesting and I hope this gives you some idea of what this cabinet was used for."
 
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