Help ID my father's old machine shop tool box

[OldmachinistSon]

Hello
I am going thru my father's possession's and found his machine shop box with some tools. He retired 10 years ago and passed away 2 years ago.
I did some eBay research for the micrometers inside and some other tools but nothing sticks out as very valuable . I can not find any markings on the box
I dount it was custom built ... Can anyone help ID this box?

 

[isb cornbinder]

I think it is a GERSTENER.

 

[OldmachinistSon]

Wow. Thanks for the quick reply. I browsed the videos and the box I have has the same metal on the drawer bottom of the outside.

Is this box worth anything in the condition it is in ?

 

[isb cornbinder]

I buy and sell toolboxes. I would pay up to $400cdn for the box in that condition. It may be worth more. If I bought that box, I would not likely sell it again. My daughter is an artist and I would like to give it to her, after a restoration. These Gerstener boxes are very collectable and can be worth more with the patina of time etched into them. A factory reatoration respects the past and does not erase it all.
This is very exciting and I get a lump in my throat. A factory restoration is a must.
I like tool boxes. I could not afford to have one in the early 1960s. I think I have more than made up for that time. My son says I have 13- 14 of them. Everything is for sale, except Canadian Made BEACH boxes.

 

[Ecosta777]

I'm not sure it's a Gerstner. Based on the hardware - Gerstner uses a squarer lock. And the pulls - I don't think Gerstner used ones with those round backs like shown here. Also it would be labeled H. Gerstner and Sons on the bottom of the inside of the box. Possible it's scratched off though given then state. Are any of the locks labeled Gerstner? Sometimes their name is on the hardware.

 

[twertsy]

Hello
I am going thru my father's possession's and found his machine shop box with some tools. He retired 10 years ago and passed away 2 years ago.
I did some eBay research for the micrometers inside and some other tools but nothing sticks out as very valuable . I can not find any markings on the box
I dount it was custom built ... Can anyone help ID this box?

Everything you've ever wanted to know about wood machinist boxes.

https://sites.google.com/site/theguideforwoodmachinistchests/home

I'm thinking it most resembles Natl' Cabinet Company.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It looks like a mid 1940 Union box to me. They badged them for Union and Craftsman and they only had those pulls from 1942 to 1943. The hasp for a padlock is not original.

EDIT: If you use the link Todd provided, go to the Union section, Chest by Style, and scroll all the way down. There's also a figure in the Craftsman 1942 catalog.

 

[twertsy]

It looks like a mid 1940 Union box to me. They badged them for Union and Craftsman and they only had those pulls from 1942 to 1945. The hasp for a padlock is not original.

EDIT: If you use the link Todd provided, go to the Union section, Chest by Style, and scroll all the way down. There's also a figure in the Craftsman 1942 catalog.

I agree, that does look similar, except no mirror (or residual of one having been there) nor name plate (again, no residual). But, Union is certainly a viable candidate.

 

[Bob-B]

+1 on it being an older Union, before they switched to rectangular drawer pulls. Union used to put their label in the center of the long thin drawer. I can make out the shadow of were the mirror was in the closeup picture of the lid.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Roger on the mirror outline. It also looks like an outline of a rectangular decal (0 to 180 orientation) on the drop front lid. Either a PO put something there or it was made and badged for something else, neither Union or Craftsman. The boxes they made for Craftsman were badged on the wider drawer under the thinner drawer where the Union badge always went (as Bob said). In the wartime years, I believe they were water transfer. They only used those round pulls for two years - 1942 and 1943. By 1944 they were using the fancy formed sheet metal pulls. I have one of those that I am badging as a late 40's Craftsman box, linked here.

 

[OldmachinistSon]

Thank you everyone for the info. I plan on selling the box, and giving the money to the grandkids ( he would want that )
Any idea what the box is worth ?
I was thinking eBay, unless someone on this forum is interested

Thanks again

 

[isb cornbinder]

Do eBay with a reasonable reserve. You could be surprised either way. I don't know if a good personal story would make any difference on eBay.