Older Proto tool boxes: Vintage?

[tool_scrounge]

I recently picked up a couple of older Proto tool boxes and was hoping to find out the vintage. The top box is a Proto 9923 and the bottom box is a 9968. Too bad the front door is missing off of the lower box, but otherwise it is in pretty nice condition. It must have spent its whole life in the same place as the caster wheels show no sign of wear. The 9968 appears to even have the original masonite top sheet

I saw the 9968 box listed in the 1954 Proto catalog on the web, but I am not sure if this one is of that vintage. I cannot find any information on the 9923 top box. Overall they are in pretty good condition - just needs some cleaning and relubrication. Now if I just had any place to put them...

Thanks!

 

[WWIIjeep]

I recently picked up a couple of older Proto tool boxes and was hoping to find out the vintage. The top box is a Proto 9923 and the bottom box is a 9968. Too bad the front door is missing off of the lower box, but otherwise it is in pretty nice condition. It must have spent its whole life in the same place as the caster wheels show no sign of wear. The 9968 appears to even have the original masonite top sheet

I saw the 9968 box listed in the 1954 Proto catalog on the web, but I am not sure if this one is of that vintage. I cannot find any information on the 9923 top box. Overall they are in pretty good condition - just needs some cleaning and relubrication.

The roller cabinet is probably '60s vintage. The top chest is a lot newer. I'd guess late 80s, or 90s.

They may be date-stamped. If so, the top chest would have it inside the top till, around the left front corner. The roller cabinet would have it on the left or right front stiles, near the bottom.

Now if I just had any place to put them...

I've got a perfect place for them. Do you deliver?

 

[lbgradwell]

The top box is from the IR-era, so somewhere between 1963-1984.

Given the age of the roller cabinet, I'd guess earlier in the range...

 

[stormking]

Nice find. I've been looking for that bottom box for a couple of years. Late fifties to mid sixties IMO.

 

[WWIIjeep]

The top box is a Proto 9923 and the bottom box is a 9968.

Are you sure about the 9923 number for the top chest? The only Proto catalog reference I can find for that number is for drawer dividers. I still say it's a much later chest than the roller cabinet.

Here's the 9968 in the 1963 catalog:



And here it is in the 1972 catalog, so they offered it for a long time:

 

[tool_scrounge]

Are you sure about the 9923 number for the top chest? The only Proto catalog reference I can find for that number is for drawer dividers. I still say it's a much later chest than the roller cabinet.

Here's the 9968 in the 1963 catalog:

And here it is in the 1972 catalog, so they offered it for a long time:

I believe the top tool box part number is 9923. If you look closely at the third photo from the initial post, that is the number stamped below the Proto logo. Since their tool boxes seem to start with 99, I presumed that was the part number and not some serial number. I also did see someone who listed the same top box forsale on Ebay with the 9923 number, but otherwise I have not found anything on it.

Thanks for the 1963 & 1972 catalog pages. They made that bottom box for 20+ years.

 

[tool_scrounge]

The roller cabinet is probably '60s vintage. The top chest is a lot newer. I'd guess late 80s, or 90s.

They may be date-stamped. If so, the top chest would have it inside the top till, around the left front corner. The roller cabinet would have it on the left or right front stiles, near the bottom.

I've got a perfect place for them. Do you deliver?

Thanks for the information on where to look for the date stamp. I cannot find any date code on the top chest, but the bottom one is lightly stamped "1 71" which I presume to be January of 1971. I'll take another look at the top chest in daylight and see if I can find a date stamp.

Also thank you for the generous offer of storage with delivery But I suspect that for anything beyond a 150 mile round trip, the cost of the gas used would be more than what I payed for the tool boxes.

 

[WWIIjeep]

Thanks for the information on where to look for the date stamp. I cannot find any date code on the top chest, but the bottom one is lightly stamped "1 71" which I presume to be January of 1971. I'll take another look at the top chest in daylight and see if I can find a date stamp.

Yes, that's pretty much how they marked the date. The top chest may be a different maker and therefore not date-marked. If the drawer slides aren't the same as on the roller cabinet, it's a pretty good bet they're by different makers.

1971 list price for the 9968 was $195.90.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Yes, that's pretty much how they marked the date. The top chest may be a different maker and therefore not date-marked. If the drawer slides aren't the same as on the roller cabinet, it's a pretty good bet they're by different makers.

1971 list price for the 9968 was $195.90.

Good point. The drawer slide mechanisms are different. The top box has friction slides similar to Craftsman or Kennedy. The bottom has a roller mechanism (in desperate need of lubrication) that reminds me of simplified Vidmar.

So in today's dollars the bottom would have cost $1,108.18

Thanks for the information!

 

[darkk]

Anyone identify the year on this Proto box? Any idea on the green box behind it. I've had them both seems like forever... some one named *Wendy Summers* owned it. Scratched the name in the top.

 

[lbgradwell]

Anyone identify the year on this Proto box?

After the Stanley acquisition...

 

[WWIIjeep]

The green box is probably a Waterloo.

 

[Gort the giant robot]

My box has Windy Winters scratched in it.

XXXX

 

[dimwittedmoose51]

Does anyone know when Proto gave up that flying naked lady logo? I have two Plomb catalogs with the same logo on it(except they say "Plomb") and they are from the 40's. If Proto continued with the lady logo for a while, did it really go all the way to the 60's?? I just picked up a 9968 at an auction and it not in great shape, but too greasy to read a drawer number currently.. Pretty sure this box was made in Waterloo Iowa at Waterloo Industries, along with the SK, Kennedy, Craftsman, etc. boxes they did. Northeastern Iowa per capita must have more old vintage tool boxes laying around than anywhere in the county.....lol

DM&FS