Quick Gerstner manufacturing date ranges

[toolboxted]

Based on my historical research, here’s some basic guidelines you can follow to give you a quick date range between 1940 and 1960 that your Gerstner machinist tool chest was manufactured.
1 – Pull out the bottom drawer. If there isn’t a Gerstner Stencil stamped on the inside of the very bottom board, it was manufactured in 1940 or earlier. If it has the Stencil and the top line “Built by” is arched up at its center and the bottom line “Dayton Ohio” is arched down at its center, its date is 1940 to 1959. If both of these lines are straight, then the date is 1960 or later.
2 – When you open the lid and it’s stopped by a chain, its date is 1942 or earlier. If it’s stopped by the hinges, then 1943 or later.
3 – If your front panel has the rectangular shaped radius relief, then it’s 1954 or earlier. If it has the flat relieved area, then it’s 1954 or later. (#3 doesn’t apply to leatherette covered chests)
Go to ‘The’ Guide, Pg 10b, for more definitive dating. Good luck…..Ted

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

 

[FJ 432]

Thanks for the information.

Hopefully I can use you as my subject matter expert. What would you consider as best years/ examples?

 

[toolboxted]

I’ll give it a try FJ, but I’m not sure if I’m a ‘subject matter expert’. I just enjoy historical research, old wood machinist tool chests and helping others. As for the best years, I’d say your, or a close relative’s, birth year is a popular choice.
I personally like the 16” to 17” wide, 5/2 drawer, over 100 year old, chests, which I’ve collected.
Now on to examples, which you may mean relative to manufacturing date ranges.
Let’s say that my Gerstner Style #41 chest has the arched type top and bottom lines in the stencil. So the range could be 1940 to 1959.
Now we’ll say the lid is stopped by the hinges when opened. So here the range would be from 1943 to on past 1960. The above early date of 1940 is now replaced by 1943.
Well, it’s oak and it happens to have the rectangular shaped radius relief in the front panel. Therefore, the latest date has to be 1954.
The manufacturing date range becomes 1943 – 1954.
Boy, I sure hope this is understandable. Thanks and you have a good one…….Ted

 

[rusty65]

Hey I just found a box with a 1942 date and no chain to hold the lid it’s also for sale on eBay. Item number 333674699080


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[toolboxted]

Thank you Rusty for pointing that out. I make a real effort to be right on for all dates in ‘The’ Guide. However, there may be a +/-1 yr difference in a few dates, but I doubt there are any 2 yr. diff’s. I appreciate it when people like yourself point out a possible discrepancy. Your logic makes sense, when the probable buyer wrote that date, he also wrote Tool Box.
I’ll change the lid restraint hinge date from 1943-1948 to 1942-1948 in the near future. The chain, or Fleur-de-lis hinge, date will remain as is.
I checked out that O42, ebay's item #, and its period date would be 1942 – 1948, because it had the foil oval nameplate. The hand written numbers, 428, was the future assembly number for the components in that production run. (There are 6 other occasion dates written on the backs of the drawers, interesting. Maybe he didn’t want his wife to see those dates?)
Have a good one…..Ted

 

[RTM]

Those are some pretty cool artifacts on the back of those drawers.