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Starrett tool box

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jonnymopar

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I was just given this Starrett tool box from a close friend who's moving away.




It's in decent shape other than the fold-down door (some cracks) and the leather handle. I haven't found any markings on the outside other than the Starrett plaque on the bottom drawer. I still need to clean it out.

Does anybody know if these can be dated? I'd love to find out how old this is. Any particular places to check for markings, maybe on the inside?
 
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larry_g

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Some are marked inside the case, pull the drawers and look. Also look and see if the latches are marked.

lg
no neat sig line
 
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leg17

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Possibly made by Gerstner.
They sometimes marked the inside of the case near the bottom.
Pull out the bottom drawer and check the sides for markings.
 
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jonnymopar

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Thanks everyone! After some research, it turns out it is a private-labeled Gerstner 41, made from mahogany. The pictures don't do it justice (I wish I could figure out my wife's camera). This is some beautiful wood. I can't wait to shine this up! Other than the key, it's not missing a single piece of hardware. No broken latches, spring plungers for the door still work properly.

These pictures look to be an exact match, even the handle looks right: http://antiquetoolchest.com/antique-tool-chests/

I was absolutely pumped when I saw this. My friend wouldn't let me give him a dime for it. He's 61 and on his way to Florida for good, so he's letting everything go. I was touched when he said he had set it aside specifically for me, knowing I'd be one to fully appreciate it.

My whole life, I've lived about 90 miles from Athol, MA, so Starrett tools are always interesting to me. I guess this isn't a Starrett per se, but what a nice piece.
 
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leg17

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jonnymopar said:
Thanks everyone! After some research, it turns out it is a private-labeled Gerstner 41, made from mahogany. The pictures don't do it justice (I wish I could figure out my wife's camera). This is some beautiful wood. I can't wait to shine this up! Other than the key, it's not missing a single piece of hardware. No broken latches, spring plungers for the door still work properly.

These pictures look to be an exact match, even the handle looks right: http://antiquetoolchest.com/antique-tool-chests/

I was absolutely pumped when I saw this. My friend wouldn't let me give him a dime for it. He's 61 and on his way to Florida for good, so he's letting everything go. I was touched when he said he had set it aside specifically for me, knowing I'd be one to fully appreciate it.

My whole life, I've lived about 90 miles from Athol, MA, so Starrett tools are always interesting to me. I guess this isn't a Starrett per se, but what a nice piece.
Click to expand...

Did you find any markings on the inside of the case?

If you are not into machining, maybe you could browse through a Starrett catalog for tools suited for mechanical or general work and begin a new search.
Starrett makes great T-handle tap wrenches, pin punches, spring wire nippers, various rulers and scales, squares, and a bunch of other neat stuff.

Your friend gave you a real nice treasure.
 
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davethorik

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I've seen a handful of those in person, they are very beautiful. They are not common, either. That sounds to me like the best kind of friend to have!
 
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jonnymopar

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Damn, nothing that I can see on the inside of the case. I took every drawer out and hunted around for anything I could see. Nothing on the drawers themselves, nothing on the back, nothing on the bottom.

I need figure out how to get the door off. That's really the part that needs the most work. You need to be really gentle opening and closing it. If this box is as rare as it sounds, I guess my chances of finding another door are slim to none.

Good news is that all of the hardware except for the main lock is screwed on, so I'll be able to carefully remove it all and clean it. Not sure if there's anything I can do about the torn leather on the handle. Interesting idea about contacting Gerstner for a new key.
 
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jonnymopar

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A ha! Now we're getting somewhere. I did more cleaning last night. How I managed to miss this before, I'll never know:




Also, I figured out how to gently remove the front door. Once I had it out and I did some dusting, I found this on the inside of the bottom panel:



According to Gerstner's website, the hand-written numbers are only tracking numbers to make sure the drawers don't get mixed up since they're all hand-fit. I'm not sure what the N is. They offer a service for dating these boxes... for $50! I wonder if they were getting inundated with requests and figured they could shut people up if they charged for it.

The search continues. Maybe I'll dive into my spare change jar and go contact Gerstner. At this point, I'm kinda hooked as far as finding info on this.
 
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lbgradwell

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Very nice box!

Private Lugnutz said:
Registered trademarks didn't include the actual registration mark... "(R)" ...until 1946, so, it can't be any earlier than that.
Click to expand...

twertsy said:
That's a nice "nugget" lugz............I didn't know that.
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Nor did I. Good to know... :thumbup:


jonnymopar said:
They offer a service for dating these boxes... for $50! I wonder if they were getting inundated with requests and figured they could shut people up if they charged for it.
Click to expand...

That's just ********. Very unimpressed.

They should simply publish a webpage providing the information that permits owner's to decipher the information for themselves.
 
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jonnymopar

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lbgradwell said:
They should simply publish a webpage providing the information that permits owner's to decipher the information for themselves.
Click to expand...

That would be great. I think the fact that they charge for the info is why there isn't much out there on the internet. I've been hunting around a bit on their forums though. I should probably create an account over there.

The $50 charge for dating boxes, the $15 charge for new keys, the $30 owner's club membership fees... I mean... I get it. Most people that want a portable tool chest are going to skip the $1200 Gerstner and go buy a pos chinese Craftsman for $150. Hell, I'm part of that club. So the fact that they're still American-based and apparently still make an amazing product means they're doing something right financially. Also, Gerstner isn't making any money from people buying these at auctions, yard sales, etc, however I'd imagine it would cost them money for their employees to spend their time answering questions about those very same boxes. So, I get it. If I do more digging and can't really find out what I want to about this box, I'll probably spend the money just because I can see this becoming an heirloom.
 
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kentenn

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Nashville, TN
Do any of the latches say "Gerstner"? Typically some or all of them will if it's a Gerstner. Your best bet for dating it without paying is Ted Johnson's "The Guide" site.
 
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