Gerstner machinist chest

[barcuna]

Hello,

I am looking for some advice.

I bought a wooden machinist chest filled with tools listed on Craigslist by a local. Seller was retired and went to a lot of estate auctions, picked up some things, mostly antiques and resold them. He said the wooden chest was not a Gerstner, but still had some value. He said all Gerstners had a mirror mounted in the inside of the lid. He told me the tools alone (some Starrett, lots of taps, drill bits, punches, micrometers, etc) were worth the price. I agreed and took the chest. I asked him about restoring the chest and his advice was to leave it alone and sell it as is.

After getting it home and unloading and taking inventory of the tools, I looked at the box a little more closely and discovered it appears to be, indeed, a genuine Gerstner box. 1st clue was a diamond shaped unworn spot on the inner lid felt that looked like a mirror was there at one time. 2nd clue the lock is marked Gerstner. 3rd clue-after removing the drawers, saw that the inside bottom is stamped Gerstner.

All in all, in pretty good shape; Splattered with paint, dirty wood, worn felt, top looks like veneer (some cracks and raises)

So my questions?
The seven drawer configuration is something of a mystery. I can't find any listing for a Gerstner seven drawer. Does anyone know about this?
Should I keep or sell?
Should I restore or leave as is?
Is it a genuine Gerstner box? (pretty sure it is, but would appreciate a confirmation)
How can I determine the age of the chest?

Thanks in advance for any info and advice. Some photos attached.

 

[Papa Charlie]

I believe this is an actual Gerstner.
I watched a video on YouTube where Adam from Abom79 went to their shop. They have and continue to build many different styles of boxes. They also do restoration on older boxes too.
I would reach out to them and I bet they can provide you with all kinds of information on this box.
Great find. These boxes are, as you know, very expensive and highly sought after.
If it were me, I would restore it and keep it.

If you do decide to restore it. Gerstner can provide you with the correct stickers, plaques and hardware if you desire.

 

[Moderatemixed]

It is a Gerstner. I have the same box and I restored mine. I have restored 3 Gerstner boxes (kept 2 and resold 2) and I can tell you that the Gerstner company is extremely helpful. They have videos outlining the restoration process on Youtube as well as “how to’s”’. They also have and sell spare parts, deckles, felt, hardware etc. My experience has been that the boxes aren’t worth as much as you might think. And if you restore it, you will likely only get out if it what you put into it in parts, not your time. Depending on your location you might get $250 to $450 for it as it sits, and maybe $350 to $550 restored. If you are going to keep it, restore it. If not, sell it as it is and hope for the best. It’s an item people love to have if they find it for cheap, but seem reluctant to “pay up” for.

Good luck.

Derek


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[4ssss]

It is a Gerstner. I have the same box and I restored mine. I have restored 3 Gerstner boxes (kept 2 and resold 2) and I can tell you that the Gerstner company is extremely helpful. They have videos outlining the restoration process on Youtube as well as “how to’s”’. They also have and sell spare parts, deckles, felt, hardware etc. My experience has been that the boxes aren’t worth as much as you might think. And if you restore it, you will likely only get out if it what you put into it in parts, not your time. Depending on your location you might get $250 to $450 for it as it sits, and maybe $350 to $550 restored. If you are going to keep it, restore it. If not, sell it as it is and hope for the best. It’s an item people love to have if they find it for cheap, but seem reluctant to “pay up” for.

Good luck.

Derek


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree. I have restored 4 Gerstner's and what you have is one of the boxes I have done. It's actually the first one I restored, and I built a bottom drawer for it so long ago that the colors now match. The others I have done were apprentice boxes, the one with the middle drawer for a Machinery Handbook. There is so much work involved, and if you need parts or hardware for them, that is if you want to stay original, Gerstner charges an arm and a leg. As an example the mirror frame missing from yours goes for $25, and $30 if you want a brass one. The last one I did I bought for $100, and it's now my wifes jewelry chest. Unless you're willing to keep it for yourself, you won't get your value of the labor involved.

 

[benmychree]

Yes, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc. it is a duck! The top, which you call a veneer is actually what they call leatherette, and I am told that they have kits of material to replace it if badly damaged. If it were me, I'd work at removing the paint spatter, clean up the wood finish a bit, replace the felt (they have kits for that as well) and use it, if indeed you have a use for it.

 

[4ssss]

Another idea if you want to get rid of it is to part it out on Flea Bay. There is a market for drawers and fronts believe it or not.

 

[benmychree]

I agree. I have restored 4 Gerstner's and what you have is one of the boxes I have done. It's actually the first one I restored, and I built a bottom drawer for it so long ago that the colors now match. The others I have done were apprentice boxes, the one with the middle drawer for a Machinery Handbook. There is so much work involved, and if you need parts or hardware for them, that is if you want to stay original, Gerstner charges an arm and a leg. As an example the mirror frame missing from yours goes for $25, and $30 if you want a brass one. The last one I did I bought for $100, and it's now my wifes jewelry chest. Unless you're willing to keep it for yourself, you won't get your value of the labor involved.

I would disagree with the term apprentice box for the chest with the drawer for the handbook; that was the most expensive box Gerstner made when I bought mine in the 1960s, it was the biggest and the longest, I think few apprentices bought pretensious chests, mostly, I saw Kennedy short boxes for newbies to the trade.

 

[4ssss]

I would disagree with the term apprentice box for the chest with the drawer for the handbook; that was the most expensive box Gerstner made when I bought mine in the 1960s, it was the biggest and the longest, I think few apprentices bought pretensious chests, mostly, I saw Kennedy short boxes for newbies to the trade.

I'll disagree with you . Apprentices were given a monthly stipend for tools, and the more hours they had towards Journeyman, the amount increased. And with that the first thing they always bought was that box. It made things easier as they had a small amount deducted from their paychecks to make up the difference weekly if they didn't have it in their account for tools. The thought was that by the end of the Apprenticeship they would have all they needed. Don't forget that box was probably had for $300 back then, unlike what Gerstner wants for them now. If you check the price on that now you'll see it's one of the more reasonably priced boxes they make, and it's always been. It was only old timers that had and used the box that he has above. Most of them came leather wrapped. The Kennedy's and Union's were popular with Tech schools for starting out, as Mom and Pop had to pay for them. It may have been different for where you served, but most good shops gave that bonus as another incentive to stay after they finished, unlike today you hardly find any company giving Apprenticeships.

 

[benmychree]

I don't know about the apprenticeships that you refer to, but I started mine in a union shop in the mid 1960s, which was administered by a committee of union labor representatives (The I.A.M.) and company management, the Kaiser Steel Company, and there was no tool allowance period; apprentices were expected to buy their own tools with their own earned wages, which started at a bit more than half the journeyman wage, and was increased biannually at a certain rate until in the last 6 months,was nearly the journeyman wage rate, a bit less than $5.00 at the time. I started with a lesser chest, bought my own tools, and towards the end, I bought my walnut Gerstner chest long enough to carry a 24" rule and with the center drawer for the handbook; it was the biggest most expensive chest that they offered at the time, and cost, as I remember, $76.00 plus shipping when I was making about $200 per week less deductions. In today's dollars, I suppose that would be about $450 or so. I had a price list, but was unable to find it, but did find a receipt for a bunch of Starrett small tools; a 6" scale was $1.75.

 

[Bob Korves]

I would keep the box and enjoy it just as it is. It has earned all the 'patina', scratches, paint, and whatever. It is old, so it should look old. It was used, so it should look used. Just my opinion, and worth every penny you paid for it... ;^)