The Pirate's Lair - Restored Antique Trunks For Sale & Naval Antiques

Some pix of friends, family, and trip on Navy Inspection Railcar #118

Early 20th Century Sea Chest used inside a Stateroom or Captain's Cabin to store clothes and personal items. The construction of this used mechanical tools to make the precise dovetailed joints, it does not have 6-sided single-plank construction but the nails used were early 1900s square nails. There is minimal damage from weather or use indicating that it was not used outside or moved around once placed in a cabin, though the top lid does have some wear as would be expected, very minor repairs can be found. It was essentially used as a dresser. It does have handcrafted wooden side cleats, but no inside compartment w/ lid. Additional photos of this and other sea chests and sailors ditty boxes can be found here: http://www.thepirateslair.com/authentic-antique-nautical-naval-sea-chests.html

RAREST of the RARE! Another late 18th or early 19th century in The Pirate's collection. This was a "personal" chest of excellent construction most likely owned and used by a Captain or Master of a vessel, certainly not by an ordinary seaman.

Impossible to tell whether this antique 18th or early 19th century personal sea chest was used by an American or British Royal Navy Commander as the customs for each navy were so similar at that time.

Classic Mid-Late 18th or Early 19th Century Handcrafted Sailors Sea Chest, custom handcrafted using Oak woods w detailed 6-plank construction and dovetailed joints.

Exterior lid has hand beveled edges to repel water and the interior lid has hand trimmed edges to provide for an overlapping of the 4 sides. The interior has a your standard small compartment with lid on one side.

Originally secured with a lock and key but the top male half is long gone. The handles are blacksmith made of wrought iron and secured to the sea chest with simple nails curved on the inside walls.

Additionally, two of the original decorative iron escutcheons are still attached to the left and right sides of the lock, there also appears to have been 6 additional ones located on the top of the lid but they are long gone.

Hope you enjoy!

http://www.thepirateslair.com/801-personal-sailors-sea-chest.html

Here's another in our collection.

This particular sea chest was used and found out on the weather decks and considered to be a crew-maintained Utility Sea Chest. Most likely it stored rope, pulleys, deck scrubbing gear, anchor detail equipment, hoses, possibly even weapons. One can tell that that it was used out on the weather decks due to the rough nature of the exterior and multiple layers of gray/green paint.

The inside is nice and clean as you can see with the standard small lidded compartment at one end. This sea chest has been well taken care of even though it was exposed to the elements back in the day.

Note the dovetailed joints and that this is 6-PLANK construction meaning that the sides, top, and bottom were all single planks which prevented water from leaking thru into the chest.

All that were expected to be exposed to the elements were all of 6 plank construction. Also note the "cleats" on each end of the trunk each with a rope "becket" (or handle) of unknown age or provenance, though it is old for sure.

Many years ago I came across a documented to be first owned by Jotham R. Tripp who was a whaler in 1815 out of New Bedford, MA He passed along this Sea Chest to his sons with the last one being Theodore J. Tripp who himself was a whaler out of New Bedford and also a sailor in 1864 in the during the Civil War. Anyhow, at the end of Theodores life in 1930 he began documenting his prized possessions for posterity and for his children, and this Sea Chest was one of them. He handwrote the provenance of this Sea Chest on the back of a felt Kellogg's Rice Krispie's inkblot ca 1928 which in and of itself is also an historical item as it was the first advertisement by of his new cereal! Anyhow, I'm NOT looking to sell this trunk as it is in my private collection at this time, but thought you would like to see this sea chest online and its history in American Whaling for . Thanks, Mike http://www.thepirateslair.com/802-jotham-tripp-sea-chest-1815.html