Ice Box?

[Ed Bass]

Hi All,
Today I came into possession of a very nice old ice box. Of course I would like to know more about it, age, brand, etc. It contains no label or maker's badge. An online search did not come up with a solid site for reference nor a picture of one that looks like mine; close but not it.
Can anyone recommend an authority that could help me?
Kind regards, Ed

 

[Aerielle Max]

Nice it looks good and useful!

 

[Lean'n'mean]

If there is no indication as to brand, labels or maker's plaque, then there isn't much we can tell you. If it is well made then it could have been made by a local cabinet maker rather than a factory. You can date it by the screws used in the hardware & the type of joints (or lack of) used in the assembly of the wood work. The style too is indicative of a period but it could be reproduction.
It's difficult to tell from such a small photo but the oak doesn't appear to have a great deal of patina which makes me rather suspicious as to it's age. It's likely the back will reveal more infomation than the front.

 

[Ed Bass]

Thanks for the input.
The picture I posted may be a little deceiving. When I got it today it was very dusty and extremely dry, pale looking and dull. I dusted it off and put a couple good coats of Lemon Pledge on it. The first couple coats soaked right in but darkened the oak nicely right away. I will put more on it tomorrow. Up close you can see chips, dings and general distress which I believe confirm it's age. Since I posted earlier I've found patent dates of Jan. 9, 1917 on all the hardware. It is good and solid, quite sturdy and the doors still seem to seal nicely. I'm pretty sure it was commercially made rather than home built. The three original rack shelves are still in place. I just spent the evening cleaning it up. I removed the latches and lubed their inside mechanisms, then re-installed and tightened the hinge screws. That's when I found the patent dates. I'll take a pic of the rear and see if I can add larger pics here so you can get a better view.

The interior looks to have been painted with an enamel white at some point. Long ago from the looks of it, but the ice compartment was not painted. I think I will leave it like this inside.
I went over every inch of it with a bright light looking for any evidence of a badge having been attached but could not find any. If it had a label affixed to the inside, like I've seen on others, no trace remains of it either.
I checked and a 5 gallon pail fits perfectly in the ice compartment so I plan to grab a few bags of ice tomorrow and see how well this old girl cools after all these years.
Cheers, Ed

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Nice. Certainly looks genuine. The back looks more artisanal than industrial though. You say the inside may have been painted at some point but is is not porceline lined ?
Have you checked out CORK WALL ice boxes ? Both McCray & Garland also made similar wooden ice boxes but there would be brass name plaques in full view.

 

[LizzieMaine]

D. Eddy & Sons was another very prominent icebox manufacturer, from the latter part of the 19th Century to the 1930s. Their boxes usually had a name badge nailed to the top rail, above the doors -- even if the badge isn't there now, the holes might be. There were also many generic, unbranded ice boxes sold thru neighborhood hardware stores, mail-order and the like -- these were often seconds from the bigger manufacturers, released without a brand name.

The ice compartment was usually not painted or enameled in boxes of this type -- the galvanized metal was believed to be a better conductor of cold. If you intend to use it as an ice box, make sure the channel or tube from the ice compartment to the drip pan outlet is not plugged up with gunk -- otherwise, you'l have a lot of water where you don't want it.

I lived with an ice box for about two years - a small apartment-sized model -- and I went thru about thirty pounds of ice a week on average, which got the inside temperature down to about fifty degrees at the height of summer, and about 45 in the winter. You won't want to keep meat too long in an icebox -- a day or so, tops., and only buy your milk a quart at a time. And the ice will last longer if you wrap it up in newspaper!

 

[Ed Bass]

Thank you both. I will search those manufacturer names to see if I find a match. Liz, thank you for the tips on usage. I don't think I'll gamble on storing meat inside. Probably just beverages, maybe a cigar or two?
Cheers, Ed

 

[Ed Bass]

This is interesting. This morning I moved the icebox and found this small label piece underneath. It can only have come from the icebox. Perhaps a model number? It is made of light card stock, measures approx. 2 1/2 inches long, has a faded yellow border line. Looks/feels to be very old and brittle. The best I can deduce from what's left is that it may say Niña No.25. with the small registered trademark R following. A google search again turned up nothing. Once more, I turned the box over, under and every direction looking for more of this tag or where it may have come from (a staple?), with a bright light and a magnifying glass, but to no avail.

I'm certainly open to other interpretations, the first letter could also be an H, K, N, V, W, X or Y. I thought perhaps "King" but with the virgulilla above the third letter I felt Niña was the best option. Of course there is the outside chance that it is from something completely different and just happened to have gotten wedged in the icebox years ago.
Appreciate any and all input.
Best, Ed

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm going to guess that's a piece of a label off a Spanish or Mexican wine bottle - Viña. Someone very likely used your box, at some point in its life, as a liquor cabinet.

 

[Ed Bass]

Hmmmm?
I think that is a very good guess Liz, thanks.
I didn't think of that because of the card stock thickness rather than paper label feel of the this piece. But it makes perfect sense.