Wardrobe Trunks

We've had email asking how to use the strange boat anchor-looking hangers in wardrobe trunks. At first they appear to be upside down when compared to modern coat hangers. The secret is to first remove the hanger, place the garment on it and then replace both in the trunk. If your trunk has a wardrobe section with a top that opens then you may want to open it first, giving you even easier access to the hangers. The reason for the strange shape of the hangers is to press and hold longer garments in place in transit. After the trunk is packed then a presser bar is usually inserted in front of the hangers and garments, pushed back to compress the garments, and latched in place. This holds the garments flat and tightly in place so they won't be "mussed" as many early ads said. At least one wardrobe trunk maker called these hangers "princess" hangers and were advertised for both men and women's garments.

The wardrobe trunk used in this demo is (Sold) ~~FOR SALE!~~ (Sold) as-is. It has found a new life in the Broadway Production "Country Girl" starring Morgan Freeman.

Note: We have found another nice wardrobe trunk to replace this one. Photos are below the demo.

1. Open wardrobe section of trunk.
2. Slide out support rods that hold hangers.
3. Remove long vertical hanger.
4. Insert bottom of hanger into garment.
5. Slide hanger completely down into garment.
6. Push top sides of garment toward center, between notches of hanger.
7. Replace hanger onto support rod.
8. Push support rods back into place.
9. Close wardrobe section.

Our latest wardrobe find. An all-original MendelTrunx with the wardrobe on the right side. It has a working heavy cast lock with key and many other features. This trunk traveled on BOTH the original Cunard White Star's Queen Mary AND Queen Elizabeth and we've left the labels to prove it. In the photos, we've blotted out the original owner's name for the family's privacy but the labels themselves are intact and will be revealed to the buyer. The original shoebox, hangers, presser bar and locking bar for the drawers are still there and in excellent condition. The locking bar is behind the drawers and is actuated from the top of the drawer section by a separate lock. This lock prevents the drawers being opened in transit. This trunk was Sold to a Treasured Customer in CA. We've carefully cleaned it inside and out. We've left just enough wear to show its age.

Another of our wardrobe trunk finds. This trunk was made by the Breakless Company in the 1930s. It has two original working locks with keys, original maker's label, shoebox, hangers, presser bar and locking bar for the drawers. The locking bar is mounted behind the drawers and is accessed by removing the top drawer. When the bar is swung to the locked position it prevents all the drawers except the upper one from being removed. An extra lock prevents the upper drawer from being removed. This trunk was Sold to a Treasured Customer in CA. We've carefully cleaned it inside and out and polished some of the chrome trim, otherwise it's totally original (We even left the shipping labels which are dated 1937).

Another fantastic antique wardrobe find! Just when we thought we would never find another one, we came across this wonderful Hartmann Gibraltarized wardrobe trunk from the 1930s. This one has some really nice and interesting features. The original working lock comes complete with its original key. The lock is designed to secure the trunk very well while in transit or stationary. The lock actually consists of two halves. The upper half operates in the usual fashion but also swivels as shown in the photos below. When it is swiveled the bottom half releases and allows the trunk to be opened. This keeps the trunk locked securely on both ends and adds strength to the body. (The two lock halves are connected internally by a stainless steel rod.) By the time this one was made Hartmann started adding a little more color to their trunks so this one is beige and brown with a small stripe on the outside instead of the plain black used so much by other makers. The drawers are all intact, nice and clean and include tie-down ribbons. The wardrobe side contains not only the usual wooden hangers and presser bar but two folding hangers. Thankfully these are in excellent condition since many did not survive and are very hard to find. The bottom of the wardrobe is finished off with a shoe section and a privacy/dust curtain that snaps at the bottom. This trunk is FOR SALE as-is, the price is $599. It measures 22" wide x 24" deep x 41" tall closed and 44" x 12" x 41" open. It weighs 53 lbs. We've carefully cleaned it inside and out and replaced the leather handle, otherwise it's totally original. (We left the original owner's name and address but the name will only be revealed to the buyer.) To order please call us toll-free on 1-877-653-8786 OR send us an email to TreasuredChests@oldtrunks.com. We will mark it sold, have it professionally packed and on its way to you within hours. BTW, we found it on one of our local trunk hunts in King, NC.





Front Closed/Locked	Front Unlocked, Lock Partially Pivoted	Front Unlocked, Lock Fully Pivoted	Top and Bottom Halves of Lock

Gibraltarized Label	Hartmann Label	Rare Folding Hangers	Folding Hangers Unfolded

Drawer Interior W/Tie-Downs		Top of Trunk W/Previous Owner's Name (Revealed Only to the Buyer)