Multi-Estate Spring 2026 Auction
Lot 507:
Description
C-19604
Group of vintage wooden crates originally used for product shipment and storage. The assortment includes several sizes and construction styles, ranging from small dovetailed boxes to larger open shipping crates with nailed plank construction. One smaller box retains faint stenciling referencing J.R. Watkins Co., the well-known Minnesota-based manufacturer of household remedies, extracts, and spices that distributed products nationwide through traveling salesmen and regional depots. Another crate shows remnants of red stenciling reading “Ammunition, ” suggesting it may have originally held military or surplus supplies.
The largest crate features reinforced corner joinery and interior divider supports, while a hand-painted white “2” on one side likely served as a warehouse or inventory designation. The smaller crates show dovetail joints and worn factory stenciling typical of early to mid-century shipping containers used in retail distribution and supply chains.
Crates show moderate to heavy age-related wear including surface scratches, staining, faded stenciling, and scattered nail oxidation. Edges show handling wear consistent with utilitarian storage and transport use.
Largest: 19” W x 13.25” D x 7.5” H
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