I found this trunk at a yard sale today and am trying to find more information on it such as manufacturer or date. It has alligator metal, the wooden insert still and the top dome has a compartment on the inside. There is also a decal with a bird, dog and woman on it. I checked all the locks and hinges and cannot find a patent date. It also has 2 wheels on one side of the bottom
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This is Antique Dome Top / Humpback Pressed Tin Trunk.
Dome-Topped trunks had noticeably domed tops and were therefore less used for travel purposes. They are also referred to as round top, camel, barrel and humpback trunks, and are frequently made of embossed tin.
There were hundreds of makers of such antique trunks. Therefore, if there is no maker's mark on the trunk, then it is almost impossible to find out who made it, as well as the exact year of manufacture. Sometimes these trunks have a patent mark on their locks ("Pat" and the month, day and year), but even this date refers only to the dating of the patented items, not the trunk. Therefore, the date of manufacture of such trunks can be determined only approximately, focusing on the model of the trunk, details and its distinctive features.
Embossed sheet metal covering for trunks was made from flat sheets of most commonly zinc, tin or sheet iron, which was run through a press to put the raised patterns into the metal. Zinc was used because it does not rust, although it does oxidize and change from a shiny silver color to a due gray color over time. Some plain flat sheet zinc was used on American trunks, primarily for the bottoms, during the 1860's. The earliest types of embossed metal was used on American trunks primarily during the 1870's to mid 1880's and they were actually made of zinc and zinc coated sheet iron. I found this information on this website: www.thisoldtrunk.com/
Your chest is plated with Alligator pattern www.thisoldtrunk.com/
The "Alligator" pattern sheet metal covering was patented In Feb.
So you have Antique Dome Top / Humpback Trunk Alligator Embossed Metal circa late 1880s - early 1900's.
You haven't written if you are interested in the value of your trunk. At the moment it is not in the best condition and its price is about $200-350. Price of fully restored antique trunks is about $550-600.
Thrifty Fun has a whole section on the subject here www.thriftyfun.com/
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