How many come up for sale each year?

About 25 leather chests and trunks come to market on Sellingantiques in a year. Supply is spread wide. A total of 105 different dealers have listed one, close to one dealer per two listings, so no single specialist dominates.

What is the difference between a coaching and a steamer trunk?

A coaching trunk was sized for a carriage boot and is usually studded and iron bound. Ten titles use the term. Steamer trunks are purpose-made ocean-liner luggage, often canvas and leather over wood. Seventeen titles name them, with cabin trunks meant to stand in the cabin rather than the hold.

Why is camphor wood used so often?

Camphor is aromatic, and it was used for the carcase or the lining to deter moth from stored clothing. It is named in 30 titles. It travels with brass. The Chinese export and China trade trunks are almost always leather over camphor with brass banding.

Are the earliest examples common?

No. Seventeenth-century pieces are the rarest stratum, appearing only a handful of times: a Spanish arcón, a Charles II chest on stand, two French brass-studded chests. The earliest dated piece is a Queen Anne period studded leather dome top trunk given as 1700, and the latest a crocodile suitcase dated 1950.

Do these ever turn up in pairs?

Often enough to notice. Several listings have offered pairs of Chinese, Spanish or Edwardian trunks together. One pair was sold as sofa side tables, which is how a good many redundant trunks earn their keep now, as domestic storage and seating.

What unusual forms are filed under this heading?

Not everything is luggage. A leather-topped brass log bin, a country house umbrella and walking-stick stand, a portmanteau cabin wardrobe, a hat trunk and a pair of chesterfield sofas have all appeared here. Ottomans, window seats, hall seats and daybeds form a steadier presence, about one in six of the category.