How can you fix a broken trunk handle?

Most people replace them entirely. You can buy slotted leather handles that slip into the original metal end caps. Check the pins holding those caps to the timber. If the metal remains solid, swapping the leather loop only takes a few minutes.

I found an old trunk in the attic and the inside smells musty and damp, what is the best way to clean that out?

Getting rid of that musty odour takes time. Start by leaving the lid open in a dry, well-ventilated room for a few days to let the timber breathe out the damp. Brush out any loose dust or flaking paper. Some people leave a bowl of baking soda inside with the lid shut for a week to absorb lingering smells. Avoid soaking the interior. If the paper lining is beyond saving, you'll have to strip it back to the bare wood.

What is the canvas covering for?

Canvas kept the pine carcase dry. Ship holds and dockyards weren't dry environments. Makers treated the fabric with sizing. This sealed the weave against sea spray and dirt.

There are all these paper stickers on the outside of my trunk from old hotels and ships, should I try to scrape them off?

Leave the labels alone. They provide a physical record of the journeys the trunk made and the ports it visited. Collectors look for original travel stickers. They show the item functioned exactly as intended during a specific era of ocean travel. If you want to clean the exterior, work around them. Light dusting is usually enough to keep the surface looking right.

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Antique Steamer Trunks

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Designed to slide under cabin bunks during long ocean voyages, an antique steamer trunk is a low-profile, flat-topped chest heavily reinforced for rough handling.