What is the difference between a coffer and a trunk?

Coffer is the word used for an early lidded chest, usually oak, boarded or joined and panelled, and it appears in 271 titles. These were domestic pieces for linen, blankets and valuables. Trunk in this category leans towards travel: leather, canvas, hide and metal-bound boxes made for the coach, ship and rail, plus campaign trunks made for military service. Bound appears in 43 titles, campaign in 40.

Why are so many of these described only by century?

The structured dated field runs from 1680 to 1940, but only 174 of 789 listings carry a clean year. Century labels fill the gap: 19th Century on 160, 17th Century on 103, 18th Century on 90. Reign and era words do the rest, with Victorian on 69 and Georgian on 44. Decade tags are thin and late, so 19th Century or Victorian works as a bracket rather than a date.

What is a mule chest?

A coffer with one or more drawers built into the base. It sits between the plain lidded chest and the chest of drawers, and the term appears in 64 titles. Samples run from two-drawer pine through to three-drawer Georgian oak and mahogany.

Are camphor wood chests common in this category?

Camphor is the signature imported timber, named 58 times across its spellings, and it is almost always paired with brass fittings or campaign use. The aromatic wood was used for insect-proof storage of textiles. Teak appears in 20 titles, Chinese in 20 and Indian in 18. These came home through trade and military service, alongside Zanzibar, Ceylonese, Korean and Japanese pieces.

How big do these chests get?

Size language cuts both ways. Eighty titles say large, reaching monumentally large and enormous, while 52 say small. At the smaller end sit miniature Welsh coffer bach barely bigger than a box, and deed boxes. Silver chests, iron- or steel-bound oak boxes for plate, are a distinct minor line at 21 titles.

Does painted pine sell alongside the oak?

It does. Pine appears in 114 titles and painted in 61, taking in Scottish and Welsh kists, Victorian stripped pine and Continental painted work. Scandinavian painted chests are a recognisable seam, with 16 titles naming Swedish pieces plus Scandinavian, Danish, Alpine, Hungarian and Romanian marriage and dome-top chests. Within that group, original paint sits at the higher end.

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Antique Storage Trunks

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A lidded box for linen, blankets, plate or the road, most often an oak coffer or blanket chest, sometimes a bound travelling trunk or a camphor-wood chest brought home from the East.

19th century

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Large 19th Century Portuguese Teak Ripple Moulded Coffer

From Hansord Antiques

£4,800

3+ MONTHS AGO

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Elizabethan Welsh Oak Six-plank Chest, Circa 1560

16th century

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Elizabethan Welsh Oak Six-plank Chest, Circa 1560

From WelshAntiques

£1,250

3+ MONTHS AGO

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Small Welsh Painted Pine Artisan's Chest, Circa 1840

19th century

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Small Welsh Painted Pine Artisan's Chest, Circa 1840

From WelshAntiques

£340

3+ MONTHS AGO

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18th century

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Small 18th Century Oak Coffer

From A Brookes

£1,225

3+ MONTHS AGO

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Nineteenth Century Country House Silver Box

19th century

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Nineteenth Century Country House Silver Box

From Beresford Antiques LTD

£695

3+ MONTHS AGO

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19th century

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Korean Elm Bandaji Chest

From Ropeworks Antiques

£1,280

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

1900 - 1920

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Nice Iron Bound Mahogany Chest

From Fernyhough Antiques Ltd

£495

3+ MONTHS AGO

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17th century

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17th Century French Oak Coffer

From Brookside Antiques

£695

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

Spectacular Quality Georgian Mahogany Antique Chest

18th century

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Spectacular Quality Georgian Mahogany Antique Chest

From Driscolls Antiques Ltd

£1,450

3+ MONTHS AGO

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19th century

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19th Century Hardwood Trunk

From Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd

£2,850

3+ MONTHS AGO

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Size words cut both ways on Sellingantiques: 80 storage trunk titles say large, up to monumentally large, and 52 say small, including miniature Welsh coffer bach.

Large Antique Shipping Chest, English, Oak, Carriage Trunk, Georgian, Circa 1800

18th century

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Large Antique Shipping Chest, English, Oak, Carriage Trunk, Georgian, Circa 1800

From London Fine Antiques

£2,350

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

18th century

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Georgian Oak Mule Chest

From Brookside Antiques

£775

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

19th century

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Antique Painted Pine Box 1800s

From Pinefinders

£627

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

17th century

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Charles II Small Oak Coffer

From John Howkins Antiques

£550

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

19th century

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A Victorian Brass Capped Trunk

From The Antique Partnership

£365

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

19th century

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Chip Carved Coffer

From Arcadia Antiques

£895

3+ MONTHS AGO

chests

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Antique Storage Trunks

Large 19th Century Portuguese Teak Ripple Moulded Coffer

Elizabethan Welsh Oak Six-plank Chest, Circa 1560

Small Welsh Painted Pine Artisan's Chest, Circa 1840

Small 18th Century Oak Coffer

Nineteenth Century Country House Silver Box

Korean Elm Bandaji Chest

Nice Iron Bound Mahogany Chest

17th Century French Oak Coffer

Spectacular Quality Georgian Mahogany Antique Chest

19th Century Hardwood Trunk

Large Antique Shipping Chest, English, Oak, Carriage Trunk, Georgian, Circa 1800

Georgian Oak Mule Chest

Antique Painted Pine Box 1800s

Charles II Small Oak Coffer

A Victorian Brass Capped Trunk

Chip Carved Coffer

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