What is a mule chest?

A mule chest combines a traditional lift-lid coffer compartment with one or more functional drawers built into the lower base. This design evolution provided easier access to frequently used items without disturbing the contents piled on top. Craftsmen produced these pieces extensively through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in English and Welsh workshops. They served as primary bedroom and landing furniture for storing household linens and garments.

How were these chests used?

These pieces served primarily as secure domestic storage for valuable textiles, blankets, clothing, and legal documents before fitted wardrobes became common. Their heavy timber construction and iron locks protected contents from dampness, pests, and theft. Many examples also functioned as impromptu seating benches or window seats within historic homes. The flat lids provided a sturdy surface when the chests rested at the foot of a bed or along hallway walls.

What is a coffer bach?

A coffer bach is a miniature Welsh chest, typically standing on bracket feet or a small stand. Despite their small scale, cabinetmakers constructed them with the same joinery techniques used for full-sized furniture. These diminutive pieces often functioned as presentation items, dowry gifts, or specialised storage for precious documents and small valuables. Surviving examples remain sought after for their compact proportions and regional character.

How do you date an oak coffer?

Dating relies on observing construction methods, hinge types, nail marks, and stylistic clues within the carved panels or framing. Early pieces often display pegged mortise and tenon joints with hand-split panels, while nineteenth-century versions incorporate machine-sawn timber and different fastening techniques. Secondary woods like elm and specific regional carving patterns also help historians narrow down the era and geographic origin. Comparing the layout against dated archival examples confirms the likely period of manufacture.

Home > Antiques For Sale > Georgian Oak Coffer Trunk > Page 5

Georgian Oak Coffer Trunk

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When you search for a georgian oak coffer trunk, you enter a world of sturdy domestic storage built to last centuries.

18th century

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Small 18th Century Oak Coffer

From A Brookes

£1,225

FOR SALE

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

FOR SALE

chests

18th century

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Small Size 18th Century Oak Kist

From James R Millington Antiques

£575

FOR SALE

chests

18th century

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18th Century Period Antique Oak Coffer

From Driscolls Antiques Ltd

£695

FOR SALE

chests

Welsh Oak Coffor Bach or Miniature Chest, Circa 1760

18th century

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Welsh Oak Coffor Bach or Miniature Chest, Circa 1760

From WelshAntiques

£1,900

FOR SALE

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18th century

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18th Century Welsh Oak Coffer Bach

From Clive Payne Antiques

£2,950

FOR SALE

chests

18th century

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An Imposing 18th Century Oak Mule Chest

From Marlborough Antiques & Interiors

£1,585

FOR SALE

chests

Large Antique Mule Chest, Georgian, Oak, Coffer Over Three Drawers, Circa 1780

18th century

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Large Antique Mule Chest, Georgian, Oak, Coffer Over Three Drawers, Circa 1780

From London Fine Antiques

£3,250

FOR SALE

chests

18th century

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Welsh Oak Inlaid Coffer, Circa 1770

From WelshAntiques

£3,200

FOR SALE

chests

Unusual Original 19thc Small Painted Welsh Coffer.

19th century

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Unusual Original 19thc Small Painted Welsh Coffer.

From Mike Melody Antiques

£295

FOR SALE

chests

The listings feature pieces spanning the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, constructed predominantly in oak with occasional elm, painted finishes, and brass hardware.

18th century

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18th Century Coffer Bach

From Midwinter Antiques

£1,400

FOR SALE

chests

18th century

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An Absolutely Lovely 18th Century Oak Coffer or Blanket Box.

From Designer Antiques4u

£495

FOR SALE

chests

18th century

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18th Century Small English Oak Coffer

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£850

FOR SALE

chests

An Early Georgian Oak, Raised Panelled, Mule Chest

18th century

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An Early Georgian Oak, Raised Panelled, Mule Chest

From The Dorking Desk Shop

£750

FOR SALE

chests

Unusually Small Georgian Oak Coffor Bach or Miniature Coffer

18th century

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Unusually Small Georgian Oak Coffor Bach or Miniature Coffer

From Havard and Havard

£1,495

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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Early 19th Century Green Painted Oak Coaching Trunk.

From Rupert Hitchcox Antiques

£125

FOR SALE

chests

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Georgian Oak Coffer Trunk

Small 18th Century Oak Coffer

Spectacular Quality Georgian Mahogany Antique Chest

Small Size 18th Century Oak Kist

18th Century Period Antique Oak Coffer

Welsh Oak Coffor Bach or Miniature Chest, Circa 1760

18th Century Welsh Oak Coffer Bach

An Imposing 18th Century Oak Mule Chest

Large Antique Mule Chest, Georgian, Oak, Coffer Over Three Drawers, Circa 1780

Welsh Oak Inlaid Coffer, Circa 1770

Unusual Original 19thc Small Painted Welsh Coffer.

18th Century Coffer Bach

An Absolutely Lovely 18th Century Oak Coffer or Blanket Box.

18th Century Small English Oak Coffer

An Early Georgian Oak, Raised Panelled, Mule Chest

Unusually Small Georgian Oak Coffor Bach or Miniature Coffer

Early 19th Century Green Painted Oak Coaching Trunk.

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