Iron Boxes

Beautiful and rare example of late 18th century Italian master blacksmith craftsmanship, this antique studded safe with typical all-around hobnails and great wrought iron details, pr...

Beautiful handmade oak silver chest. It was made to hold valuables such as silver coins, jewels or maps. This was the precursor to the modern day safe. It is due to its age beautiful...

A charming folk art 19th-century country English mahogany lidded blanket chest, storage chest, trunk, or painted decorated box featuring a Georgian manor house facade on the outside...

A Swedish Baroque box with original ironwork, key and working lock dated (forged in iron) 1752. This pine wood box, bought in the region of "Dalsland" in Sweden, not far from from No...

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING Cast Iron French Safe or Strong Box From our Boxes collection, we are pleased to offer this French Safe Cast Iron Strong Box by Bauche. The Safe of rectangular form made from cast iron with extensive riveting and twin loop handles. The safe has two escutcheon covers to the front, the left is the genuine lock which turns to reveal the keyhole and the right is a dummy for symmetry. The top of the box is fitted with a plaque that reads in French Incombustible Systeme Bauche Brevete S.G.D.G usine A Gueux Marne (Incombustible System Bauche Patented S.G.D.G factory A Gueux Marne). The interior of the safe has been lined in a gunmetal grey cushioned velvet to give cushioning to your most treasured objects. Has Key and fully working lock. The French Safe dates to the second half of the 19th century during the reign of Napoleon III circa 1865. Henry Bauche Bauche Safes...

Charming folk art 19th-century country English pine blanket chest or box featuring a Georgian manor house facade on the outside. The storage box has a hinged top and handles on each ...

Charming folk art 19th-century country English pine blanket chest or box featuring a Georgian manor house facade on the outside. The storage box has a hinged top and handles on each ...

“God in the heart, Love in the arms, Makes the bed pleasant and warm, Since 1713.” Translated in English ,-those poetic and symbolic in nature, charming German inscription are encirc...

A very unique decorative jewelry box hand-crafted of black glass, mirror, iron, and geode by Don Drumm, late 20th century. The geode boasts a bevy of brilliant blues, from cerulean t...

Japanese antique mid size Tansu (chest of drawers), product of circa 1870s - 1900s, late Edo to Meiji era, estimate from the style & conditions. Remaining original paint gives a ...

Wooden coffret, call minnekästchen, engraved with a dog, a hare and foliage with polychromy remains. During the Middle Age, the hare is a symbol of fertility, joy and represents the Christ...

Rare and very beautiful Swedish travel box with stunning patina and hand forged iron details. Working lock and key ( bronze key from the 19th century). Sweden, circa 1750-1800. Weath...

19th century non-combustible cast-iron travel strongbox by Bauche-Fichet, France Antique travel safe in non-combustible cast iron from northeastern France (Gueux, Marne). It is de...

19th century birdseye maple box with brass nail head decoration and iron lock plate and hasp. This box is hand crafted with beautiful dovetail joints visible on the corners, evidence...

Keep your jewelry and important documents locked up in this elegant, antique safe from the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. Crafted circa 1880, and built in cast iron, this heavy ...

Mid 18th century hand painted traditional Swedish chest/box circa 1750. Stunning traditional Swedish box hand painted in the original paintwork.   Decorated on all sides with swags ...

We present this beautiful and rare small trunk made in the early 20th century. Made entirely of iron with brass decorations, this trunk has a Gothic-inspired design. A unique decora...

The iron coffer, fully original in every part of it, was forged and handcrafted in German in the 1610. Complete with key. Full working iron mechanisms. It ...

A fine example of a diminutive burled walnut vargueno, collector or valuables cabinet, with molded cornice and drop front, opening to a multi-drawer ...

A very rare wood lined "Anno 1219 Battle of Estonia" lidded box / humidor by Iron Art of Copenhagen, circa early 1900s. The casket box commemorates the Danish / Estonian Battle of Ly...

Spanish Colonial style painted and gilt wood table top vargueno, a chest with eight drawers and four doors with iron drop pulls. A sweet little chest with a lot of personality, decor...

Elegant cast iron box manufactured by Husqvarna, Sweden, during the 1930s. The lid is decorated with finely sculpted reclining nude figures in relief, displaying exceptional craftsma...

Safe box. Iron. XIX century. Rectangular safe made of iron, with a rectangular base, two handles on the sides and classicist-influenced molding decorations on the fronts and top. It...

This is a superb antique goldsmith’s strong box. An English, cast iron locking safe, dating to the Victorian period, circa 1880. Of substantial weight and presence, this heavy safe embodies the durability and craftsmanship of 19th century security design, offering both practical storage and striking decorative appeal. Constructed from robust cast iron, ensuring remarkable strength and longevity Displays a time-worn painted blue finish, contributing to its wonderful aged patina Substantial lid fitted with a robust, articulated handle for confident operation Features a working lock mechanism, protected by a rotating lock cover Painted red interior offers a delightful contrast, beautifully aged with period character Fitted with a pair of side handles, allowing for careful movement despite its considerable weight Proves to be delightfully heavy at a weight of 86.6kg (190.92 lb) Ideal for use as a decorative storage box, strong room piece, or unique coffee table feature Exudes the industrial elegance and solidity associated with Victorian engineering A fine example of 19th century craftsmanship, combining form and function with historical allure A striking Victorian cast iron strong box...

Originally used as a safe or strong-box, this antique iron trunk remains a trustworthy vault for treasured possessions. Made in 19th century France,...

A handsome Continental rectangular iron-bound bullion (or strong) box or coffer chest of patinated walnut from the Renaissance 17th century, featuring a paneled exterior with decorat...

A Spanish strong box from the 18th century. This antique safe from is constructed or iron clad wood, and is handsomely adorn in domed iron nailhead trim throughout it's top, front, a...

Beautiful and rare Gothic Revival treasure box with bronze handle. If you are a collector of antique boxes and/or if you are looking for an extraordinary jewelry box to grace your credenza or side table then this unique and top quality made specimen in the Gothic style could be perfect. Gothic Revival boxes are very hard to find and we have never seen one with such prodigious carvings on all sides. The unique and cat-like dragon gargoyles (with fangs) that look like they are carrying this casket, are just some of the stunningly carved and detailed sculptures that make this antique rarity even more artistic and impressive. Another great feature are the peacock sculptures. In Christianity the peacock is the symbol of purity. Christians believe that once someone has passed their soul rises and goes to heaven. This is why in earlier times Christians would spread the feathers of a peacock over the deceased since it symbolized a pure soul that was immune to corruption. The peacock also represents immortality, resurrection, and the spiritual teachings of Jesus Christ and the Christian church. Have you also noticed the top quality details on both ends of the bronze handle on top? The quality of that ornamental work is of the absolute highest standard also. There are many more incredibly beautiful, hand carved details and together they show that no expense was spared to create one of the most amazing Gothic caskets...

A fine Korean iron box with intricate silver inlay dated to the late Joseon Dynasty circa 19th century. The body of the box is made from iron of a heavy weight although the wear on t...

Spanish, 18th century or earlier. An 18th century Spanish bargueno or vargueno traveling desk, used for storing documents, jewels, or sewing box. The six drawer chest is inset with ...

French Set of Three Manual Coffee Grinders for Grinding Coffee Beans The Size is the Largest

Public mailbox of the French Post Office Model in molded cast iron manufactured by Delachanal in Paris - Late 19th Century Good general condition - presented in its original conditi...

Paneled case with top lifting handle and side handles. Signed on top with working lock and key.

19th century non-combustible cast-iron travel strongbox by Bauche-Fichet, France Antique travel safe in non-combustible cast iron from northeastern France (Gueux, Marne). It is decor...

Exceptional antique jewelry box with fine depictions of hunting themes and forest animals. Heavy iron work, silvered in a very good condition. Lined with turquoise fabric in a good c...

In 15th and 16th century Europe, the works of blacksmiths from southern Germany were known far and wide. Demand for products by these skilled metal workers spread as far as the Scandinavian countries. Perhaps one of the most intriguing items that was produced by these workshops was the iron money...

A good antique English, Charles II (Carolean) period carved oak bible or document box, circa 1680. Such boxes were particularly popular in the 17th century, when printed bibles were very expensive and a treasured family possession. The bible was most likely the only book owned by a family and was also the means of recording births, deaths & marriages which would be written on the flyleaf or endpapers. They were also used to protect other important documents and valuables and were brought to colonial America by early settlers. This bible box dates shortly after the English Civil War & the brief time that England was a Republic (known then as the Commonwealth) under Oliver Cromwell. The box typifies those Puritan values, simple six plank construction with a hinged lid enclosing a storage area for a bible or important documents. The front of the box having a carved foliate twin lunette design with a hand cut steel lock & hasp above, the box is robust & solid & for it's 350 or so years it is in very good condition! This very early antique carved bible box...

Fabulous bass Cello storage cabinet. Has 4 shelves that are 5 x 5 x 10.5. Door opens and closes with ease. Well made, high quality. In excellent vintage con...

An extraordinarily rare and visually striking 16th-century Venetian iron treasure coffer, showcasing the height of Renaissance artistry and engineering. Crafted in the early to mid-1...

"Imperial Manufacture Of Tula, Russia, End Of The 18th Century. Steel Sewing Box" Russian work from the imperial factory of Tula from the end of the 18th century. inlaid with copper ...

Scandinavian 19th century folk art handmade pine box circa 1830. Good quality piece of Swedish woodwork.  These strong boxes would have been used to store the households valuables i...

Antique Bronze Trinket Box Casket Copenhagen Denmark Battle of Estonia by Iron Art. Item features scenes depicting the Danish King Daldemar's divine...

Bring a touch of nostalgia into your interior with this beautiful, original metal coffee tin by J.C. Dorlas. The bright red tin with gold lettering and a beautiful weathered patina e...

A beautiful casket form cast iron and bronze dresser box, jewelry box, cigar box, or decorative box with interior cedar lining. The front depicts a scene from the 1219 Battle of Lynd...

This is an antique flower press box. An English, beech and cast iron hobby case dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. A rare and characterfu...

19th century most rare and unusual original painted miniature bible box with original painted surface and gilding. This early gem has original iron hi...

Unique and all handcrafted, wrought iron box attr. to Hugo Berger Goberg. It is always refreshing to find an antique object probably by a famous maker, that you have never seen befo...

Antique folk art box, a so called Forskrin which was used when travelling for storing documents and valuables around the late 1700s. Made in nor...

A Rare Carved and Metal Mounted Casket with Remnants of ‘Pastiglia’ Decoration retaining the original lock plate Wood, iron, polychrome Catalonia, Spain 14th Century Size: 17cm ...

This antique French safe was crafted circa 1880 in the Champagne-Ardenne region by Bauche, renowned for their patented “Système Incombustible” fireproof designs. Weighing 78 pounds, ...

Antique coffee tin by H. Smith of Groningen, bearing the title of Purveyor to the Royal Household. The original red color with gold-yellow lettering...

Leather trunk Spanish, 17th century Boiled Leather, wood and iron Measures: 22 x 53 x 32 cm. Provenance : - collection Metz-Noblat, Château de Clevant, France Rectangular trunk of the form and size of a small suitcase with wrought iron hinges and lock-plate. Wood, covered with leather, cut and embossed with every surface of the thick cow hide covered in interlace, zoomorphic features. The construction method is boiled leather, often referred to by its French translation cuir-bouilli: a process used to change flexible, vegetable-tanned leather into rigid, moulded objects. For shaping of the vegetable-tanned leather, heat and moisture were used, as indicated by the term boiled leather. No written medieval sources describing the production of decorated cuir bouilli objects survive, so knowledge of the process relies on the important studies of the Scottish leather historian John William Waterer. A large range of methods, materials and techniques could be used in various combinations. The vegetable-tanned leather, made supple with moisture and heat, was stuffed, shaped and nailed to the rigid wooden coffer support. The stuffing material was probably modeled beeswax or stearin wax. To shape the leather, to create its topography, « Cushions » were made by lacing a thread through an awl hole and attaching the flexible leather and stuffing to the rigid wooden support on the bottom. Then the decoration was done: lines were incised through the upper layer of the leather (epidermis) with different thicknesses of knives or needles. Contours were created with deep v-shaped cuts, decoration with thin incision and final details with a needle point. For the incision and pouncing stage, the leather was probably kept heated and moistened for suppleness. Once dry, the leather would be hard and rigid. the saturated leather is worked over a form, possibly even damp sand, with the pattern shaped using bone or wooden tools. Compare to metal, leather was lighter and it offered protection from cuts and punctures. Cuir bouilli objects were produced by specialist leather workers and needed skillful craftsmanship. The surface is filled with roundels shaped foliages enclosing animals, lions and peacocks. The foliate arabesques creating a vegetal connection tweet the animals create the impression of a lush verdant space . The vegetal pattern here employed in combination with geometrical pattern came from the pre-islamic artistic traditions of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires. An aspect of Islamic geometry Is the basic symmetrical repetition and mirroring of the shapes that create a sense of harmony. The decoration of this truck is inspired by the islamic « arabesque » a form of vegetal ornament composed of spirals, intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear motifs. An arabesque character is given to the birds of the decorations through extreme stylisation. This arabesque maintained the classical tradition of median symmetry, freedom in Detail and heterogeneity of ornament. The presence of the peacocks is a paradisiacal allusion: in popular Islamic literature they were among the original inhabitants of the garden of Paradise expelled with Adam and Eve. Peacock as a decorative motif may have originated in the West, despite their eastern provenance. There was an ancient belief that the flesh and feathers of peacock do not decay. This led to the peacock becoming a christian symbol for Christ’s resurrection. Renowned for their decorative wall hangings, seventeenth-century Spanish leatherworkers also produced utilitarian objects, such as this trunk. A similar trunk is on display at the Metropolitan museum of art ( 09.158.1). Related literature : Davies L. 2006. Cuir bouilli. Conservation of leather and related materials, 94-102, Oxford: elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Grabar, Oleg. The Mediation of Ornament. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992 Gabriela Germana Roquez, "El mueble en el Peru en el siglo XVIII...

An extremely rare pair of Regency cast-iron sarcophagus shaped strong boxes. Regency, circa 1820 Painted to simulate palisander wood and with parcel-gilt, the cavetto-moulded hinged lids cast with flower sprays above foliate-cast bands over front panels relieved with river gods within canted corners cast with standing muses, the sides with lion mask and ring handles over leafy aprons on massive lion’s paw feet; the Brahmah type lock stamped “T. Davis from London” and impressed with the Royal Crown. These extraordinary pieces are modelled on Regency wine coolers. The forms are classic Greco-Roman revival with the boat-hook handles, mythic figures and the overall sarcophagus pattern. You would struggle to find one let alone a pair. Good items for any collection. Research on going into these strong boxes but we have found possible information on the lock stamped Davis….(historyoflocks ) The relationship of King George III and George Davis of Windsor, who was locksmith in ordinary to His Majesty. Davis, in 1799, invented and patented a unique style of lock, which was also beautifully engraved with a warning not to make duplicate keys. Sensitive government secrets always demanded, then as today, locks that were state of the art. Davis locks ended up on government dispatch boxes...

Mid 19th Century Swedish Folk Art Travel box from Skellefteå Västerbotten, Northern Sweden. Beautiful untouched original paint. Dated 1858 Decorated with handwrought iron around the ...

A charming scarce Spanish Colonial era parquetry inlaid cedar legged storage chest (large table box / small trunk) with nicely aged warm rich dark patina. circa 1790 Rustic handmade...

French steel box from the 1930s. Green lacquered case with golden craquelé pattern. The cash register has a classic handle and a key to lock. Painted green in the interior and a shee...

An Italian straw work box decorated everywhere with extraordinary straw-work geometrical marquetry on a wooden structure, coated even inside and at the bottom. This Italian box, has a rectangular shape, hand-realized in an antique abbey...

Beautiful and rare example of late 18th century Italian master blacksmith craftsmanship, this antique studded safe with typical hobnails and great wrought iron details, probably from...

Iron strong box treasure chest, nicely crafted case and mechanism. Original key included . Possibly stage coach item .

A charming antique 19th century British pine document box with iron handles, monogrammed L.B. Elliott on a brass plaque on the top. Handcrafted with solid dovetail construction and a...