My wife has a Murphy cedar chest that I am fixing to redo. On the back it just has Murphy and #19. I haven't taken out everything from inside yet. I am trying not to. The inside is in great shape.
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On eBay this chest ranges from $175 to $450. Also this consignment link has one- www.chairish.com/
Cedar chests are not fast moving items as very few people are interested in owning one anymore. The most popular time for cedar chests was when they were known as 'hope chests' and that term no longer means anything to most people.
ThriftyFun receives a lot of questions about cedar chests so maybe you can find some of the answers from previous postings helpful in your search.
I hope you are just interested in the age (curious) and plan to redo the outside for your wife to keep in your family.
"There is a statement from a family member of the Murphy Cedar Chest company on a Thrifty fun site that states the following:
"Hi; My name is Lawson Murphy. My family manufactured cedar chests from 1946-2004. We shut down manufacturing due to Chinese competition. "
www.thriftyfun.com/
www.ebth.com/
Here is a link to a chest like yours that sold for $72 in 2017.
www.ebth.com/
There are very few Murphy chests listed for sale right now and I have not seen any evidence of any being sold in several months so I do not feel there is any way to state what the value would be.
Hope you have the information you are looking for.
This link was given so you could see what the chest looks like when it is in good condition. There are a total of 13 pictures so these should help you with your redoing project.
Personally, I think almost everyone is interested in the value of an item they have whether they intend to sell or keep - just curious...
It seems like you are not looking for the value of this item but rather the date it was made. In this case you will need to search around the the serial number that normally is on the bottom of the chest. Then you can use this number to determine the date of the chest. I feel you are looking to refunish this chest and not sell it either.
I found a 2012 (year) link that says they think the #19 piece is from the 1950s. It is hard to tell from the photos if that is a good guesstimate or not.
I am still digging to see if I can find the old catalogs I had bookmarked for Murphy trunks. When my computer crashed I lost many of my bookmarks so if I don't post back it means it was lost.
There are many fun resources for original sales catalogs online and it is always neat to see the piece new so I will keep digging.
Back then the person selling it wanted $160 for it. Sadly in today's market, asking prices for cool trunks like this are in the low teens and I have seen them by the curb for pick up, which just breaks my heart.
I hope your plan is to restore and use this piece so it can enjoy life in a new format and fashion! These pieces are so versatile and in small spaces can double as coffee tables, storage, benches, etc.
I am always sad when I see them in the trash. Post back with your finished product!
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