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Please read entire description especially if you are the buyer so that you will know how this item operates and will not damage it as some of the others listed on are damaged.
Estate find last weekend on the coast of South Carolina. Beautiful, old, and well made. I see two similar listed on that describe theirs as being from England. They also indicate the metal parts are brass. This one is clearly old, but is not marked that I can see. On this one, the metal parts look like they were plated with a silver/pewter color and underlying metal looks a copper or bronze color to me. The patina is just perfect and adds to the items beauty.
Important: There are three heavy glass decanters with original stoppers. The lids must be opened to remove the decanters. The decanters must be removed with great care so as not to damage. The decanters have no chips or cracks although the very bottom edge of the stoppers have some irregularities/ chips that I presume were made at manufacturing. Note: I think each stopper is for a specific decanter as the decanters wedge in so snugly that if not matched right will not fit in the box. There is wear to inside edge of the wood were the stoppers rub when inserted into the box. This may cause a stopper to fit very tightly into the decanter. If this happens, to remove the stopper: place in hot water for several minutes and gently tap stopper with a wooden spoon. After I purchased, I had to Google what to do and it worked perfectly.
The drawer has a spring mechanism. To activate you press the little metal part that is in the middle close to the decanters. It is just to the right of the little paper label “Brandy,” see pictures. The very first time I press the button the draw came out very quickly and smoothly; however, at other times it gets stuck and I used my finger to help it come out. Probably some kind of lubricant would help but I did not try and will let new owner do that.
Overall the finish to the exterior wood is very nice with the exception of a tiny area of chipped wood on bottom left edge - shown in last picture. The interior areas have some small stains, scratches, and wear from decanters being removed. All of this is shown in pictures.
The mirror has some areas of wear to the silver backing and a few small dark spots shown in next to last picture. What may look like cracks at the bottom of the mirror are really just a reflection of the decorative metal parts of the top of the box. It was hard to get a picture of the mirror without it, including background reflections
Item will be packed very safely. It will be insured shipping, although it is nearly impossible to collect and requires work for the buyer to even submit a claim. I have only had a handful of items damaged in shipping since I started selling on in 1998. Recently, the buyer of one such item had video of postal worker literally throwing the item down on the ground. Post office still denied claim. In light of my experience , this item will be shipped in a much larger and heavier box that buyer may expect. The item without packaging weighs about 18 pounds This will make shipping two locations distant from the East Coast expensive. I will cover the cost of the insurance, and buyer will pay actual shipping cost. I will decide between the United States post office and FedEx shipping once I have the buyer’s address. Often, FedEx will be much cheaper, but that is not always the case depending on where the item is going. I’ve actually had better results from shipping large items with FedEx, so I’m betting that will be in this case.
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy description. As always, the pictures are the best description. I’ve done my best, and I apologize for the length but I really felt like all of this information was important. Most of my sales only have a line or two of a description, but this item is special and I’d hate to see it damaged by the buyer or in shipping. Please message me with any questions or request for any more pictures.
