2014 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 240 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the …

Variation update announcement!

Hi all! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Today, as I was reviewing the details of the boxes in my collection, I noticed I had a variation that was not accounted for in my "Detailed Box Description and Designations" post of Dec 14, 2014.  I have a short box with rounded front and …

Building a chronology…Part 2, The Short Boxes

Hi all. As I said in my last post, I have not found any evidence of a Short box older than 1963.   It is my assumption that Lane changed the size of the boxes sometime between 1957 and 1963. The box I can definitively date as 1963 contains the following lid logo brand... I have …

Building a chronology…Part 1, the older boxes?

Hi all. Over the past several months, my primary goal has been to find, view or read about as many of our Miniature Lane Cedar Chests as possible.  All along, hoping I would find someone that has done the research to determine how to "age" the boxes.  So far, no one has been found and …

Detailed Box Descriptions and Designations – Revised!

Hi all. I thought my next step would be to post my findings about chronology or age to this here blog.  However, as I thought through this, I think the first step should be to designate (or name) the different types/sizes/styles of boxes I have been able to find thus far.  In this way, as …

Lid Logo update

Hi all. Previously I could only attribute the Lane logo brand shown here to a couple of boxes with mortised hinges, scalloped feet and a latch & hook instead of a key lock.  However, I have now found this brand in a box which I would describe as typically "tall" in an e-bay posting. Remember, …

Wikipedia…Wrong about our boxes!

Hi all. I came across a Wikipedia page for Hope Chests last night.  Highlighted on the page was "Lane Company Chests."  And, yes, there is a mention of our miniature cedar chests - and by "mention" I mean one sentence.  In this one sentence there was an error!  It stated our little boxes were 12" …

Made a box and Facebook

Hi all. In an attempt to expand the reach of my quest, I have established a Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/minilanechest.  Go check it out.  Please Like it and stuff. My research updates will still continue to be chronicled here. For those that don't know, I am an amateur woodworker.  This weekend I decided to see how …

Lane history book review

I'm back for a double - two posts in one day! I just finished reading the book I ordered, "LANE...Furniture with a Tradition and a Future, The Company's First 50 Years" by Edward Hudson Lane.  Edward is the son of the founder of Lane furniture.  When I say "book" it is a bit misleading.  The …

Virginia Historical Society response

Quest update... A few weeks back, I sent a request to the Virginia Historical Society soliciting help from their records department because I learned they house the Lane Company historical archives/records.  I was, of course, looking for dates that could be associated with our boxes - specifically trademark or logo records. Today, I was excited …