New Key Style Found!

Hi all! Well, it has been a while but I have something new to report...even if it is just a key.  See below a picture of a key that was offered up on ebay recently along with a Tall box.  Looks like a round key with a heart shaped bow.  Yep, it's a "bow" - …

Pricing Guide? Sales figures Dec 2019

Hi all! I visitor to my site recently asked me about the value of his box.  I referred him to this area of the site that talks about box valuation...https://www.lanecedarbox.com/copy-of-collectors-corner.   However, this got me thinking about perhaps providing a "Price Guide" on the site as a reference for the valuation of the Lane miniature boxes. …

Bottom Number Research Update

Hi all! If you would like to see more on the topic of bottom numbers, check out several posts from the past including 6/15/19 and 8/17/19. Since I last reported on my research, the number of boxes I have found with numbers stamped on their bottoms has increased to 47 - over double the number …

Black Lacquer Customization

Hi all! Last week I found a box on ebay that looked like it had a unique factory finish.  It didn't.  It was painted brown - inside and out.  The paint was thin so I stripped it off.  When a Lane box is stripped the redish color that is added to the lacquer in the …

Graduation Gift Box Insert

Hi all! Two posts in one day...it's been awhile since that has happened! On the e-bay today there is a box for sale with the original cardboard insert still enclosed... As you can see, this is a later-era Short box probably from the 1980's or later but this is just a guess.  I haven't seen …

Cool carved box for Megan

Hi all! Recently a box collector named John came across this box at a thrift store and luckily he found this blog and shared the find with me. We will probably never know who the artist/carver LJK? is but it's nice to know the box is in the hands of someone that will preserve and …

Website update

Hi all! Just a quick note about the website dedicated to our Lane boxes. Back about a year and a half ago - around June of 2018 - I launched http://www.lanecedarbox.com.  I had no idea how to make a website but with the help of a friend and wix.com, we put together a pretty nice …

Last off the line – Update

Hi all! My friend, Virginia from Virginia sent me this clipping today describing the closing of the miniature department at the Lane factory in Altavista, VA.  The article says Lane announced "On Friday" the department would be closing.  As we all know, May 26, 1999 was a Wednesday so the announcement likely was talking about …

New Heart Key Found

Hi all, Real quick find... I found this key on ebay being offered with a Tall box. The bottom label tells us the box is probably from the late 1940's up to around 1956.  The box is very common and the lid logo is also very common for the era mentioned above. Given the heart …

Peterson Brothers Box – Age 1929

Hi all! As a reminder, my working theory is Peterson Brothers Mfg. in Chicago made boxes for Lane as part of the Girl Graduate Plan from roughly 1925 to 1935 along with Pilliod of Ohio.  I won't go into my rationale here; you can go back to my posts about Early Era boxes for more …