Antique Victorian Military Campaign Trunk – Black Painted Pine with HVB initials

This has bags of character. it as a late Victorian/early 20th-century military or campaign-style travelling trunk, I can't claim a particular regiment without further evidence. Research The stencilled initials and wonderfully worn black finish are the real selling points.

66 cm wide

36 cm depth

30 cm tall

Please note: UK sale only. Delivery will be by specialist antique furniture courier and require customer to sign for delivery. Heavy item

Please note a % of the profit will go to Blesma. Blesma stands for British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association. It is a national charity that supports serving and ex-service men and women who have suffered limb loss, loss of the use of limbs, or loss of an eye or sight while serving in the British Armed Forces. Blesma's mission is to help these veterans lead independent and fulfilling lives, offering support in their communities throughout the UK.

Antique Victorian Military Campaign Trunk – Black Painted Pine with HVB initials

A wonderfully atmospheric antique black-painted pine travelling trunk or campaign chest, believed to date from the late Victorian to early 20th-century period.

Substantially constructed from pine with extensive iron reinforcement, the chest has heavy metal corner plates, long internal strap hinges and a traditional carrying handle to the side. The interior remains pleasingly untouched and includes an original narrow storage compartment or till running down one side.

Perhaps its most appealing feature is the surviving hand-stencilled lettering to the front. The initials “H.V.B.” remain clearly visible in gilt paint, with further heavily worn numbers and lettering beneath. These markings suggest the chest was once identified for its original owner, although without further provenance we cannot attribute it to a particular individual, regiment or service.

The exterior retains its old black-painted finish with decades of knocks, scratches, scuffs, paint loss and wear revealing the timber beneath. Rather than detracting from the piece, this has created a superb time-worn surface and genuine decorative patina.

The interior provides generous storage and makes the chest particularly useful today as a blanket box, hallway storage chest, bedroom trunk, coffee table ( see pictures illustration only not included) or statement piece within an industrial, country-house or eclectic interior.

Approximate date: c.1880–1910

Material: Pine with iron fittings

Colour: Distressed black

Features: Original stencilled initials, iron-bound construction, carrying handle, strap hinges and internal storage till

Condition:

Good antique condition with considerable age-related wear throughout. There are numerous scratches, knocks, marks, areas of paint loss, old staining and surface wear consistent with many decades of use. The metalwork has age-related oxidation and wear. The original locking arrangement appears incomplete and no key is present. The interior shows historic marks, staining and general wear. Please study all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

A fabulous piece of genuine old storage furniture whose worn paintwork, original lettering and robust construction give it considerably more character than a restored example.