Vintage probably 1950s Roneo Industrial Steel Card Index Filing Cabinets – Pair

I think these are a particularly good industrial find. The worn circular plate appears to be Roneo, and that attribution fits the cabinets themselves: contemporary British records list Roneo Ltd of London as a supplier of steel card-index cabinets in the 1930s, as well as other steel filing furniture.

The little “D 196” plate looks much more like an old departmental/inventory reference than a model number. I’d keep that in the description because it adds nicely to their working-office history.

For pricing, an eight-drawer Roneo index cabinet has recently been offered by an interiors retailer at £175, while a particularly desirable dated 1934 pair was marketed at £245. Given the fabulous untouched paint and the fact that ours are a matching pair of separate four-drawer units, at £195 for the pair is a good price

Vintage probably 1950s Roneo Industrial Steel Card Index Filing Cabinets – Pair

A fabulous pair of original vintage industrial steel filing cabinets, each fitted with four drawers and retaining a wonderfully authentic timeworn painted finish.

Believed to have been manufactured by Roneo, one of Britain's best-known makers of office filing and indexing equipment, the cabinets have the wonderfully practical, no-nonsense construction associated with mid-20th-century commercial furniture. One retains a worn circular maker's plate which appears to carry the Roneo name, together with a separate old inventory plate marked “D 196”.

Each cabinet contains four generously proportioned steel drawers arranged two over two. The fronts are fitted with their original combined pull handles and card-label holders – a classic feature of period index and records cabinets. Internally, the drawers retain their simple pressed-steel construction.

Originally intended for the organised storage of index cards, records or office paperwork, pieces like these have become enormously useful in today's home. They would make superb storage for an artist's studio, workshop, home office or shop, and are ideal for photographs, paperwork, stationery, craft materials, haberdashery, tools and collections of smaller objects.

The two cabinets can be positioned side by side or stacked, as photographed, creating a wonderfully characterful bank of eight industrial drawers.

A little about Roneo

Roneo was an important name in 20th-century office equipment and developed an extensive range of filing, indexing and office-storage systems alongside the duplicating equipment for which the company became particularly well known. Steel office furniture became increasingly popular during the inter-war and post-war period because it was robust, practical and capable of surviving years of daily commercial use. Original Roneo storage furniture is now increasingly sought after for industrial-style interiors, particularly examples which retain their old fittings, labels and working patina.

Condition

These are genuine vintage industrial cabinets and their condition is very much part of their appeal. The painted surfaces have extensive age and use-related wear, including scratches, knocks, chips, areas of paint loss, surface oxidation and discolouration. The tops show particularly good honest wear, revealing earlier layers and bare metal beneath the paint.

They have deliberately not been restored or repainted, preserving the wonderful utilitarian character acquired through decades of use.

All eight drawers are present. Please study the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

A superb piece of genuine vintage office furniture with bags of character – increasingly difficult to find as a matching pair.

Price: £195 for the pair

Ideal for: industrial interiors, office storage, studio storage, shop fitting, prop use, collectors' storage, craft rooms or an interesting alternative to conventional bedside or occasional furniture.

Vintage item – described to the best of our knowledge from the construction, surviving marks and available historical information. Age-related wear is to be expected and forms part of the character of the piece.