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Help with value of two display cases.

6 years ago


i have two J. English & Co. display cabinets (one stacked on the other in picture). They each measure approximately 29” x 18” x 26 1/2”. I was wondering if anyone had any information about these and what they each might be worth and/or sold for.

Comments (10)

  • 6 years ago

    They are what are commonly known as spool cabinets. as in spools of sewing thread.
    do a search for antique spool cabinets to see what they are selling for. But I suspect they have been refinished and the decals are new.

  • 6 years ago

    Prices for antiques are regional. A fair price in north Florida will be different than a fair price in Pennsylvania and they are both different than the fair price in Kansas. Also, trends change. One year I bought two coverlets woven in 1856 for $50, several years later they were selling for $600 each and several years later the price had dropped. Victorian furniture was the rage 20 years ago, but is now out of favor. Primitives could be bought 15 years ago for a few dollars, now that has changed, probably due to go down in price soon.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Please show photos of the drawer insides in case any remnants of inserts remain. Are the drawers dovetailed?


    This is an ebay listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-ENGLISHS-NEEDLES-2-Drawer-Sewing-Thread-Needles-Walnut-Cabinet-Display-/113701516784


    It looks like someone has swapped drawers around so that there are two manufacturer's labelled drawers instead of one on the top cabinet. That was often done to replace a damaged drawer. Check the knobs and workmanship to see what goes where.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    It looks like a spool cabinet, and large like a spool cabinet... but it's marked with a needle manufacturer, and by the names, more than one era of it. J. English & Co's made needles, pinstuck needles, mid to late 1800's. Other pins and needles too. John English & CO's was a later era if I'm not mistaken, their needles are around in the 1940's not sure exactly when J. changed to John.

    It would be interesting to see what's inside these cabinets.

  • 6 years ago

    @beesneeds: what is a pinstuck needle? A google search didn't turn up much info.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I'm not entirely sure in this case. In a manufacturing way, maybe an ability to be a needle stuck into a pincushion or otherwise "abused" like pins... rather than needing to be more delicately handled like sewing needles with eyes into needle cases and tubes. Hearty enough for that little strawberry needle keeper on your tomato pin cushion :)


    I'm still digging into this a bit.

  • 6 years ago

    @beesneeds: Ah, that's a clue. I bet a pinstuck is a needle with a stop on the end like a pinhead or like a T-shaped pin has. It would be useful to stick part of the way through a thick fabric, like for tufting, and catch another thread on the other side, much like sewing machine needles do.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I'm not to sure on that on apple... if they were headed like pins or T pins, they would be pins, not needles.


    And also, digging around. What little images there are, pin stuck needles are regular needles, not with pin heading. J/John English isn't the only company to use the term, though they are fairly exclusive on it.

    According so older sales info, and googling books... pin stuck does seem to refer to the sturdiness of the needle itself due to manufacturing. A needle up for pinning into fabric, or putting back into the paper case, or sticking into a pincushion... rather than the daintier or more prone to breakage sewing needles that warranted tube cases.


    Aside from the needle thing that's interesting of itself... those cases in the OP do appear more of a spool cabinet size and shape rather than a needle retailer... though it is possible they could be of a transitional or otherwise crossover times when J/John English also carried things like hat, crochet, and knitting needles.

  • 6 years ago

    Wondering if struck pins is an older term for sewing machine needles. That would be the other common type of needle.

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