Vintage Steamer Trunk of The Incomparable Hildegarde

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What an incredible find!  This armoire style steamer trunk came to us, having been purchased at a NYC shop called The Dolls by our clients.

Our clients had been told that this trunk belonged to a "famous" person, but our clients didn't think much of it...enjoying the trunk as a coffee table in their den, appreciating it's vintage look.

Then, our clients decided to remodel, and passed this trunk along to us.

We wondered what our clients meant when they said this trunk MAY have belonged to some bygone famous person.

We stared at the trunk, and noticed, stenciled on the front, the words "Hildegarde,  New York City"

So we wikipedia'd those words and found to our delight the most interesting story of The Incomparable Hildegarde, cabaret singer and woman ahead of her time, a performer worldwide in the 1940s and 1950s, nicknamed The Incomparable Hildegarde by Paul Winchell.

Well, we still couldn't be sure that this trunk belonged to THAT Hildegarde, so we stared and stared some more at the trunk.  Most of the identifying travel stickers have been defaced (perhaps in an attempt to retain some of Hildegarde's privacy)  Additionally, we did not have the key to open the trunk...that had long since been separated from it's box.

Then, we noticed a simple yellow tag hanging off a side handle of the trunk.  This tag belonged to The Manhattan Storage Co.  On the back is stamped "Miss Hildegarde" and the date 1961.

We knew from wikipedia that Hildegarde had made Manhattan her home, and had retired here, finally passing away in Manhattan in 2005.

In our excitement, we called our locksmith, and he has worked diligently over the last several months trying to find a key that will open this trunk...but alas, we have had no luck in finding a key to open this treasure.  We finallly broke the lock, to reveal the inside of the piece.  Nothing notable inside, but this trunk interior is in excellent condition for it's age. 

This piece is a real treasure of days gone by in the cabaret genre.

Paypal is the preferred payment method of eBay.  Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance with payment.

Paypal is NOT accepted for local pick up.  If picking up, payment terms are cash.

We may be able to offer a layaway plan on items over $1000.00.  Storage fees will apply.  If you are interested in exploring layaway plans, please email us.

 For freight purchases, please note that we do not ship ourselves, however we are happy to assist you in getting the best possible shipping arrangement to your destination.   Send us your complete delivery address including inside logistics (stairs, etc.) and we will be happy to obtain shipping estimates for you.  You will pay your shipper directly...we offer referrals and arrange quotes as a courtesy for our buyers! Depending on your location, we have developed a network of reliable shippers for both large and small items.
 

If you would like to make your own shipping arrangements, we recommend the following carriers:

• Plycon Vanlines, at www.plycongroup.com, for very fragile and expensive items, or
  
• www.uship.com

For small items, we have included the most cost-effective shipping options in this listing. Scroll down to use the shipping calculator to get a shipping cost for your zip code. We charge actual shipping plus a modest $1.00 handling fee.

The Decorator's Exhange is a fine furnishings online consignment service located on the Gold Coast of Long Island, New York. We work with custom manufacturers and interior designers to move their overstocks and canceled orders, so often our pieces are brand new.

We also work with pre-owned pieces, and accept only the highest quality furnishings, meticulously cared for, from the finest homes. 

Whether new or pre-owned, you can rest assured that your purchase will be an exceptional value.

Feel free to contact us by phone at 516-759-7684.  You are welcome to inspect any of the pieces we have listed, prior to purchase.  Do not hesitate to contact us to set up an appointment.

To learn more about us, visit our About Me, My World and feedback pages. Note that we are members of Square Trade and honor their high benchmarks for outstanding service and integrity.

We are proud to be an eBay Powerseller and were honored to have been invited to speak about our business at eBay Live 2008 in Chicago.  We look forward to offering fine furnishings and precious items online for many years to come!

Please note that Sea Cliff Consignments and The Decorator's Exchange are not the owner of this item, but merely a bailee acting on behalf of the owner by offering this item to an online marketplace.

The acceptance of your bid creates a contract between you, as Buyer, and the Seller. You specifically acknowledge that The Decorator's Exchange is not liable for any breach of contract caused by either Buyer or Seller and you agree to expressly indemnify The Decorator's Exchange from any costs, fees or legal fees. The Decorator's Exchange's full and entire liability to you or any third party under any circumstances is limited to the sales price of the goods and no more than $100. This limitation of incidental or consequential damage may or may not apply to you depending on applicable state law.

The Decorator's Exchange warrantees and represents that the goods are as they are described in the above listing. We will accept returns of the goods if they fail to meet the descriptions above. The Decorator's Exchange specifically disclaims any implied warranties of title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Some states do not allow the disclaimer of implied warranties, so the foregoing disclaimer may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other legal rights that vary from state to state. The Decorator's Exchange's entire liability to you or any third parties under any circumstance is limited to the sale price of the relevant goods. Some States do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.