Product details

Seller's Notes:Antique 6 Drawer Library Table Card Catalog Library Bureau Sole Makers circa 1892-1908 First, some history: The Library Bureau was founded by Melvil Dewey and was one of the most prolific makers of card catalog cabinets of all sizes. A well-established supplier of furniture to libraries, the Library Bureau exhibited at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago … "Card-case for records of charitable societies." (World's Columbian Exposition Official Catalog, Part VII, Department G, Chicago, 1893, p. 35). This is a magnificent example of their early card catalogs. Solid (and quite heavy) oak with heavy, solid brass hardware. Brass tag on front reads Library Bureau Sole Makers. The interior is in wonderful condition. Three blocks are missing. On the blocks (holding the cards in place) there are patent listings, the earliest being 1892 and the oldest 1908. The outside is exquisite oak. Take a look at the pictures of the sides and back. Don’t miss the dovetail joints. Amazing craftsmanship. I am a collector of children’s books and keep thinking that I should catalog the thousands that I have. Even while I toy with that idea, I know that I don’t have the discipline to do it. There are many who use the antique catalogs for baseball cards, socks, ties, seed packets, and even wine bottles (in the larger catalog cases). This piece, however, has been used as it was intended, as a card catalog.

Brand: Vintage/Antique