Dale's Mid Century Train Case, Shabby Chic Brown Train Case For Display or Photo popular Prop, Unique Small Suitcase with Aged Mirror & a HIS-STORY

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HIS-STORY (if you prefer, skip down to "Just the Facts" for product details):
Ever since Gram was persuaded by an encyclopedia traveling salesman to dig deep into her mending money "for the boy's future," Dale had wanted, no, needed to see the world. He scoured the heavy and handsome reference books for anything remotely related to geography and devoured every bit of tiny, dense text, grainy photos (even the black and white ones), and fold-out maps that these humongous books of knowledge held on cultures so very different from his own. Hours and hours of daydreaming what wonders lay beyond his doorstep occupied his vivid imagination, and not just the States either. "Going abroad" not only sounded exotic, but the very idea of exploring lands with unpronounceable place names after crossing miles and miles of dangerous oceans gave him shivers of anticipation stronger than the sound of the crank of Gram's homemade butterscotch ice cream churning away on a hot summer day. Actually, the more he thought about it, he couldn't quite remember the last time she had had the energy to make her wonderful ice cream, and in his boyish naivete, he figured she was just too busy. She would get to it eventually, he reasoned.

Despite Gram's deteriorating health (apparent to all but young Dale), she was all-too familiar with Dale's travel desires; how could she not be when it was all he could talk about? On his very next birthday, he was thrilled to receive from her not only a brown traveling case just his size, but the gift of an actual trip to use it on, where they would visit Gram's sister two states away. On the long train ride there, he refused to let his case leave his side, actually sleeping with it on his lap just to be sure. Even an exhausted and ailing Gram couldn't help but be delighted by his total infatuation with the changing landscape, nose pressed firmly up against the window, train case handle clenched in one fist and the bottom of the case resting carefully in his other hand.

Dale could not have known then (and wouldn't have wanted to know) that that would be the first and last time he and Gram could ever travel together, as the cough that worsened during the trip ended up taking her from him shortly afterwards, and much too soon. But he would never forget the fun they had and how her quiet but strong support of his nascent travel interests helped shape his entire life trajectory.

Eventually, a mostly grown Dale, like a lot of young men coming of age at this time, felt a strong pull to help his country. Combined with his desire to travel, joining the military just made sense to him. While serving, Dale and his trusty train case ventured to many of the same foreign lands he had only seen in his much beloved set of childhood encyclopedias, chattering on and on about them to Gram as a wee boy. After the war ended, Dale was one of the lucky ones to return stateside, and he made certain his train case - showing its age and tattered much like he was now - came back home with him where it belonged. Besides getting his trusty travel companion unpacked and stored away for safekeeping until his next urge to travel hit him, the first thing Dale made sure to do was partake in the corner soda fountain's version of butterscotch ice cream. Not as good as Gram's, of course, but the resemblance to home made it taste just right.
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JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM:
~ Unique and shabby chic mid century train case from an estate sale that featured multiple military artifacts used and awards earned by the man of the house
~ Super sturdy case
~ Exterior covered in faux leather in a rich shade of sienna brown with multiple dings, wrinkles, and scars; even has a couple tiny staples stuck in front below the latch, possibly remains from old-style overseas luggage tag fasteners!
~ Do NOT purchase if you do not appreciate true vintage with inherent scars and signs of a previous life as this piece is super shabby with tons of character!
~ Real retro stitching reinforces and holds the hard rubber or plastic protective edges on the case nicely
~ Brass or aged gold hardware, scratched up & oxidized but in working order
~ Lovely art deco shaped hinges
~ Huge mirror still amazingly held in the roof just fine by elastic (hasn't failed yet!), intact and greatly aged and scratched up
~ Vintage smell when first opened, & might even have a slight whiff of pipe or tobacco scent inside (not too bad; it isn't a foul smell by any means)
~ Interior covered in a beat-up and grimy looking beige vinyl paper (this case has lived!), with red stain in the bottom that appears to have been written by a child and may read, "Dale"
~ Opens by pulling up on the bottom of the latch, and then lowering the top portion of the latch toward you and down, allowing you to raise the lid to open; reverse to close
~ Alas, the key has gone AWOL so none can be included
~ Beautifully styled art deco metal protectors installed on the corners where the top meets the bottom; note that at least one of these is pretty deformed, likely from being jostled and thrown about during travel, but still functioning fine
~ Lovely darker brown retro-shaped plastic handle attached with antiqued metal hardware

So WHERE will you display or repurpose this antique beauty? Dale would love for it retire somewhere special with you. So many possibilities...you just gotta have it!

Approximate measurements*:
11-1/2" x 9" x 6-3/4"

*Measurements are approximated. Should you require very precise dimensions for a specific purpose, be sure to contact us PRIOR to purchase to ask questions to avoid disappointment as we cannot offer cancellations/exchanges/refunds.

Love suitcases? DollFood has more at:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DollFood?section_id=13009329&ga_search_query=SUITCASE

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Please contact me for a quote for shipping with another item, shipping internationally, or to Alaska or Hawaii.

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