Apothecary? Nuts and Bolts

So desirable for that comfy country decor, you'll see what are called "apothecary cabinets" in upscale shows, shelter magazine spreads and increasingly being reproduced in that horrible fake milk paint "antique while you wait" primitive style seen in shops full of potpourri. If I walk into an antique shop met with waves of "fragrance" I usually figure it is there to mask a recent paint smell. I feign enough interest to be polite, get in the car, cross the divider and pee at the fast food joint. I hate that fake country crap. The style comes in and out of vogue, especially when we are emerging from an economic downturn and folks want to feel honest, homey and authentic again.

Apothecary chests are usually nothing more than guy's hardware holders anyway, like this one I found yesterday. Dealers call them apothecary chests as the notion of potions being stored and retrieved by the country doctor is a good selling point, but truth is these things held dad's screws and washers as often as secret cures and chemicals.

Here is one I found yesterday. It came of the "distressed" surface from work in the basement, not a furniture factory...and certainly not from old Doc Bones at the general store.

Nuts and Bolts Holder circa 1940? 33 drawers, 55 inches long. Collection Jim Linderman