Complete 1890s Cast Iron Rotating Small Parts Cabinet By Henry Westphal - Today Only [DRSHZUNc]

This late-1800s antique cast iron hardware store nut and bolt cabinet was originally designed and patented by Henry Westphal - a 20-something German immigrant working at a hardware store in Joliet, Illinois who saw a problem and fixed it with the most glorious way possible. Each layer of bins rotates around a center axis, and the nuts and bolts stored inside can then be accessed through the open void seen in the photos. The design helped keep small parts in their proper place without threat of shoplifting, accidental loss, or inventory ending up in the wrong bin. A separate design feature is the ability for the cabinet to be taken apart and put back together by just one hardware employee sliding each layer down on the center staff.

Henry Westphal's original design came with a glass front on each bin, which wasn't always practical in the Midwest. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. (est. 1855) manufactured versions with and without glass, but Butler Manufacturing Company (est. 1893, previously Butler Industries) licensed Westphal's design and added a few modifications like company-specific cast iron embellishments along the top, and the lattice work on the front of each bin to replace the glass - very similar to what we have here. This is a magnificent, large, 130+ year old piece of history that still functions smoothly. Please refer to photo for details, condition, and awe.

Measures 30" in diameter and stands at a height of 48".

JM - 102622 - 105233
JP - 070825

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