Eustis Fruit Co. Florida Citrus Field Crate, Two-Compartment Wood & Steel

A working-grade Florida citrus field crate from Eustis Fruit Co. of Eustis, Lake County, Florida, built of slatted pine with riveted galvanized steel strapping at the corners and divided into two equal compartments by a central handled partition. End panels carry the deeply stenciled maker's mark "EUSTIS FRUIT CO. 155 EUSTIS, FLA." with additional ink stencils reading "L. R. HUFFSTETLER 329 EUSTIS, FLA." and "EUSTIS FRUIT CO. FCM-12-B237." A circular impressed stamp reading "THE SOUTH'S BEST" with a Mickler mark is present on an interior board. The twin-compartment layout and steel-bound corners identify this as a field-grade picking crate — built to carry fruit out of the grove, not to ship it — while the Huffstetler stencil names the individual grower whose trees it served.

Today the piece functions equally well as a low side table in its horizontal orientation or — flipped on end, as shown — as a two-cubby wall shelf with genuine bones.

CONDITION

Good and structurally sturdy. Oxidation to the steel strapping, dark staining and deep weathering to the wood throughout, splits and checking to several slats consistent with a long working life. Patina is genuine and inseparable from the object's appeal.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 15" H × 33" W × 13" D
• Each Compartment: 15" H × 12" W × 13" D
• Construction: Pine slats, galvanized steel strapping, iron rivets
• Maker: Eustis Fruit Co., Eustis, Florida
• Stencils: "L. R. Huffstetler 329 Eustis, Fla." / "Eustis Fruit Co. FCM-12-B237" / "Eustis Fruit Co. 155 Eustis, Fla."
• Interior Stamp: "The South's Best" circular mark with Mickler mark — full text partially legible
• Orientation: Displays horizontally as a crate/side table or vertically as a two-cubby shelf
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included