Antique American Mechanical Cash Drawer, Spring-Release Counter Model

The kind of piece that lived under a register at a hardware counter, a dry-goods store, or a small-town pharmacy for thirty years — pressed into service every day, never noticed. A heavy wood-construction shell with a rounded-corner top and layered brown-over-olive paint that tells its own story of decades. The spring-loaded release button sits flush in the top deck; press it and the drawer kicks open with a satisfying mechanical snap. A keyed lock at the drawer face let the proprietor secure the till overnight.

Inside, the oak-toned divided till retains its coin-and-bill tray with adjustable wood partitions, riding on the original drawer slides. The wire-and-weight bell assembly remains mounted at the rear of the cavity — every opening announced. There's a strong design vernacular here that prop stylists, restaurant and café owners, and retail fixture collectors recognize immediately: the honest industrial utility of mid-century American commercial hardware, in a format that actually still works. At 25 lbs of solid wood construction, it has the presence to anchor a counter display or serve as a functional point-of-sale prop.

CONDITION

Good and operational; the spring-release mechanism functions and the drawer slides cleanly. Heavy finish wear throughout — scratches, scuffing, paint loss, and chipping to edges and corners with bare wood and primer showing in many areas. Key is absent.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 5 3/4" H × 23 1/2" W × 15 3/4" D
• Weight: 25 lbs
• Construction: Wood
• Origin: Made in the USA
• Mechanism: Spring-loaded push-button top-deck release; spring-and-bell cash drawer; keyed lock (key absent)