17th Century French Coffer in Oak, 1650s

17th century French coffer, oak silver treasure chest, strong box. A very rare piece, this oak Coffer was made in the 16th century in 3” thick Oak, lined inside and strengthened through the wood with 1” square Iron Rods. Needless to say the chest is very heavy, it has 3 original locks and an old but newer pad lock to join the iron hasp on the front. The Chest has iron carrying handles, the iron rods which run through the centre of the wood in all directions have smooth attractive Diamond shaped ends, one of these hides a secret lock and there is an iron stay to hold the lid open. To open the chest all the locks must be set correctly, and when open it reveals the iron lining, this design was meant to withstand anything life or robbers could throw at it Considering the age of the coffer, it is in very good condition, however there is on the back, a patch where the wood has rotted away no doubt because it was used against a wall on a ship for many years, the rot has been scraped away and there is still over 2” thickness of good hard wood left The Coffer is 21” high, 30” long and 21” deep.