Antique u.s. Mail Cast Iron Street Collection Box — Carlisle Foundry Co., Carlisle Pa, C. Late 19th Century

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Description

A rare and striking piece of American postal history — a cast iron U.S. Mail street collection box manufactured by … Read more A rare and striking piece of American postal history — a cast iron U.S. Mail street collection box manufactured by the Carlisle Foundry Co. of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, dating to the late 19th or very early 20th century. These freestanding boxes were deployed on city streets and emptied by postal carriers on their daily routes, representing the infrastructure of American civic life at its most elemental.

The box retains its original two-tone paint in patriotic red and blue, with raised white-painted lettering reading "LETTERS" and "U.S. MAIL" across the front and side panels. The "PULL DOWN" mail deposit mechanism is intact at the top, with its original rod and ball-end handle hardware. The lower collection chamber features its original lockable door with cast iron latch hardware. The foundry attribution — "Carlisle Foundry Co., Carlisle PA" — is legibly cast in relief on the side arc panel, an important provenance detail for postal history collectors.

Surface wear is honest and expected: paint crazing, surface oxidation, and patina throughout, consistent with decades of outdoor service. Original paint layers are present and the form is completely intact. Lock cylinder is absent from the collection door.
A commanding display piece with deep Americana resonance — equally at home in a collector's study, a library, or as a statement accent in an interior with an appreciation for industrial craft and civic history.

Dimensions: 13.25"W × 8.5"D × 20.25"H See less