Dating a 4x2 Eames Storage Unit  

Wow- Great find.
Similarly, I found my ESU 220-N in a recycling center in my town... $95 later, I'm bringing it home. Actually, I paid for it and told them that I'd come back with a truck. When I returned, one of the folks who worked there admitted that they priced it before knowing what it was. To their credit, they still sold it to me for $95 after I gave them a chance to back out of the sale. Good people for sure.
Mine is in pretty remarkable shape, sticker is in place and it has proven original. Normal wear, and the fiberglass doors rather than the dimpled plywood.

Fastfwd,
Interesting point about the first series being valued less… And if that is now true, it is probably because the new ones are a more obvious match, as you said.
But was that always the case, even before the new production came out? (I am not sure, but I don't think so) Also, I would think it would have to be something more than just the fact that the new ones are a closer superficial match. It's not all that hard to tell a new one from an old one, especially with something this iconic. So perhaps the 2nd generation units are more rare?
To me, the first series best exemplifies the "case goods" or "hardware store parts" design approach that was the whole point to begin with, and has cleaner lines to boot. Besides that, it was the first/earliest iteration, and the design simply didn't exist before that.
So even though I am a proud owner of two second-version smaller units, I still feel that the first version best exemplifies what Eames was all about, and should be the more coveted version in the long run.
The relative desirability of different pieces does evolve in mysterious ways, that is for sure.
( Hopefully I can afford a first-version "4 stacker" as beautiful as this one sometime before I die! )
Congrats on your amazing find, pardicity!

Posted by: pardicity

Hi all —
I was fortunate enough to find an Eames 4x2 storage unit just sitting by the road the other day. I'm guessing a house was being sold and whoever was responsible for cleaning it out didn't realize the significance of the piece.
Anyway, I'm trying to both determine if it is an authentic piece and figure out an approximate manufacturing date. Unfortunately, the piece is currently disassembled and the only photos I have of it fully assembled are at night time, when it was found. In case you can't tell, it is a 4x2 unit with sliding veneer doors on both the top and bottom shelves. The are 3 drawers on the left side of the second shelf from the bottom. The uprights are galvanized. The masonite panels are in four colors: black, cool gray, warm gray and ivory. There are no perforated steel backs, only tension rods, which are galvanized.
The only identifying mark I can find is a tag on the inside of one of the shelves. Photo attached.
Very interested to hear your thoughts!

how was the issue resolved?