Taikonaut

The instruction came in an envelope along with the Chrozier. I no longer have it but it mention about how the finish was achieved through a number of process and then sealed with varnish. In giving the advice of treating it with bees wax with wire wool overtime will bring out the lustre, I got the impression Peter is saying the finish is not there yet and you need to put in some elbow grease to get that high end furniture look. And he was right. The crude varnish surface was completely taken care of. It came out with a surface smooth to the touch and look great. I originally use Briwax but it leaves residue and you need to remove all of it otherwise it hardens and becomes difficult. Recently I discovered Antiquax Brown which are silicone free and has dark wood staining quality which works a treat. Mahogany that are stained, such as these cabinets, becomes lighter when exposed to frequent daylights so this wax help restore its original shade and irmprove it.

When I bought my Nichols cabinet 25yrs ago it had a care instruction note from Peter about how to take care of it by regular use of bees wax on the cabinet (not the trays) ideally with the finest wire wool. It took another 10yrs until I actually followed through that advise and turned the rough original varnish into a smooth surface. I used wire wool twice and no more as I feel it is not necessary to wear down the surface. Only waxed it once every 5 years since. How do you take care of your cabinet?

Unlike the current maker, the trays on Peter's cabinet has exposed tray holders with visible gaps between. I always wonder if this was a design oversight as it does not look flush and pleasing compare to other cabinets. Since Peter has been making them for decades I also wonder if that is done deliberately for ventilation purpose? The last thing anyone want is your coins suffer discolouration because gas being trapped.

About 12 years ago I posted images of my Peter Nichols cabinet on an American coin forum which became a sticky. The reaction from collectors across the pond was mostly well recieved to my surprise. I had people asking me were they can buy a Nichols cabinet believing it will take off. Collectors over there slab there more valueble coins but this did'nt stop them enquiring, obviously cabinets can be made to house slabbed coins too. I notice on Nichols Cabinet facebook they had orders from America. It does make me wonder how much businesses I had brought them from the States directly or indirectly because of my post Owning an English made coin cabinet endorsed by the British Museum I guess is pretty irresistible.

Hi All, I'm a new member here. I've been casually collecting on and off for 40yrs. I bought a Nichols Crozier cabinet back in 1992 and still have it. His cabinet is most charming and made with conservation in mind for the coins. There are many antique cabinets that are perhaps more elaborately crafted but these are almost always has harmful side effect on the coins because of materials used. I only just found out about this thread and Peter's retirement which prompt me to join. The new craftsman at Nichols Cabinets from what I saw in their facebook is still making great quality cabinets. It hard to judge if the present cabinets is better than when Peter is making them. I would say visually the current ones has finer attention to the trays which conseals the tray holder on the side. This might also partly attribute to the price increase? However I get a buzz with the older cabinets that Peter made himself purely because he is the original maker and being original there is an aesthetic to it. That said I also think the current maker benefitted from the information age and got their work out there a lot more and innovate from feedbacks that are readily available for all to see. Cheers Simon