Once tasked with hauling bottles around Montana, this crate is now ready for the much less demanding career of looking excellent in your house.
The weathered wooden crate is stenciled “Hess Bottling, Inc.” in faded red script and marked “Polson, Mont.” on the end. Inside are twelve divided compartments originally used to separate glass soda bottles. Metal corner straps, cutout handholds, darkened wood, and decades of scuffs give it exactly the sort of industrial character that cannot be convincingly manufactured last Tuesday.
Stand it upright as a cubby shelf for small collectibles, use it horizontally for bottles or garden supplies, or let it organize the tiny objects that have been migrating around your house without supervision.
Condition: Heavily worn vintage condition with cracks, splits, stains, fading, rough edges, darkened wood, worn stenciling, oxidized metal, and age-related movement. Some interior dividers are uneven, and the base shows significant wear. This is best suited to decorative or light-duty use rather than heavy carrying. Handle carefully.
