North America, United States, ca. 1930s. A Humphrey's Specifics Apothecary Medicine Cabinet with a lithographed tin and oak door and an oak cabinet surround, accompanied by a Humphrey's Specifics manual. A pharmacist would have placed this cabinet on the counter, so that when customers came in, they would look over the various maladies listed by number on the cabinet door. A customer would then say, "Sir, I need number 7" because they had a cough for instance; then the pharmacist would pull out the remedy from drawer number 7. The Humphreys manual describes the homeopathic medicines and emphasizes that these remedies do not contain narcotics, opiates, habit forming drugs, etc. The medicines came in glass bottles that were wrapped in Humphreys advertising paper and then put into Humphreys boxes. Size: 10" L x 21.75" W x 27.75" H (25.4 cm x 55.2 cm x 70.5 cm)

During a 2015 episode of Antiques Road Show, an expert estimated a similar cabinet at between $1500 and $2000. Since that cabinet was full of the unused medicines, he then estimated it between $4000 and $6000.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection

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#163221

The door on the back opens and has 34 interior drawers for the cures listed on the front tin panel. The "Humphrey's Manual" - which is small enough to fit into the drawers - has some expected age wear with creases, folded corners, minute tears, and stains - but is complete and legible. Cabinet does not contain any medicines, but the cabinet itself is in very good condition save some surface wear with scuffs, abrasions, and stains to the lithographed tin, and stable age cracks and minor scuffs/nicks/chips to the oak cabinet. In addition, a few drawer knobs have been replaced, and the 'eye' of the 'hook and eye' has been replaced.