Hello,
In a local antiques mall I found a vendor who had several watchmaker's parts cabinets. These were metallic, about the size of a large shoe box, with two small drawers each. In each drawer were small envelopes with various parts in them. There were a couple Bulova cabinets, Best Fit cabinets, and one Elgin cabinet. Question: I know we can't discuss monetary values here, but I wonder if these items are found regularly, or are they uncommon? Is this something I should "jump" at? The price, per chest, didn't seem too outlandish; it is affordable to me. I'd like to buy one (actually, I'd like to buy them all, but...), both as a nice watch-related collectible and as a possible source of parts to support my hobby. I particularly like the small plastic capsules that Elgin used to hold parts. One of the cabinets held only mainsprings (or so it seemed); I lean toward buying one that has a mix of items, though. Thoughts, opinions? Thanks,
Pete

Thanks for the correction Lindell
The cabinets with "parts" in them are $65; the mainspring cabinet is $50. All cabinets appear to be in good condition, used, etc. The cabinets appear to be fairly full, but not chock-full (how's that for a description!). I hope the Elgin box contains mostly pocket watch material--I will check more closely. I look forward to more opinions if anyone would care to comment. Thanks again,
Pete

Pete,
Check each cabinet to make sure there is a list with part numbers for each cabinet as to what is in the cabinet. Without a key, the parts can be of little value.
Brian C.