After a long time looking, two deals that fell through becasue family members won't drive a few miles for me, and one day spent at an auction only to watch it go out of my price range on the second bid, I finally own a card catalog. Huzzah!!
I was very lucky. MU Surplus posted a link to the GovDeals auction on their Facebook, and Facebook's algorithms are sort of hit or miss as to whether I see things. But I saw this post, and checked out the GovDeals page. Two large catalogs, and just down the road, so getting one home wouldn't be a totally crazy idea. So, I put in a bid on one, and hoped that the other one wouldn't go cheap while the one I bid on went sky high. Then sat at the computer for the last 20 minutes, refreshing non-stop and trying to breathe.
Score! Got it for under my price limit of $500 (and I probably would have upped that limit another hundred or so if needed.
Got the brother-in-law to come over with the truck and we went to get it
a week later. Hauled it home, and just as we got in the driveway, a
lovely torrential rain opened up. So we took all the drawers out and
brought them in through the garage, and waited around for 45 minutes or
so for the rain to let up. It never stopped, so we threw a tarp over it
and brought it through the front door on the furniture dolly.
And then I got to put all the drawers back in. One did come apart at the front joints, but a little wood glue fixed it right up. I do need to look at the photos and make sure the drawers are back in the right spots.
So there it is. One vintage Brodart 72-drawer card catalog. Complete with all the rods and handles, about half the drawer labels, three pull-out writing supports, and a Property of MU metal tag. It's not modular, though, which would have made it a lot easier to get home. The bottom is just wood. I've seen some with legs, or with two big drawers at the base, but this one is just an empty case.
Now I just need to wash it down, and decide what to do with it. I'm thinking all the fabric remnants can go in the lower drawers, and my postcard collection in the top row.
Aside from the one I was talking about in January, there was one in March that popped up on Facebook, about 5 miles from my sister's house. Gorgeous wood, modular so it would be easy to fit in the car, and I think only $25. And my sister, after leading me to think she was going to get it, decided not to. And didn't tell me. So those hours of texting back and forth with her and the seller was a waste.
