the letter ledger

I am really, truly obsessed with antique card catalogs. Thing is, I'm not the only one these days. As libraries move to digital catalogs and pass their giant wood catalogs on, they have become a hot commodity.

On Etsy, there are two-drawer catalogs ($75):

...four-drawer catalogs ($199):

...six-drawer catalogs ($240):

...and 36-drawer catalogs ($1400):

Target even has a modern version ($299.99):

Late last night, after a long day of gardening, I came across an antique oak cabinet described as a "letter ledger" on Craigslist. In the pictures, it looked remarkably similar to a card catalog. Although it was listed for $75, I emailed the seller to ask if she would drop the price to $50. When she emailed to agree early this morning, I drove right over and picked it up. 

The drawers are all three-sided, and contain a (very old but intact) filing system. I still haven't decided where I should put it (my friend Angela suggested her house), but I kind of like it in its temporary home on top of my bookcase.