Shadow Boxes:

I am particularly proud to offer a complete system to PERFECTLY display your most valuable and cherished items. It's a little complicated, but worth the effort for your very best. If you are not sure how to go about "shadow boxing", have a look at Shadow Boxes -History and HOW-TO.

Meantime, here are the steps to get you precisely what you want -first in outline and then in more detail.

 

Step 1:

With this system you first select the perfect size -width and height of the case and then the depth to perfectly showcase your item(s). 

 


Step 2:

Next you select the appearance of the case -it's color, and the type of the wood used to make frame of the door.

 


Step 3:

The next decisions involve the back to your case. If you need to attach a number of items, it might be easier for you to select pegboard for the back, or a solid back for simpler displays. Additionally, you may add shelves -oak or clear acrylic- if you order the case drilled.

 


Step 4:

Finally, you may select a cushiony upholstered insert that can be used to mount your item before the whole works is installed in the case. Or not -it's up to you.

 

Step 5:

Select a slanted base to put your collection on display on a flat surface. Also optional.

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Step 1 -Select the size and shape of your case.

How to use this table:
The little graphics show each case to scale with a 4 inch coffee cup, BUT, for the best possible fit, break out a ruler or tape and measure your collection or item. Notice the black line on the edge? This represents the hinge, but cases may be turned any way you want -upside-down or sideways.

Width:
Shadow-Box inside width: (all dimensions in inches)
Height:
8"
10"
12"
14"
16"
18"
20"
22"
24"
8"
small shadow box
2" deep case  $38 


3" case $39 

4" case  $40
Weight 7 lbs.
Upholstered panel -$6.00
If you need a shadow boxes that is wider then it is high, it is best to select a tall case and then put it on it's side. Wide cases do not lend easily themselves to shelves but shelves can be added -with care- through the back.  If you need wide shelves, check out my Sliding Cover Display Cases (Model Rail-Road Cases), or drop me an email and we will see what we can do.
10"
2" deep  $39

3"  $40 

4"  $41 
Weight 9 lbs.
Upholstered panel  $7.00
2" deep  $40

3"  $41

 4"  $42 

Weight 9 lbs.
Upholstered panel -$7.00
small wide shadow boxThis is the 10" high by 8" inches wide case to the left. Just turned on its side to be 8 high & 10 wide.
 
If you are considering laying a shadow box on its side -in landscape- 2 interesting possibilities present themselves. First is to put the hinge at the top and dust is (largely) illuminated. The other possibility is to have me install a couple of drop chains and your shadow box becomes a drop-front-desk. A little one, and one that will not support much weight, but an interesting feature none-the-less.
12"
2" deep  $40
3"  $41

4"  $42 
Weight 11 lbs.
Upholstered panel  $7
2" deep  $41

3"  $42

4"  $43 

Weight  12 lbs.
Upholstered panel $7
2" deep  $42

3"  $43
4"  $44 
Weight 13 lbs.
Upholstered panel $8
Width:
8"
10"
12"
14"
16"
18"
20"
22"
24"
14"
shadow box
2" deep  $41


3"  $42 

4"  $43

Weight = 13 lbs.
Padded panel  $7
shadow box2" deep  $42

3"  $43

4"  $44 

Weight = 14 lbs.
Padded panel  -$8
2" deep  $43

3"  $44 

4"  $45 

Weight 15 lbs.
Padded Panel  $8
shadow box 2" deep  $44

3"  $45

4"  $46 

Weight16 lbs.
Upholstered panel $9
16"
2" deep  $42

3"  $43 

4"  $44

Weight 13 lbs.
Padded panel  $8
shadow box2" deep  $43

3"  $44

4"  $45 

Weight = 14 lbs.
Padded back $8
2" deep  $46

3"  $47 
 
4"  $48 

Weight = 15 lbs.
Padded panel  -$9.00
2" deep  $47

3"  $48 

4"  $49 

Weight 16 lbs.
Padded insert $19
2" deep  $48

3"  $49

4"  $40 
 
Weight 17 lbs.
Padded panel  $10
12 x 16 shadow box12" wide x 16 tall
18"
2" deep  $43

3"  $44

4"  $45

Weight = 14 lbs.
Padded panel  -$8.00
2" deep  $44

3"  $45 

4"  $46 

Weight = 15 lbs.
Padded panel  -$9
2" deep  $45

3"    $46

4"    $47

Weight 16 lbs.
Padded back $9
2" deep  $47
 
3"  $48

4"  $49 

Weight 17 lbs.
Padded panel -$10
2" deep  $47

3"  $48

4"  $39 

Weight 19 lbs.
Padded panel -$11
2" deep  $49

3"  $50

4"  $51 
 
Weight = 20 lbs
Padded panel $11
tall shadow box12" wide x 18 tall.
Width:
8"
10"
12"
14"
16"
18"
20"
22"
24"
20"
tall shadow box
2" deep  $45


3"  $46

4"  $47 Weight = 14 lbs.
Padded panel  -$8

2" deep  $46

3"  $46

4"  $47 Weight = 14 lbs.
Padded panel  -$8
2" deep  $46

3"  $47

4"  $48 

Weight 15 lbs.
Padded panel  -$9
2" deep  $47

3"  $48
 
4"  $49 

Weight  16 lbs.
Padded insert $10
2" deep  $49
 
3"  $51

4"  $52 

Weight 17 lbs.
Padded back $11
2" deep  $5

3"  $52

4"  $54

Weight 18 lbs.
Padded panel -$11
3" deep  $53

4"  $55

5"  $56   *
 
Weight 19 lbs.
Padded panel -$12
3" deep  $56

4"  $57

5"  $59    *

Weight = 20 lbs.
Padded panel  $13
wide shadow box18" x 20 shadow box -sideways
22"
2" deep  $47

3"  $48

4"  $50

Weight 16 lbs.
Padded panel  -$9
2" deep  $50

3"  $51

4"  $52

Wright 17 lbs.
Padded insert $9
2" deep  $52

3"  $53

4"  $54 

Weight 18 lbs.
Padded back $10
2" deep  $53

3"  $54

4"  $55 

Weight 19 lbs.
Padded panel  $11
3" deep  $55

4"  $57

5"  $59   *

Weight 20 lbs.
Padded panel $12
22x22-shadow-T
3" deep  $58


4"  $60

5"  $62*

Weight lbs. 22
Padded  insert $13
3" deep  $61

***
4"  $63
Dim weight = 30 lbs. 

5"  $65   
Dim weight = 31 lbs. 

Dim weight = 29 lbs. 
Padded back  $14
3" deep  $63

***
4"  $65
dim weight = 29 lbs. 

5"  $67    
dim weight = 32 lbs.

Padded panel $15
24"
shadow box
2" deep  $52


3"  $54

4"  $55 

Weight 18 lbs.
Upholstered panel  $9
2" deep  $54

3"  $55

4"  $57 

Weight  20 lbs.
Upholstered panel  $10
2" deep  $56

3"  $58
 
4"  $59 

Weight 21 lbs.
Upholstered panel  -$11.00
wide shadow box3" deep  $58

4"  $59

5"  $61 *

Weight 23 lbs. 
Upholstered panel  -$12.00
3" deep  $61

 4"  $63

5"  $65*

Weight 24 lbs. 
Upholstered panel -$13.00
wide shadow box
3" deep  $63

4"  $65

5"  $67*

Weight 25 lbs.
Upholstered panel  -$14.00
3" deep  $65

4"  $67

5"  $69*

Weight 32 lbs. 
Upholstered panel -$15.00
3" deep  $67

4"  $69

5"  $71 *

Dim-weight 36 lbs.
Upholstered panel  $16
big shadow box3" deep  $71  
Dim-weight 28 lbs.

4"  $73
Dim-weight 32 lbs.

6"  $75   **
Dim-weight 40 lbs.

Upholstered panel $17
Width:
8"
10"
12"
14"
16"
18"
20"
22"
24"
* Please notice that these cases are an inch thicker then the previous.
** These cases are thicker still
*** Long narrow shelves are best in OAK, not acrylic, which tends to sag.  If you can reinforce the shelves through the back, this may not be a problem.
Notice also the insert -you may select the appropriate upholstered panel for your case, -colors below. 

Step 2 -Pick the case color and type of wood & finish.

shadow box colors


 

 

 

 

 

 

I offer three different colors for the case. They are Black, Neutral gray, & Warm off-white. If you are not sure, may I suggest the black case with a maple frame? Elegant yet understated. If you are putting the case on the wall in your home -one of the most elegant approaches is to paint it to match your walls. In this way, the case "disappears" and your item is more vividly showcased. If you are going this route, you might consider the gray -which is actually a high quality primer.

 

wood

 

A few words about the wood I use. 

The oak and maple I use are grown and harvested in America or Canada. Key word here is harvested -from managed forests where trees are growing faster then they are being cut down. (Did’ja know that farms have become so efficient in America that what was farmland 50 years ago is now growing back into forests?) 

Mahogany on the other hand –is a tropical wood and North America is poorly equipped with tropical forests. Most of them are in parts of the world where people are poor and feeding the kids is more important then protecting the environment. Yet they do need –and perhaps deserve- to sell their wood. And I like mahogany. So I face something of a dilemma. I resolve it by using what is essentially re-cycled mahogany. I use wood that has been used as pallets to ship other wood and products to America. While this wood is cheaper –please understand that by the time I fuss it up to make my products, I am NOT saving any money by using recycled wood. But it pleases me to do my bit for both the environment and the foresters in the tropics. 

This wood is more varied in color and the grain often more vivid. Personally I like it this way. Occasionally, I even let a nail hole go by if I find the piece is particularly pretty otherwise. But if you want evenly matched frames etc. you might want to consider oak, and perhaps a custom piece from either select mahogany or oak stained to match the deep red of mahogany.

 

Step 3 -Decide about the case-back and shelves:

shadow box shelves You may select a solid case back -clean & simple. Or you may pick a pegboard back which makes it easy to install your items. You simply pass a short length of wire through one hole, wrap it around the object, and pass it out through the back. Twist the ends together, and you are done. You can also pass the wire through your own selection of fabric or paper background. 

If, on the other hand, your collection wants to go on shelves, you will want to order the case drilled for the little pegs that hold these shelves.

The picture shows a black case -2 inches deep with a peg-board back, and a gray case with solid back and drilled for shelves. A single oak shelf is installed.

 


 

 

Step 4 -Consider shelves or an upholstered back, (optional).

Shelves come in either acrylic, (with a frosted front edge), or solid oak- 1/4 inch thick. Each shelf includes 4 brass pegs to hold the shelf.

shelves for shadow boxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

fabricSome collectables and heirlooms deserve to be showcased against a soft fabric pad. These liners are sized to fit easily onto the cases. You can also pierce the backing with wire to mount your item so it 'floats' on it's own little cushion.
This allows you to permanently attach the case to the wall, and still remove your collectable if the need arises. You can see a little ribbon tab-handle at the bottom of the purple back.

 

 

Step 5 -Select a slanted base for table-top and coffee tables etc. -optional.

slanted bottomI first made these for a high-tech company that made teeny-tiny little mechanisms and needed to show them off at trade shows. What you see are regular shadow boxes with a 15 degree wedge underneath. The wedge is painted to match the box and is just a little smaller then the box -in this way it creates a floating effect. The shadow box fits over the slant and your items are put on display on a flat surface.

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A form goes here, but until I get it to work, email me.

 

 

 

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Some Examples of Shadow Boxes:

port bottle

 

Natural Oak w/ white box -solid back
-4" deep x 8" wide x 14" high

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

shadow box

 

 

 

12 x 12 x 2" deep -black with peg-board back and mahogany frame

 

 

 

 

 

 

big shadow box

 

 

My biggest shadow box -24 x 4 -this one is black with a natural oak frame and red upholstered insert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

shadow box

 

 


Like the above, but 3" deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

indian basket shadow box

 

A collection of pretty little Indian baskets, (hand-made and old!)- in a 14 x 20 x 4" shadow box. Black case, solid back and maple frame

 

 

 

 

 

sliding-cover shadow box

 

4 x 14 x 20 with a sliding acrylic cover -maple frame & black box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

shadow box

 

 

5 x 18 x 24 in mahogany, grey box, and pegboard back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can't find the perfect display case for your stuff? Check out....

Shadow Boxes:
Variously sized shadow boxes that let you do it your way.

Riker / Museum Cases:
Part of a complete system to both store & display small collectables.

Doll Displays:
Simply the best way to both display and protect Barbie-sized dolls.

Jersey Cases:
Big flat shadow boxes to protect & display even the biggest athletic jerseys.

Document Mounts:
Got stuff you need other people to read?  Use these small cases to get it out there, and protect it too.

 

 

...and don't miss these miscellaneous items for the collector:

Jewelry inserts:
They fit perfectly into my jewelry boxes and help you organize your jewelry.

Pen Inserts:
Sized like the jewelry inserts, but for pen & pencil collections:

Specimen Boxes:
A little like Riker-Mounts, but bigger and stouter. They display and protect larger items.

 

Finally, for the very best of your collection, consider...

Coffee or Sofa Display Tables.