The Kovels' Top 20 list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during September 2014. Antique trunks come and go, both in popularity and on Kovels’ Top 20 list – this month they’re at No. 19.

Trunks have been made and used since medieval times. By the 1700s, they were being made of various woods covered with animal hides. Leather-covered trunks became popular in the late 1700s. As more people were on the move by the mid-1800s, fancy rounded “dome” top trunks became popular. Low, flat top or “steamer” trunks, designed to be easier to store during extended trips by steamboat or train, were in use by the late 1880s. It’s thought that a domed top trunk was preferred by the traveler who didn’t want other trunks or luggage to be stacked on top of it and that it would likely be one of the first to be taken off. Large wardrobe trunks were made to be stood on one end and opened, with hanging rods in one end and drawers in the other end. Smaller “packers” or “cabin” trunks were practical for shorter travel. Trunks were reinforced with hardwood slats or iron strapping and had metal hardware and decoration. Many were lined with printed paper and could be locked with a key. By 1895, trunks were covered with canvas or decorated sheet metal and by 1925, they were covered with vulcanized fiber or undecorated metal. Collectors love them all and use them as coffee tables, storage chests or seats. The trunk pictured is a 17 by 16-in. hat trunk, made by Louis Vuitton about 1915. It sold for $2,091 at a New Orleans auction.

The complete Kovels’ Top 20 list for September 2014:  1) Fenton, 2) Coca-Cola, 3) Occupied Japan, 4) McCoy, 5) Stoves, 6) Depression Glass, 7) Wedgwood, 8) Bavaria, 9) Dinnerware, 10) Delft, 11) Capo-Di-Monte, 12) Hull, 13) Pepsi Cola, 14) Lamps, 15) Banks, 16) Scales, 17) Satsuma, 18) Belleek, 19) Trunks, and 20) Lighters.

The Kovels.com free online price guide and the book, Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, list thousands of collectibles, including trunks,  in hundreds of categories that are described, edited, priced and pictured.