Wooden trunk in black embossed finish, with leather handles attached along each of the two short sides. Fixtures are in steel, with two steel straps embellished with diamond patterns running from the base of one side to the other. Corners are padded with riveted leather. Interior is lined with a shiny patterned textile, also black. The locks on the front of lid are from the Eagle Lock Co. of Terryville, Connectictut and at the bottom of the trunk is a padlock from the Hardware Company Inc., Lancaster, PA. There are also numerous pieces of hardware at the bottom of the trunk, of unclear purpose, and many copies of the Denver Post all dating to 1932.
Manufacturer of this item is Claude Clinton Needham (1873-1941), who for a number of years in the late 1920's/early 1930s made trunks like this one which could be strapped to the back of automobiles. The 1930 federal census lists his occupation as "Proprietor/Manufacturer" of "auto trunks". Previously he had run his own car dealership from Oxnard in Ventura County. The 1940 census lists him as out of work and unable to work. He died just a year later.