I received a note from Cindy asking if I could date the cage she found at a flea market in CT. She sent the following pictures.
This cage has the round finial on top, Hendryx tag on the door, seed screen guard, opposing-hearts feeder guards, riveted technology as seen on the front door, and decorator scalloped strips over the two horizontal rails. The base is flat without a pull-out tray and is held to the top of the cage by 4 swivel latch hooks. It looks like it has the cross-cage perch and one of the feeder perches as well as the original swing.
Using my Hendryx trade catalogs for reference, I found this cage in the 1926 and 1930 catalogs. It is not in the 1932 catalog. The base that is in the picture in the catalogs has a moulded base and a pull-out tray. This flat-tray base came earlier and usually had a tin tray insert on top of the base that could be pulled out easily once the clips were loosened.
My next earlier reference catalog is 1910. The cage is not in that catalog. The finials are different in those early cages.
Because of the tray, I would date this cage from the late 19-teens to the early 1920s. There are cages in the 1926 catalog that offer either the flat tray like this cage has, or the moulded base with pull-out tray. These cages didn't offer that option so this cage came before the 1926 catalog. This is what makes me think that this 10 yr. or so period is correct for this cage.
The feeders for this cage are the open box opal glass winged feeders. The heart doors lift up and the feeders slide into the openings. See below examples.
Congratulations, Cindy, on a GREAT find.
If you have cages you are curious about, please write to me at tweetthings53@gmail.com. I will research my catalogs and see what information I can share with you.
You can still cage hunt even though it's winter, as evidenced by Cindy's wonderful cage. Spring is not too far away. Then you can stretch your legs in the spring air and start going to the open air markets and garage sales. (That is if the snow is gone by then).
Great Hendryx cages are still out there. Keep looking and happy hunting.
Barbara
