{"product_id":"vintage-japanese-export-wood-recipe-box-patriotic-eagle-stars-gold-lettering-made-in-japan-1950s-1960s-mid-century-kitchen","title":"Vintage Japanese Export Wood Recipe Box | Patriotic Eagle \u0026 Stars | Gold Lettering | Made in Japan | 1950s–1960s | Mid-Century Kitchen","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe box is dark-stained lightweight wood — the kind of wood Japanese export manufacturers used with precision in the postwar decades, jointed cleanly, proportioned to hold a full deck of recipe cards. The lid face reads \"RECIPES\" in gold block letters. On the front: a spread American eagle cast in gold-tone metal, wings open, flanked by two five-pointed stars. The edges carry a gilt treatment. The corners have worn down to the lighter wood beneath, the way corners do on something that lived in a kitchen drawer for decades and was taken out often.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe base carries a paper label: \"BEST EVER \/ BEST-QUALITY \/ JAPAN.\" In the years following World War II, Japan's export manufacturing industry rebuilt itself with remarkable speed, supplying American variety stores — Woolworth's, Kresge's, Ben Franklin — with an enormous range of household goods. The patriotic eagle-and-stars motif was a deliberate choice: Japanese manufacturers knew their American market and made objects that would feel familiar on an American kitchen shelf. This box did exactly that. The original $7.00 price sticker is still on the lid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Good. Dark stain intact on body; gilt lettering and edge treatment showing honest wear — some loss at corners and edges where handling has worn through the finish. Applied eagle and star ornaments intact, no missing elements. Original paper label on base present. Original price sticker on lid present. Box opens and closes cleanly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eHunter's Notes\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHunter's notes pending.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eThe Archive Record — JLM-250052\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 100%;\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaker\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnknown Japanese export manufacturer; Best Ever \/ Best-Quality Japan label; produced for American market\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEstablished\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnknown\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWooden recipe card box with patriotic American eagle and stars metal ornaments\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark-stained lightweight wood; applied gold-tone cast metal eagle and star ornaments; gilt edge treatment\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eConstruction\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJointed wood box; hinged lid; applied cast metal ornaments; paper label on base; gilt edge treatment\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCirca 1950s–1960s | confidence: attributed (postwar Japanese export for American five-and-dime market)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCountry of Origin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJapan — confirmed (Best Ever \/ Best-Quality Japan label)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition Tier\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark stain intact on body. Gilt lettering and edge treatment show honest wear with some loss at corners. Applied eagle and star ornaments intact, no missing elements. Original paper label present on base. Original $7.00 price sticker present on lid. Box opens and closes cleanly.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHunt Provenance\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePending — location not recorded\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthentication\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaper label — Best Ever \/ Best-Quality Japan; postwar Japanese export form and materials consistent with 1950s–1960s American five-and-dime market supply\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eComparable Sold\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e$18–$42 (eBay \/ Etsy — May 2026)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJLM Price\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e$35\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFood Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003enot applicable\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLead Risk\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eunknown — age-appropriate caution for metal ornaments\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChild Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eunknown\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGift Idea\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKitchen Collector, Americana, Housewarming\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eProduct Specs\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 100%;\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5″ L × 3.5″ W × 4.5″ H\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e0.5 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Jolene Le Mille","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48983050420452,"sku":"JLM-250052","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0801\/3175\/2164\/files\/CBE10D79-D46F-4A4B-97B8-ABF2009CFBCB.jpg?v=1779591515","url":"https:\/\/jolenelemille.com\/products\/vintage-japanese-export-wood-recipe-box-patriotic-eagle-stars-gold-lettering-made-in-japan-1950s-1960s-mid-century-kitchen","provider":"Jolene Le Mille","version":"1.0","type":"link"}