Longaberger 1998 Commemorative Barn Raising & 2003 Medium Market Basket Pair

A highly desirable 2-piece estate lot of officially licensed, hand-woven hardwood baskets produced by Longaberger Baskets of Dresden, Ohio. This commemorative pairing features a historical milestone release celebrating the construction of the famous Longaberger homestead barn alongside a versatile, classic large-scale market carrier.
Lot Items & Details
1998 Commemorative Barn Raising Basket: An elegant, tapered square-profile basket featuring an intricate weave that alternates natural maple splints with dark forest green horizontal accent bands. Equipped with a single overhead wood swing handle.
Accessories: Outfitted with a premium over-the-rim fabric liner styled in a navy blue, forest green, and cream country windowpane plaid pattern, finished with a tailored front flap custom-embroidered in white thread reading “September 1998”. Complete with its matching drop-in solid WoodCrafts lid topped with a turned-wood natural cabinet knob handle, a high-clarity clear plastic interior protective liner, and its original factory informational pamphlet titled “Commemorative Barn Raising Basket”.
Markings: The base underside features a specialized burnt logo graphic identifying it as part of the Crawford Groundbreaking series, stamped “The Crawford / Barn™”. Hand-signed by the artisan with initials TET and explicitly dated 1998. The underside of the wood lid carries the official corporate “Longaberger WoodCrafts / Est. Dresden, OH U.S.A.” emblem.
2003 Medium Market Basket: A substantial, heavy-duty rectangular market utility basket woven with a classic plain weave structure from thick natural maple hardwoods. Equipped with dual interlocking wood swing handles secured by rivets for balanced weight distribution.
Accessories: Outfitted with a form-fitting, high-clarity clear plastic interior protective liner carrying its original factory barcode utility label (Model No. 40525, Protector-Medium Market).
Markings: Stamped cleanly on the bottom runner panel with the corporate manufacturer logo, hand-signed with the inspector or weaver’s initials RD, and explicitly dated 2003.
Condition Report
Weave & Woodwork: Exceptional, collector-grade condition across both items. The woven hardwood splints remain perfectly tight, uniform, and completely free of cracks, structural splits, or loose ends. Both wood bases are flat and sturdy. The solid wood lid fits completely flush, and the top knob handle is firmly attached. Cords and pivot rivets operate smoothly.
Lining, Labels & Plastics: The custom embroidered fabric liner is pristine, clean, dry, completely un-faded, and free of storage dust, fraying, or stains. The clear plastic single and divided protective inserts are bright, transparent, and completely free of warping, scuffing, or cracking.