I have made a couple of display boxes, one for pens and one for a knife collection.
I purchased 11x14 Picture Frames with thin black wooden frames. I also purchased some 1/2-inch by 2-inch poplar boards from the wood moulding section of our local Menards. For the back, I used some 3/4-inch rigid foam insulation that I cut down to the appropriate size and covered with a black velvet-like fabric.
Using these materials along with a couple of small hinges, a couple of screws, and a small neodymium magnet, I painted the boards and used glue and brads to build a kind of shadow box, attaching the picture frame with the hinges and a closure using the magnet and a small steel screw.
The knives and pens are arranged and suspended using small head sewing type pins that are simply pushed into the foam backing.
Sorry I don't have better pictures but at the moment both the pen and knife displays are packed up in moving boxes. Here is a snapshot that I took of the knife display as a reference before packing it up.
All in all it was fairly inexpensive and didn't require a lot of tools or time to complete.
Regards,
Dave
PS I also use some relatively inexpensive (about $40 bucks) Faux Rosewood Pen Display Cases that I bought from eBay. They are essentially a hinged top glass covered space and two drawers with slots made to hold pens. Not bad for something inexpensive.
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