Time for another Casket Spotlight, and boy is this one a beauty. The Masterpiece by Marsellus Caskets Co is my all-time favorite casket. The reason I like it is not because it is expensive (around $16,000 retail), or has a really soft velvet interior (oooh, it is nice). I like this casket because even the underside of the casket looks good. Nothing is forgotton or hidden in the construction. The skill and craftsmanship it takes to make the unit is like no other that I know of. This casket personifies excellence and elegance. If I have my way, this will be the one that I am buried in.
A little history on the Marsellus Casket Company. Marsellus was a small manufacturer, but they put out an awesome casket. They have been regarded as the Rolls Royce of caskets in the funeral industry. However, their distribution was small and so one thing led to another (its a long story, believe me), and their intangible assets were acquired by Batesville Casket Co (the big guys) in 2003. I read that it would have cost more to overhaul the factory than to just move the operation because a lot of their machines were from the 1930′s. So now Batesville manufactures the caskets at their plant in Mississippi.
The Masterpiece casket has some impressive specs. It is contructed of with solid Mahogany planks that are 2 inches thick (known as 8/4 or “eight quarter” in the woodworking world). When completed, it weighs 400 pounds. The casket takes 6 months to build and is done completely by hand. The finish on the wood is hand rubbed to a brilliant shine and takes 16 hours to complete. The casket is quite impressive to see in person.
Marsellus Caskets have also been known as the caskets of the presidents. It makes sense since John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan were all buried in caskets by Marsellus.
Recent Comments