Wonderful guess, Joe - forgive me, I imagined the scene that while Martha was passing the lines, a telltale clock sound came from inside her trunks... http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E9wWBjnaEck
I'm sorry, it was no furniture.
Hint #1: The item was basically something not unusual to be found in a trunk.
Hint #2: It is usually not that expensive.