Auction find...long

[Roger Myers]

SWMBO went to an auction last month, one of her regular stops that is mostly furniture and collectables and on on rare occasions a tool worth looking at. She called me and said she saw some some tool chest and tools that was going to be auctioned as a single lot and I might want to take a look. By the time I got there, the auction was underway and I only got a quick glimpse inside the chest, noting some interesting piles of rust...might be worth a low bid.. :cool: Tools at this auction when they do come up, always end up at the very end, which is good and bad...good because the number of interested people is down, and bad because that means sitting through 3 hours of auction....
Well, true to form it was one of the last items, and after someone opened bidding at 25, I went to $50, and just as the gavel was coming down, i heard the same bidder go to 75...well, it might be worth 100, and I was tired, so I bid...and the hammer came down..mine for 100. Now, was it worth it??
Well, I like old tools, and I like researching some of the makers and I've already received $100 worth of enjoyment in that regard. And the chest had a number of interesting tools that will be put to good use....
And more than a few that I'm still deciphering:)
I'll post a few pictures today and in the next couple of days of the chest and contents, since I know that no gloat can be posted without pics :D

[Roger Myers]

Here are a few pics of the tool chest....nothing too fancy about it, but solid and with the original key. It has three sliding trays, and the top tray has two lift out trays...a chisel/file holder and a saw till built in to the bottom...
Chest could use a good cleaning...

[Roger Myers]

Some more pictures of the tool chest

[Roger Myers]

here are a few pics of the contents....
First pic shows one of the real treats, a type 14 #5 stanley plane in excellent condition (with the label still on); 3 greenlee chisels that never even had the handles firmly set; an older chisel cut off at the tang (may make that into a chisel plane); a double spokeshave...
Second pic shows some starret calipers, a set of dividers, some stanley level sights, marking gauge, interesting chalk line....
Third pic shows some interesting wrenches including two Coe's patent wrenches, stillson, etc...
Fourth pic shows another real find....Goodell Pratt screwdriver in the box, North Bros. Yankee #15, small spiral screwdriver (only marked "Germany")...

[Roger Myers]

Pic below shows many of the auger bits, reamers, and Millers Falls "Patent Universal Angular Bitstock"....

Still piled on the bench. awaiting sorting are dozens of files, file handles, punches, leather working knives and punches, owners mark stamp, saw set, saws, saw handles, twist drills....
I'll post a few more pics as I sort them out...

I'm sure I'm going to need some help identifying a few of the items...

Think I got my my moneys worth on this one :D

Roger

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Roger, I am not much of a neander, but I think you did OK on this buy. Don't you love to look thru treasures you pretty much buy sight unseen at Auction? Kinda like a kid on Christmas Morning all over again, huh? Looks like a nice bunch of tools................if those tools and chest could talk, ah, but the stories they could tell! Very neat Roger, thanks for sharing the pictures and the story.......you made my day! :)

[Jim Becker]

I'm with Kevin...very nice scores. We should all be so lucky!

[Dan Gill]

I don't know much about old tool prices, but I don't see how you could have gone wrong at $100.

I just wish I still had my grandpa's hand tools. They got lost (along with a lot of other stuff) after my parents died and my brother's hippie friends (yes, it was that time) pawned everything.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I'll be over to check things out when I get the chance. ;) Looks like you have some too cleaning to do. The chest should clean up real nice with some TLC. At $100 you did right fine.

[Chris Padilla]

I agree, a great score at $100...to have almost gotten it at $50 would have been a real steel.... :D You should have some fun cleaning things up over time.

For those interested in electrolysis to clean rusty tools, along with a number of websites I'm sure, American Woodworker (page 6, #110 October 2004) has a little ditty about it.

[Gary Max]

Shoot I thought the box was a good buy ---let alone all the tools. Money well spent.

[David Tang]

The box alone looks like it's worth $100. That Stanley #5 would fetch a pretty penny on ebay as well. Very nice indeed.

[Vince Sandy]

Swweeet! Nice find Roger! That is the kind of find that keeps all of us rust hunters in the hunt. That is a combination tool - treasure chest.

Thanks for sharing, Vince