LN 4-1/2 Bronze - $$$ ????

[Kent A Bathurst]

OK - I've even built a plane till with a slot sized for a 4-1/2. Tote fits my fat mitt just right. Someday.....

But - somebody is tormenting me on the 'bay. Bronze. To make it even worse, the guy is keeping his user, and selling this one - he has two (which isn't very many, Obi-Wan Koepke, but still....). NIB, even NI sealed packet. I love the bronze planes. I can certainly live with the iron, it's just.....

What did these go for when LN sold them new?

I'm not sure how high my pain threshold is, but anyone's best guess as to final price? I guess I don't even wanna play if I'm only in the mid-minors - I know I can't hit major-league pitching/pricing from fanatic collectors.

[Rick Erickson]

Ha - I've been watching that one as well. I suspect that price will triple before all is said and done.

[Brian Kent]

Just a thought, Kent. Does the "hermetically sealed" part add useless cost when you start using it for what it is made for?

I admired them when they came out but could not approach the cost so I do not remember what they cost originally.

Mr Kent


Correction - they were $400 from Lie Nielsen

[Joe Close]

You could probably figure the percentage difference between a #4 iron and #4 bronze. Take a percentage difference between the #4 iron and #4-1/2 iron, and extrapulate what a bronze 4-1/2 should be. That should get you in the ball park for a user. If you are collecting, and the guy is looking for collection kind of prices, because they are no longer available, then its worth what the auction will bring.

[Matt Radtke]

I've seen the bronze 4.5 go from between $300 and $600 on the 'bay. Assuming the normal $50 bump for the 2-4, a new, bronze 4.5 would cost about $375, maybe $400, if it existed.

How much would I pay? I dunno. My 2 Stanley 4.5s are just fine for now. I will own a LN 4.5 someday. If the day that I'm ready to buy one matches up with when I find one on ebay, I'd top out at about 450, personally. Though even that would be a stretch. A new 8 is $475, so, meh.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Mr Kent - you're right

Rick - If you are right....well, then...I can't hit major-league heat.
Where in Atlanta are you located?

Crawl back into my hidey-hole, I guess.

Kent

[Rick Erickson]

Mr Kent - you're right
Where in Atlanta are you located?
Kent

I live in Fayetteville and work in Midtown.

[Joe McMahon]

The Lie Nielsen 4 1/2 bronze was a 25th Anniversary plane and only 500 were made (2006). Since then I have seen them as high as $1,100 and as low as $650.

4 1/2 in bronze was never a Lie Nielsen production plane.

HTH, Joe

[James Taglienti]

That seems like a pretty outrageous price. Bear in mind that there are a lot of good infills out there that are going for high 200 to low 300. However, the collector in me is intrigued just because they don't make the bronze 4 1/2 any more... i wasn't aware...

[Kent A Bathurst]

The Lie Nielsen 4 1/2 bronze was a 25th Anniversary plane and only 500 were made (2006). Since then I have seen them as high as $1,100 and as low as $650.

4 1/2 in bronze was never a Lie Nielsen production plane.

HTH, Joe

Joe - yeah, I knew all about it except for the $$. Somewhere - I forget where - I came across a registry listing all the known owners of the 500, by plane # - maybe half were known.

James - it'll just be one of those dream/wish things for me at those collector-driven prices. The iron version fits my hand just fine - it can hang out with my bronze #3.

Oh, well.

[Kent A Bathurst]

accidental dupe.

[Rick Erickson]

I've seen the bronze 4.5 go from between $300 and $600 on the 'bay.

Matt, I'm not sure I've seen that. If this plane goes for $300 it will be me who owns it :D. Hey, even at $600 I will own it.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Kent, for that price, you could go visit Mr. Bresse down in Thomaston, Ga. Would definitely be more rewarding too!

Rick, I used to live on Fayetteville and worked downtown near GSU. Don't miss the commute.

[Rick Erickson]

Kent, for that price, you could go visit Rick, I used to live on Fayetteville and worked downtown near GSU. Don't miss the commute.

Small world - Yeah, the commute stinks for sure.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Small world - Yeah, the commute stinks for sure.

Hey - live intown, used to go to office in Union City - that was me, fellas, doing 80 on the connector outbound in the morning while you were bumper-to-bumper inbound. And, I was waving at you again in the evening.:D

'Course, the smallish patch of dirt under my house is valued at 2.5 X the house itself.......which is backwards for Fayetteville, I'm sure, with a much larger patch of dirt to boot.

[David Keller NC]

Kent - I have 2 of these planes, purchased new from Lie-Nielsen in 2006. They were $450 each when purchased from the factory. If they are in unused condition, and have all of the packaging and original insert, they go for about $800-$900. That price varies tremendously because the supply is so small. During the darkest days of the financial crisis, I saw one NIB go for $650 on e-bay, and have also seen one go for $1500. If they have been lightly used, they go for about $600.

One can spend what one wishes to on tools, of course, but you don't usually buy a bronze anniversary 4-1/2 strictly for its performance, though it will be far less than a good infill plane with its original blade from Norris, Mathieson, or Spiers.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.......I have 2 of these planes....... of course, but you don't usually buy a bronze anniversary 4-1/2 strictly for its performance........

2 of them? Nice, David, very nice. Anything else you want to torment me with? Wanna sell one? :D You were certainly looking over the horizon when you got the second one....well played. 20% annual ROI puts the NIB at about $660 - not bad in the last 4 years (unless you shorted the entire market).

The performance of the iron will do just fine, of course. The bronze just looks too cool. I've got the bronze #3, and the #4 seems to me to be a bit too close to the #3 to get that one, plus its tote doesn't fit my hand as well as the 4-1/2. Well, you can't have everything, eh? At least, not in my budget class............

Thanks for the details/info.

[David Keller NC]

You may have another opportunity on the investment side of things. L-N is considering a 30th anniversary tool for 2011. Last time I heard, a repro of the bronze Miller plow planes was being considered, but I don't know if that's still the plan. Another consideration was to re-issue the #9 miter in bronze. You could call L-N and ask. L-N has put out a number of collector's items in the past - usually one of their newly-introduced tools in a special material such as white bronze. Many of these are still for sale through the Fine Tool Journal.

L-N does have a few of the bronze castings for the 4-1/2 left. They've been outfitting these with cherry handles (instead of the original's cocobolo), and they come with a plain bronze lever cap (instead of the 1981-2006 anniversary dates on the originals) and no Tom Lie-Nielsen signature on the side. The price varies - somewhere between $900 and $1200 depending on the market conditions.

[gary Zimmel]

Two... Good for you David.
I thought I was doing well with my one still in the plastic bag.....

Looks like there are a few of the aniversary planes on the bay right now.
With about 3 days left I bet that 4 1/2 goes for $950.00

[Kent A Bathurst]

.....Looks like there are a few of the aniversary planes on the bay right now.....

Yeah, I just saw those. There are 4, all the same seller, and - get this - 3 of the 4 are all #319/500. Now, THAT seems like someone was serious!!

[Kent A Bathurst]

Two... Good for you David.
I thought I was doing well with my one still in the plastic bag.....

Looks like there are a few of the aniversary planes on the bay right now.
With about 3 days left I bet that 4 1/2 goes for $950.00

Close, Gary - $825.

[gary Zimmel]

Even closer if we convert it to our dollar Kent...;)
At 10% it would be about $910.00 Can.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Even closer if we convert it to our dollar Kent...;)
At 10% it would be about $910.00 Can.

HAH!!. Of course, paypal doesn't take Monopoly money, eh? (sorry - couldn't help myself):p

Stony Plain AB, huh? Man, you are UP there, Gary. Bet you know where the fish are in season, right? If you can put us on the walleye, I'll buy the bait + the Blue after the seasonal glaciers receed.