Old Stanley Hand Planes

[Rick Reinsma]

An Older fella said he has approximatley 40 old stanley hand planes for sale that he says are in great shape ( I haven't seen them yet) He wants $400 for the lot . Is there somewhere that I can find out if they are authentic? Or is there a quick way through an identification number? What do you experts have to say?....Thanks for your input...Rick

[Anthony Whitesell]

The Stanley name and Number was part of the casting mold during the manufacturing process. So short of grinding it off, it will be very obvious if it is a Stanley and, if so, which one.

[Greg Peterson]

Rick,

Just google "Patricks Blood and Gore". More than enough info there to get you started.

If there are even a few really good planes in the collection, it's a bargain. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Sam Yerardi]

If they are all truly in great shape you may be in luck. You never know what you'll find. I would go to the Blood & Gore website and read up on all of the old Stanley planes for some background. Maybe even print it out (a ton of info there, although) and take with you when you look at the planes. Sorry I can't go with you with $400 in my pocket, too :)

[Lee Schierer]

An Older fella said he has approximatley 40 old stanley hand planes for sale that he says are in great shape ( I haven't seen them yet) He wants $400 for the lot .At $10 per plane, don't advertise where this guy is. Most bigger planes sell for at least $25.00 each in fair condition. Don't worry about how sharp they are, you can take care of that pretty quickly with the scary sharp method for sharpening or a Tormek grinder. You can also tune up the sole with the scary sharp sandpaper method. Surface rust comes off easily with a soft wire brush wheel. Deep pits will be a problem.

[Danny Thompson]

Look for "Stanley" cast into the bed. Better if you also find "Bailey" there.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

An Older fella said he has approximatley 40 old stanley hand planes for sale that he says are in great shape ( I haven't seen them yet) He wants $400 for the lot . Is there somewhere that I can find out if they are authentic? Or is there a quick way through an identification number? What do you experts have to say?....Thanks for your input...Rick

I'll give you $10 each for 40 planes, sight unseen. Not many Stanleys are worth as little as $10, and if the guy has 40 of them, he probably knows a little about tools, so it is probably a safe bet that you will get a few gems with the #5's. John Walters little "Stanley Tools Pocket Price Guide" is a good place to start for estimating value.

Heck, if you get lucky, and score a #9, #10 1/4, #41,#42, #43, #44, #52, #54, #55 complete, #56, #57, #62, #64, #72, #72 1/2, #74, #85, #87, #90A, #97, #101 1/2, #141, #143, #144, #164, #171, #196, #340, #444, any Bedrocks other than a #605, or most anything in type 1, your one plane will be worth way more than you paid for the whole lot. Buy, buy, buy!

I should add, that many non-Stanleys are valuable as well. I have a Phillips I wouldn't let go for less than what a couple new cabinet saws cost.

Oh, should mention, planes tend to multiply rapidly when added to the apparently ideal habitat of many woodshops. Be ready....

[Dwain Lambrigger]

WHEN, not if mind you, BUT WHEN you buy, please post the pictures. I am very interested in what you find. I'll bet it's the normal 3 through 7, probably a 220 and a 60.5. I'll be willing to bet you may have a 2 and some rabbits as well.

Again, when you buy, please post some pics.

Good luck!

[Mike Cutler]

Rick

With few notable exceptions there really is no reason to counterfeit Stanley planes. They were made in such great numbers that there is no shortage of most of them.
At $10.00 per plane, there is almost no way you can lose. I'd buy them sight unseen.

[Greg Crawford]

If they're in decent shape and you get duplicates and want to sell, they should go fast. Personally, I would like to get an older #4 and a #8, possibly a 140, if the price is in my budget. I agree with the others, I don't think you can go wrong.

[Phillip Pattee]

If he says they are stanleys then they probably are. I would go for it. That is a bargain price even if they are in only fair to poor shape. Even if you don't need or want most of them, other woodworkers do. You can sell the ones you don't want.

[Marcus Ward]

It could be 40 220s, which would suck. I'd at least want to see them before buying to make sure it's not a lot of lower end junk like Handymans.