Can anyone date this chisel?

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Found this Witherby last week at a local antique store.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a313/cpolubin/Witherby_1112.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a313/cpolubin/Witherby-stamp_1114.jpg

I tried to find some information to date it and the closest I can come up with suggests this is a very early style logo, but nothing more specific that that.

Would anyone have anything more definite?

Thanks

Cliff

[Alan DuBoff]

It's older than me! :p

Nice chisel! :)

[Steven DeMars]

Does she have a sister?

She looks sharp . .

Steve

[David Keller NC]

I don't have a list of American edge-tool manufacturers, but given the form of the handle, the fact that most of the blade seems to be wrought iron (it would have a steel insert forge-welded onto the end), I'd guess you're looking at late 19th century.

[Don McConnell]

Hi Cliff,

Have you checked out Brian Welch's write-up concerning T.H. Witherby? If not, it is at:

http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/witherby/index.htm

As far as I know, this is the single most comprehensive source of data about Witherby tools, marks, &c., anywhere. If I'm reading Brian's information correctly, there is a good chance your chisel pre-dates 1868. It could even be as early as 1849-50.

Don McConnell
Eureka Springs, AR

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Don,

Yes, I had found that site. That's where the "very early style logo" reference came from. And now that I reread it, it appears that the logo on my chisel matches one used when T.H. still owned the company, which would place it before 1856 when he sold out to the Harrington Co.

Thanks for the input.

When I found it I was looking for a hall tree for a Christmas present. Noticed some tools in a cabinet and there it was. It had a tag of $12 on it and I couldn't pass it up for that (after a bit of discussion with myself). Then when I went to pay for it there was a 20% sale on so it only cost $9.60 (small discreet gloat).

Cliff