I scour eBay pretty regularly trying to find good deals on old tools - every once in a while i get lucky but it is usually a frustrating excercise in losing auctions at the last second because they exceed what I’m willing to pay.
I’ve also been by most of the local antique shops enough that I know which ones might occasionally have a tool or two worth looking at.
Today, on the way to a Christmas Eve family get together I stopped by a little antique shop by my parent’s house that I’ve never been too. Having been to several recently with no luck (just over priced rust buckets with missing parts, broken handles, etc.) I wasn’t expecting anything.
To my surprise I found what I’m pretty positive is a Stanley type 11 no. 4 in very good condition (minor consistent pitting along sides and bottom of sole but nothing that i think would affect performance) AND a Sargent 410c that, best I can tell from some initial reading on time tested tools.net is a type 4 which puts it in the same time frame as the Stanley type 11.
The no. 4 seems like it has been cleaned/restored before but not quite to my standards. The Sargent, on the other hand, is a rusty mess. None of the rust looks so bad that I anticipate a lot of pitting but it is pretty thoroughly coated in grime and surface rust.
I haggled a bit and was able to get both planes for what I’ve seen a lot of type 11 no 4s sell for on eBay ($50)! Did I get a pretty good deal, or was I maybe paying fair market prices?
The Sargent was scrubbed and degreased while I was kicked out of the house so my wife could stuff stockings after our daughter went to bed and is currently soaking in a tub of Evaporust (great stuff!). I look forward to continuing the clean up process on both planes after tomorrow’s day off!
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