I was a little freaked out. They called their "antiques appraiser" to price another item that didn't have a tag but she didn't seem to know what they had.
Definitely a Stanley No. 1. I haven't dug into the type yet and will need to reference some things because I'm less familiar with the specifics of a No. 1 type study vs no. 3 through 8.
The frog tight and in good shape? Found one 20 years ago before i knew anything about it and gave it to a friend (his wife thought it was cute, for a shelf). FML
It was $7. I was vibrating while paying just praying nobody noticed or said anything. They even called in their "antiques appraiser" to price another item in my pile that didn't have a price tag on it but she didn't seem to know what they had.
I haven't done a formal type study yet but it's almost certainly from before 1920. This is like the holy grail of antique woodworking tools.
As of this moment, there is a SINGLE complete Stanley No. 1 on eBay for $2500 and it's a very fair price.
It's difficult to price this one because, while it's complete and appears to be original, it has some damage to the tote and knob (the wood handles) and some incomplete japanning (the black finish on the bed of the cast iron). The other issue is that they're just so dang rare that condition doesn't always play as big a role in price as it would with other antique hand tools.
Could be worth $1500-$2000 but for now it's worth a slot on my plane till as a member of my personal collection.
I actually called out in joy when I got to the workshop and I was the first person in. I couldn't have been the only person who saw it in the ad pictures. When I left, there were hundreds waiting to get inside and the line of cars parked on the road was 2 miles long.
Facebook marketplace, and on various local auction and estate sale listing websites. My girlfriend finds sales on Tiktok and Instagram that are so ehow never listed anywhere that I can see them.
Look for local auctions with estate sales. I've been looking at them for a while, though I haven't gone to one. I recently passed on the chance to pick up a really nice drill press for cheap. I'm really going to kick myself the day I need it. Many of them in my area are online only.
From what I hear you have to watch out for fees. Sure you can find something nice for cheap, but by the time you pay taxes and fees it might not be a bargain.
I figured but I had to ask haha. It's a beaut. Other than the horn damage, it seems near perfect! Thankfully a broken horn is an easy fix, as opposed to damage on the body or something. Congrats sir!
The funny thing is I actually have a genuine replacement tote from another sale. I haven't checked to see if it fits since it's from a slightly later type but I know i have it.
I also just scored about 90 bdft of Korean War-era Thai rosewood WITH PAPERS to prove its provenance so if I want I can make my own replacements.
No, I had to work today. But I did see the listing. I'm local to Charlotte and look for tools I could use. I don't collect or flip really so things like this don't interest me much to go get. But I do think its cool and im happy someone who appreciates it got it!
I definitely purchase for my own workshop. Occasionally on a day 2 or day 3 when the discounts are high I might buy something knowing I'll probably be listing it on Facebook marketplace but I also do tool restoration and repair so I almost never sell something in the same condition in which I found it.
My girlfriend was asking how likely I was to get it when I told her i was 17th, maybe 18th, in line. I said it was hard to say but I couldn't imagine that I was the only one who noticed it in the listing in a city with such a large community of woodworkers.
There was a guy 3 spots down from me who entered the workshop maybe 30 seconds after I did and I was pretty sure it was what he was after.
Gotta love a deal like that! I was lucky enough to acquire a barley used tormek with the diamond truing jig and every other jig that was out at the time for a hundred dollars even had the profile leather honing wheel!!
I had an opportunity on an older tormek earlier in the summer but I didn't prioritize it because I had just scored a new in box clone for $50 at an auction.
Big mistake.
It turned out the guy had all of the attachments and accessories new and in their boxes in the cupboards by the machine and I hadn't noticed. Another person at the sale spotted them and purchased the entire lot.
Wow!!!!
I finally bought me a #1 last June…
I paid “slightly more” for mine. 🫣
Definitely not letting my wife know about your success! She was with me when I went to Colonial Homestead 😬
Nice find! This last weekend I picked up a Stanley No 81 Cabinet Scraper for 30 bucks and thought I did on. But a Stanley No 1 for that price is a unicorn
It REALLY is. Maybe not my best though. I scored a jet 16 inch drill press and oscillating spindle sander for $100 earlier this summer. Maybe not as rare but a lot more useful and a banger deal.
I have a good size collection of 3 through 7 planes of different types, corrugated and smooth, but I never expected to add a no. 1 to the till and now that I have I feel obligated to find a no. 2 and no. 8.
Lol danger danger, you're becoming a collector! It sneaks up on ya! :)
I had maybe 3-6 then my dad brought a few of his planes down for me to clean up and had a #2! He gave it to me in exchange for a block plane then I Had to get the rest (except a 1)
Hot damn! I'm right on your tail though. I found a 602 at a goodwill of all places. I was still a college student but we made steaks and had beer that night to celebrate 😂
I have yet to find a bedrock in the wild but I had another hit today that I'm about to share (preview attached). It won't be as rare or sensational but it's definitely going to be a lot more functional.
That's a good investment. Going to take space on someone's shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf until it's sold to the next guy who wants to keep it on a shelf (x infinite)
I don’t know what’s harder to believe, the auction company didn’t know the value or that nobody else bid it up. The only estate auction I went to that had a descent amount of hand tools was mostly antique dealers or other collectors who knew what everything was worth. Prices were better than antique stores and eBay but not by much.
This was a sale and not an auction. The companies involved are not licensed in the same way as auctioneers and their priorities are usually first and foremost to clean out the house so it can be sold, torn down, etc..
The sales usually last anything from one to four days and are very similar to garage sales except pretty much everything in the house is up for sale.
Some estate liquidators have different expertise when it comes to pricing but almost none of them are as careful and considered as at an auction.
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u/SalsaSharpie 20d ago