Saw a $20 Stanley No. 1
Todd Hughes
>Unfortunaly someone had already bought it. Fellow that sets up at my Tuesday N.J. Flea market that I buy lots of tools from asked me last week what a No. 1 was worth. I said do you have one? He said he might. Now you either have one or you don't and he did.He's unfortunatly isn't a slow head and sort of knew what he had so I told him straight that I would give him $700 and it is probably worth $1,000 in the right place. Even if he doesn't sell it to me I would like to see it. So today he brought it in for me to look at.Plane was rusty and dirty but not pitted and would clean I believe up to Excellent easly. Had about 98% japaning with perfect wood which still had most of it's finish and was an early sweet heart era plane. Like I said plane was pretty rough looking as it was but would have cleaned great.I thought about pushing the rustyness to try to get it of him at a cheaper price but didn't think the fellow would go for it.He has more or less decided to keep it and i showed him how to properly clean it and what to do and not to do....Told me he was at a flea market in N.J. and this guy had a tool box ful of rusty tools, mostly big wrenches. Didn't see the plane till he dug around in the rusty junk He knew it was a good plane ,[just not how good] and pulled it out with a handful of other tools and asked the price and was told $25 for it all. Of course he said $20 and got the lot. I enjoyed the story and guess it goes to prove always look in those boxes of rusty wrenches and junk, Eh?......Todd