Craftsman Rare or Not Rare?

[JohnDeere1]

Not rare there's a set for $35 on my watch list only worth $50 tops that's a common craftsman wrench style nothing special about them just cheapo wrenches.

 

[Jason280]

Or the seller's shill bidder got ahead of himself.

eBay is absolutely full of non-paying bidders, most of these ads "high bids" never see a dime.

 

[thehorse13]

Less common than the dime a dozen Craftsman wrenches out there, yes. Rare? Absolutely not. I've seen these wrenches at flea markets and garage sales sitting unwanted for a dollar a piece. Granted, they were not in the fancy plastic cover but the wrenches were in nice shape most of the time.

As discussed in another thread like this, Barrett-Jackson disease has recently infected the late model Craftsman =V= tools with fury.

As for the seller, he got bent over the wood pile if he paid $350 for those wrenches.

 

[Jim C.]

The original packaging definitely helps the value of any collectible. In the case of these wrenches, I’m not so sure the plastic pouch brings the value to $300+. But if they legitimately sell, and the buyer pays up, agree or not, that’s the FMV and future attempts to sell a similar set in similar condition will be measured against this sale. Only time will tell.

Jim C.

 

[Jim C.]

I have that same set, which, if I remember correctly, I purchased sometime in the 90s. The nice thing about this set was that it wasn't too expensive.

The rare thing about this set is I was never able to find any singles of the missing wrenches in this style. As far as I know, these wrenches were it. But then, I rarely used the wrenches anyway so I really didn't care.

Come to think of it, I may still have the plastic pouch stored somewhere. I BE RICH!

Don

I do have one single, the 3/8” x 7/16.” An eBay seller included it with a set of wrenches I bought several years ago. It wasn’t part of the actual deal, it just showed up packed with the other wrenches.

 

[3baygarage]

I love shill bidders on Ebay. I've noticed them more than few times, when the very same item is relisted the next day after it sold. Lol, bums.

 

[Rileysan]

Less common than the dime a dozen Craftsman wrenches out there, yes. Rare? Absolutely not. I've seen these wrenches at flea markets and garage sales sitting unwanted for a dollar a piece. Granted, they were not in the fancy plastic cover but the wrenches were in nice shape most of the time.

As discussed in another thread like this, Barrett-Jackson disease has recently infected the late model Craftsman =V= tools with fury.

As for the seller, he got bent over the wood pile if he paid $350 for those wrenches.

I've heard that before ... People see stuff all the time for $1 and don't buy them. Maybe that's the case but it's hard to swallow. I have thousands of wrenches and half are probably Craftsman, and I've never seen one for sale - anywhere.

I have a theory that distribution of Craftsman tools may be regionally dependant but it's only a theory. I wonder if those were sold in only one region ...

Brian

Sent from my LGL41C using Tapatalk

 

[thehorse13]

I've heard that before ... People see stuff all the time for $1 and don't buy them. Maybe that's the case but it's hard to swallow. I have thousands of wrenches and half are probably Craftsman, and I've never seen one for sale - anywhere.

I have a theory that distribution of Craftsman tools may be regionally dependant but it's only a theory. I wonder if those were sold in only one region ...

Brian

Sent from my LGL41C using Tapatalk

There may be something to your theory. I can remember seeing that wrench set on store shelves in the suburbs of the NY metro area in the early 90s. By the mid 90s, I still saw that set on Sears shelves in the mid Atlantic region, specifically, northern Virginia. Geographically speaking, 300 miles distance between the two locations.

Fast foward 20 years, and countless Sears tool promotions later, you now find those wrenches in rural area flea markets and garage sales in Virginia and West Virginia. I suspect Maryland and Pennsylvania would be the same.

They are not a dime a dozen but I absolutely assure you that they are not rare here.

 

[3baygarage]

Post # 3616 in the GS thread I posted one.

I have the metric set too. Trust me they are out there, just not dime a dozen like a 5/8 combo wrench.


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6577191&postcount=3616

 

[toolaholic]

They are rare... An educated guess would put them made sometime in the late 80’s by Easco for Craftsman. As for the asking price, he needs to come down about $550. I can see a diehard collector paying $100, but not more than that. The deep offset wrenches that are most desirable are the Craftsman Professional VA stamped wrenches from a decade or so ago. Those can fetch BIG $$$.

I have 3 of them. A 17x19,16x18 and a 13x15 deep offset. All marked VA. Why are they worth $$$?

 

[SuperXero]

I have 3 of them. A 17x19,16x18 and a 13x15 deep offset. All marked VA. Why are they worth $$$?

If they are in good condition, maybe around 10 a piece, their value only is higher when they are in in new condition and a full set.

 

[kythri]

If they are in good condition, maybe around 10 a piece, their value only is higher when they are in in new condition and a full set.

But that's not BIG $$$. Jtels85 said they were worth BIG $$$.

 

[byoungblood]

A set of 3 Craftsman RHFT ratchets in the plastic pouch just sold for $1000 last week.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vinta...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

High bids were people with 1 and 0 feedback. Pretty sure that one didn't get paid for.

I occasionally bump the bids up on something when someone decides to try to snipe me with a few minutes left to go, just to make them pay as much or more than what some of the buy it nows for the same item have been going for.

 

[kythri]

High bids were people with 1 and 0 feedback. Pretty sure that one didn't get paid for.

I occasionally bump the bids up on something when someone decides to try to snipe me with a few minutes left to go, just to make them pay as much or more than what some of the buy it nows for the same item have been going for.

Well, you'd be correct:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-Rare-...iece-Ratchet-Wrench-Set-Unused-/172960083698?

Relisted, sold for $280 this time around.