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Craftsman Stainless Steel Combination Wrenches

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outofbounds

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Chanced onto this 8 pcs set while racing out at lunchtime on an SK Metric short DBE set. Guy made me a great package deal. Said he remembers these as an award for something or another. I do have the 7/16, just moved it to show the dust. Wish the guy would have closed the lid once a few decades ago.....Can I assume these are contemporary to the Stainless Craftsman ratchets?
 

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RTM

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If they were a brushed stainless, don't buff them up. While you can, may destroy their collector value.
 
S

Shiftless

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RTM said:
If they were a brushed stainless, don't buff them up. While you can, may destroy their collector value.
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100% agreed
Just clean off the dust and either keep them yourself if you are so inclined or put them up for bidding on eBay and make some good money to be used toward something you are more into.
 
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Rileysan

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outofbounds said:
Chanced onto this 8 pcs set while racing out at lunchtime on an SK Metric short DBE set. Guy made me a great package deal. Said he remembers these as an award for something or another. I do have the 7/16, just moved it to show the dust. Wish the guy would have closed the lid once a few decades ago.....Can I assume these are contemporary to the Stainless Craftsman ratchets?
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I will wipe them down, and try and rehab the case a bit, but they appear to be a "brushed stainless" finish.
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Some cursory research implies 1972. Ebay pricing has my jaw hanging still a bit....
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These have been on my unicorn list for many years. I wouldn't quite call them 'rare' but they are certainly uncommon. I've never seen a single wrench for sale in the wild, let alone a set in the original box.

Definitely don't do anything more than wipe them down!

As for prices on eBay, if I were selling I wouldn't hesitate to use eBay as my guide as it is an accurate measure of the true value of these wrenches.


Congrats on a really great find!! BTW - what did you pay for them?

Brian
 
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Draftpick1

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Rileysan said:
These have been on my unicorn list for many years. I wouldn't quite call them 'rare' but they are certainly uncommon. I've never seen a single wrench for sale in the wild, let alone a set in the original box.

Definitely don't do anything more than wipe them down!

As for prices on eBay, if I were selling I wouldn't hesitate to use eBay as my guide as it is an accurate measure of the true value of these wrenches.


Congrats on a really great find!! BTW - what did you pay for them?

Brian
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Lots of craftsman tools can bring some crazy prices, the SS wrenches & ratchets, the Flex RHFT ratchet, USA reversible cross force wrenches.
 
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Jim C.

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Nice score! It’s a tough set to acquire. The wrenches do have a brushed finish, so be careful not to buff them too much.

Jim C.
 

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Jim C.

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Draftpick1 said:
Nice! Do you know who made these? Did Easco make them?
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I’m not sure if Easco made them or not. What I do recall is that they first appeared in the Craftsman 1972-73 tool catalogs. And, if I remember correctly, I think they were only for sale as a catalog item. You couldn’t just stop by your local Sears department store and buy them. By 1974, I think they were no longer offered by Sears. Based on the box and its red velvet liner, the set seems to have been produced as a collector’s item from the get go. The wrenches are slightly angled forward in their fitted places so they make an impactful presentation when the box is opened. The wrenches themselves have a brushed finish and are better than just good in terms of quality. While they’re fully functional tools, I can’t help but think that they were made to be looked at only.

Jim C.
 
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Jim C.

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The set was shipped in the box depicted below.

Jim C.
 

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outofbounds

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Lightning apparently can strike twice. Came across another set of these, ironically enough from a woman that I had recently purchased a vacuum cleaner from! She is a clever woman, and had done some research and had them pretty well listed at high retail. I gave her a reasoned approach as to why I wasn't anywhere near her price on these, and she came around on price substantially. Very clean set overall, with terrific case, and vibrant velvet insert (one large crack, however still supports the wrenches well)
 

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DD T/A

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Some guy has a Stainless 3/8" ratchet at the flea, what is the most I should pay for it in "ok" condition. I didn't ask him how much he wants but I did test it and it worked fine.
 
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outofbounds

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DD T/A said:
Some guy has a Stainless 3/8" ratchet at the flea, what is the most I should pay for it in "ok" condition. I didn't ask him how much he wants but I did test it and it worked fine.
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These trade on Ebay around $50-75 based on condition. Last clean one sold $75 with free shipping. Personally, a motivated flea market seller might let it go for around $30 I would think.
 
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