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Garage sale heaven...but I'm going nuts

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Lump

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Yes, you and I do it because we enjoy the archeology of old tools, the thrill of the hunt.

No, there isn't any real money in it. By the time I finish selling off everything surplus, I pay for what I kept. That is, if no burden is figured for the hours upon hours of driving, looking, sorting, hauling, cleaning, advertising and shipping.

Maybe, you'll occasionally get your heart broken. We on the GJ site are a picky bunch. More than once, I've gotten excited about finding whatever, say a mint set of P&C sockets, only to get a huge yawn from this group and end up basically giving them away.

Suggestion - give the group first shot at your treasures here. If they don't sell in a week, on to eBay.

thnx, jack vines
Thank you, Jack. I will certainly offer these tools to my fellow Garage Journal friends first. I even have hopes that I may be able to trade a few. I'm missing some older Mac tools, and I want to find replacements of the correct matching vintage.
Your GJ nickname makes me wonder if we have crossed paths before. I've been in the collector car world all my life. And with a name like Packard V8, you must be also. And I think I recall that the Packard V8 only existed for a year or two, right? The Packard "hawk" was 1958, right? I have sat in the Packard Panther show car also, and it was a V8 with a one-off supercharger. Two seater convertible.
But I digress. Sorry.
 
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OP
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Okay, some new photos ready now. First one here is for Bull. :thumbup: More to follow.
Toolswkndhaul23.jpg
 

Flathead Youngin'

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I don't collect them but just have a hard time passing up something that's dirt cheap. I mean really, ANY old American made socket is pretty darn good. And, at .50 to 1.00........ Almost all of my stuff I never gave more than $3 a socket for- and those were 1/2, 3/4 and 1" drive American made impacts.....

I don't wrench for a living but I can tell you that I have buddies that have to have all truck brand tools. Their tools won't help them a bit more than my mix match tools.

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse because this has been beat to death on here. But, for the average Joe home wrencher, I don't know why they'd spend the kind of money that the truck guys ask for their stuff. Don't get me wrong, if I had extra cash, I'd probably have nothing but truck tools. However, the money I save buys LOTS of other tools....

That's what makes the GJ great. I get to come on here and see flea market dredging and high dollar truck tools! :beer:
 

Bull

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Hot diggity!

Can you give me the part number off of that thing, just for confirmation's sake?
 
OP
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:beer:Oh and buy the way, I am anxiously awaiting the pics of all the goodies spread out.:beer:
Okay, our family visitors have gone home, and so now I'm scrambling to get photos for you guys. I finally got most everything spread out, but if I laid out ALL of the tools individually, I couldn't get the camera to focus on it anyway. So I left some of the wrenches and all of the second-day's-haul of sockets in their boxes. The little groups of sockets which you see spread out are in groups of five sockets each. That way I could count them as I displayed them. The stuff in the long white box came from the flea market, as did the green Duro-Chrome old style socket/ratchet set. The small white plastic tub next to the Duro Chrome socket set is the stuff I bought LAST week, and posted here before. Everything else came from that one garage sale. Next I'll have to sort everything by brand name, and take new photos. Here are the first few:
Toolswkndhaul1.jpg

Toolswkndhaul2.jpg

Toolswkndhaul10.jpg

Toolswkndhaul12.jpg

Toolswkndhaul13.jpg
 
OP
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Lump

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Hot diggity!

Can you give me the part number off of that thing, just for confirmation's sake?

Bull,
Part number on back side is C1161. It is 7/16 size. Hope that will work out for you. :beer:
Crescent1.jpg

I also got at least one Crescent brand socket, 1/2 inch drive, 19/32 size, made in USA, part number CS 1219. Looks like new-unused. Do you like Crescent brand sockets?
Crescent2.jpg

Crescent3.jpg
 

Bull

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Bull,
Part number on back side is C1161. It is 7/16 size. Hope that will work out for you. :beer:

Bingo!

I don't collect the sockets, but this vintage Crescent stuff is hard to find, so I will take that one. Maybe I'll end up with a tool board to out it on some day.

Please send me a message and let me know what you need for those bad boys.:)
 
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Lump

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:beer:Oh and buy the way, I am anxiously awaiting the pics of all the goodies spread out.:beer:

More pix. First one is the screwdrivers I bought. ALL of them are USA-marked, except one which is marked "Made in Germany" with a wood handle and changeable bit. Most are old, and several are rough. But at a quarter each...what the heck.
Toolswkndhaul4.jpg

Next is a photo of that "Action" brand ratchet socket set I mentioned before. The paper liner inside the box mentions that it was made by Thorsen, just like another GJ member told me earlier. I think that paper (and the whole box) will clean up considerably. It lists all the parts which were originally in the kit too. I am missing just one socket (I got several Action brand sockets that same day, so I bet I've got it), and a five inch extension. I have several extensions, but none with the "Action" name on them. Don't know if it should be so marked, or not? :confused:
Toolswkndhaul3.jpg
 

Bull

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Are any of the screwdrivers marked with the "Fleet" brand?
 
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Bingo!

I don't collect the sockets, but this vintage Crescent stuff is hard to find, so I will take that one. Maybe I'll end up with a tool board to out it on some day.

Please send me a message and let me know what you need for those bad boys.:)

Bull, I'll certainly do that. However, I THINK I recall that you also like Billings and Herbrand tools. Is that right? :headscrat There are quite a few of each of those brands in this haul. If you do have any interest, shall I hold these Crescent tools for a couple of days, and see what else I have that may interest you? I plan to sort all these tools by brand names, and then provide some kind of rough inventory for GJ members, before selling or trading them any other way. You know, shipping 3 or 4 tools is not much cheaper than shipping a dozen, so we should try to get as much into one package as possible, rather than splitting up several tools among 2 or 3 shipments?
 

Bull

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Sounds reasonable to me, Lump. I do like those brands, yes.

Just keep that Crescent wrench safe; they are hard as heck to locate!
 
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Are any of the screwdrivers marked with the "Fleet" brand?

Let me go check on that. :thumbup:
By the way, do you like Fleet tools? Check out this tool pouch set I got at another garage sale on the same weekend. It is marked as, "Proto" in little letters, over the "F" of "Fleet" in bigger letters, within the logo in the upper left corner of the pouch. The regular pliers are marked "Fleet", and so is the adjustable wrench (left one). But the other adjustable wrench is marked "Crescent, Jamestown NY", and the large "waterpump" style pliers are marked "Challenger". The wrenches have a sort of rough-surface finish (almost like sandblasted and then plated), and are marked "MFD USA" only. All the tools in this pouch appear to be brand new and unused.
There are quite a few other Fleet brand tools in the rest of this haul.
See pic of the tool-pouch kit:
Toolswkndhaul15.jpg
 
OP
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Lump

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mother of god!

should i submit a need/want list now or should i wait?

Atari,
Send me a list any time it is convenient for you. I also need to get a list together, of the tools I am missing from my own sets, which I would really like to trade for. But yes, get me that list soon. There are LOTS of tools here. :thumbup:
 

Bull

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Lump, that Fleet set is pretty sweet.

I am trying to finish filling out a toolboard, and so there are a few specific pieces I need: screwdrivers and a few punches and chisels.
 

Wrenchette

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Aren't garage sales great?

We didn't do so well selling at ours Saturday, but we did well buying at others.

Good grief! I would have a fun day going through all that!!! EXCELLENT score!!!
 
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OP
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Lump

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Lump, that Fleet set is pretty sweet.

I am trying to finish filling out a toolboard, and so there are a few specific pieces I need: screwdrivers and a few punches and chisels.

Oh NO! There were lots of punches and chisels at this garage sale, but I got worn out just sorting sockets, wrenches, etc. I wonder if I passed right over Fleet chisels? :shocking: Oh well. Give me some time, and I'll find that stuff for you.
 
OP
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Aren't garage sales great?

We didn't do so well selling at ours Saturday, but we did well buying at others.

Good grief! I would have a fun day going through all that!!! EXCELLENT score!!!

Yeah, I love garage sales, flea markets, etc. I can agree with the critics; in that MOST such sales are a total waste of time. But if you stay at it, you soon learn to move quickly, and leave any sale quickly if there is nothing there for you. I have learned that only 1 in 10 sales is of any value to me. So every time I find a dud, I am glad to cross off another one from my list...working my way up to the one good one out of ten! :beer:
 
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Lump

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That is pure coolness in those pictures. I love how I can experience these great scores vicariously through everyone on this site.

Thanks, Selohssa! I REALLY appreciate it. :bowdown: And I am SO glad that you can enjoy this too. I cannot help but think that, without people who seek out, preserve, and share old items like these USA-made tools, that they would simply vanish into the worthless trash bins of life.
 

chrislehr

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there's about one of these per year here and I made it last year and posted a real similar thread about mine. Good finds for sure! :D
 
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I spy a williams lathe wrench in the mix!!

Is that what the blue-handled Williams wrench is? :confused: There are several one-ended wrenches...including Williams, Billings, Armstrong, and others.

I hope to separate the tools by brand name, and then start taking more close-up photos of the tools of each brand. But I can't start tonight. Board meeting.
 

atari

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Atari,
Send me a list any time it is convenient for you. I also need to get a list together, of the tools I am missing from my own sets, which I would really like to trade for. But yes, get me that list soon. There are LOTS of tools here. :thumbup:


Sweet! I will dig into my sockets tonight and come up with a new list!:thumbup:
 

arkangel06

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Is that what the blue-handled Williams wrench is? :confused: There are several one-ended wrenches...including Williams, Billings, Armstrong, and others.

I hope to separate the tools by brand name, and then start taking more close-up photos of the tools of each brand. But I can't start tonight. Board meeting.

Yep thats what it is!

What size is it?

Heres a 7/16'' one I got for 50cents
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58694
 

SocketDeviler

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Maybe, you'll occasionally get your heart broken. We on the GJ site are a picky bunch. More than once, I've gotten excited about finding whatever, say a mint set of P&C sockets, only to get a huge yawn from this group and end up basically giving them away.
thnx, jack vines

I feel ya on that one, Jack.

To the OP, sweet score. Coming across a sale like that is quite a rush.
 
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I feel ya on that one, Jack.

To the OP, sweet score. Coming across a sale like that is quite a rush.

Thanks, you're right, I was pretty pumped up. :drool: Best thing is, after weeks of "dud" garage/estate sales, I have finally had a 3-week run of really good successes. I've bought lots of Snap On, Cornwell, Matco, and Craftsman, in addition to dozens of other USA-made brands...all under $1 per piece, and some MUCH cheaper than that. Now I plan to blend similar tools from all of these hauls together, and sort them all by brand names. Then I can build some sets, and keep or sell them as fits my own tool collection needs. And any remaining "off-brand" high quality US-made tools which GJ collectors don't want will be fine gifts for my two sons, so they'll have good tools when I visit them and they ask something like, "Hey Dad, while you're here...would you mind taking a look at the ______. It isn't working right now." :lol_hitti Currently in that situation I am stuck working with a couple of cheap screwdrivers, a pair of vice grips, and some typical dollar-store "Handy Tool Kit"-type ****. At least now I'll have a few good tools at their homes when I get there. :thumbup:
 
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Lump

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there's about one of these per year here and I made it last year and posted a real similar thread about mine. Good finds for sure! :D

Hey Chrislehr,
What are those Plomb tools you're looking for? Are the letters, "WF" just part number prefixes, or are they the initials for some kind of tool that I'm too dumb to figure out? :headscrat
There were a few Plomb wrenches in this haul, and some sockets too. :beer:
 

Teken

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Just one day, one day I ask you could I please be part of that type of haul! :( All I ever see out on the yard is clothing, dishes, and zippers! :mad:

If I can only live through your fortunate haul, I will! :thumbup::beer:

BTW: Should you be considering parting with some Armstrong tools please shoot me a PM I would appreciate it . . . :bowdown: :thumbup:
 
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Lump

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Just one day, one day I ask you could I please be part of that type of haul! :( All I ever see out on the yard is clothing, dishes, and zippers! :mad:

If I can only live through your fortunate haul, I will! :thumbup::beer:

BTW: Should you be considering parting with some Armstrong tools please shoot me a PM I would appreciate it . . . :bowdown: :thumbup:

Teken,
There is quite a bit of Armstrong, I think. (Perhaps a dozen or more tools, anyway). I won't be home tonight, but tomorrow night I will get serious about sorting out the tools by brand name. Hopefully I'll know how much Armstrong I have very soon, and then I'll send you a PM. :thumbup:
 

Teken

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Teken,
There is quite a bit of Armstrong, I think. (Perhaps a dozen or more tools, anyway). I won't be home tonight, but tomorrow night I will get serious about sorting out the tools by brand name. Hopefully I'll know how much Armstrong I have very soon, and then I'll send you a PM. :thumbup:

I would greatly appreciate that there kind Sir! :thumbup: I am in the middle of assembling a tool set for a little boy who lost his father just recently in Iraq.

His father and I were very good friends and his little boy always loved to be the helper to retrieve the tools from the tool chest for his father. . .

Now, there is no one to to do this for, so I decided I would assemble a tool set for him in his fathers honor as he was a Armstrong nut like myself.

He always grabbed the older style wrenches over the shiny new one's because he said they just felt right!

I dunno . . . When you're 8 years old and you know something feels right, you have to appreciate that as a tool person . . .
 

Flathead Youngin'

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What specifically are you looking for in the Armstrong line?

I would greatly appreciate that there kind Sir! :thumbup: I am in the middle of assembling a tool set for a little boy who lost his father just recently in Iraq.

His father and I were very good friends and his little boy always loved to be the helper to retrieve the tools from the tool chest for his father. . .

Now, there is no one to to do this for, so I decided I would assemble a tool set for him in his fathers honor as he was a Armstrong nut like myself.

He always grabbed the older style wrenches over the shiny new one's because he said they just felt right!

I dunno . . . When you're 8 years old and you know something feels right, you have to appreciate that as a tool person . . .
 

Teken

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What specifically are you looking for in the Armstrong line?

Starting from scratch to be honest . . . Anyone who read the Armstrong S-51 ratchet restoration thread knows I have two of these units.

I am giving him one of the 3/8" ratchets which I restored, along with some 1/4" sockets etc . . .

My plan is to assemble as much *old school* Armstrong tools to cover the whole gammet of 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 socket, wrenches, and pliers . . .

Once the whole thing is found and assembled I am paying for the entire set to be chromed, then give it to him on a special occasion . . . Right now, there doesn't seem to be any special day to be honest to give him anything as he doesn't stop asking for his Dad . . . :(

I dunno, this is out of my element . . .:mad:
 

ironheadtom

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I think if I ever ran into a sale like that I could have a meltdown. I see it all the time at swap meets so I can just walk by because I know that usually the seller has sorted the stuff. But at yard sales...who knows?
 

airbassador

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How much for everything?

Why not ask him if he'd take $100 for the whole pile and just sort it at home? You could sell or pawn the stuff you didn't want and make a little back.
 
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Lump

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Re: How much for everything?

Why not ask him if he'd take $100 for the whole pile and just sort it at home? You could sell or pawn the stuff you didn't want and make a little back.

Ha. :lol_hitti My son suggested the same thing, while he was sitting there getting a sore back, sorting the sockets on the second day. But the seller had SO many tools there, that even at his discounted pricing, the cost for all those pieces would have been much, much higher than $100. Indeed, even when I was finished, I'll bet there were still 2,000 sockets, 500 wrenches, and tons more tools. (I've never seen so many Asian-made sockets! They were marked with "China" and "Taiwan" and "Maylasia" and "Sri Lanka" and "Japan". Most of the Japanese sockets I saw seemed to actually be made of pretty good quality, and some of the Taiwan-made tools looked pretty good too. But in order to simplify and speed up the sorting process, I took only "USA-marked" tools, except for some German and British-made tools.)

In the end, I believe that I spent way less money, by just buying all the USA-made sockets, and all the USA-made wrenches which were still intact, and which had an actual manufacturer's brand name on them (Hundreds of wrenches I found were marked "Drop Forged" on one side, and "Made in USA" on the other side, but no maker's name. I left nearly all of these behind)

When all was said and done, I had spent $112 at this garage sale, and I got about 400 sockets, and 50-60 wrenches, one "Action" brand socket/ratchet set, and several other miscellaneous tools, as shown in the photos. I felt like any other purchases would have been lesser quality goods, at the same prices. :thumbup:
 
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