HOLY FUG! Are you serious??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know how rare that is, top and bottom? The pieces are rare by themselves. I'll let some of the other Bonney-ites with cleaner, younger brainboxes correct me, but I don't believe I have ever seen the whole thing at the same time and place, certainly not in person, and not in picture, either. It is WARTIME!!!!!!!
That is a really fun stack. Perfect for right next to a main box in your garage, because the bottom shelves would be perfect for all of your blow molded cases of specialty tools.
Old Man Roger said:
Let me say I am not a Bonney man at all. I could truly care less. However, this stack is amazing! The wrinkle paint and overall condition makes this truly a standalone box
. I would venture to say that this may be one of the nicest examples in existence. Well done and definitely a you **** deserved!You get the mega **** for that box!
I love it when Lugz gets excited!
Let me say I am not a Bonney man at all. I could truly care less. However, this stack is amazing! The wrinkle paint and overall condition makes this truly a standalone box
Thanks all!! I have it pegged as a 1939 box based upon the catalog image below. According to the FBM ad keys are there, everything functions ,and I'm not even going to negotiate the asking price
It's a 2 hour drive round trip, and of course I had to unload my work tools from the car to make room to haul this home, but you guys's enthusiasm helps to reassure I made a correct buy on a hunch.There are a few pre-war bottom boxes that have offset feet that are pretty much trip hazards.
You ****!
Thanks all!! I have it pegged as a 1939 box based upon the catalog image below. According to the FBM ad keys are there, everything functions ,and I'm not even going to negotiate the asking price
You Suuuuuuck!!!
Rarely and not cavalierly, for good reason!
1939 to 1945. Before 1939 their boxes were black. After WWII they were red. They called this "crinkle tan enamel". Why they switched to a camo color so early (when Britain went to war), I don't know. I know what you're thinking. It looks like brown! And it is brown. I have a midget set in a wartime box. That is the only brown box I own. I have a wooden machinist chest, a black prewar ignition box, and a red postwar carry box. You know how much Bonney I have and how much I find over here in NJ. @LesserSon is even closer. In the backyard. And he has a lot, too. But I have never seen a roller and a top box together. I think there might be a top box on the Bonney thread. I forget who owns it.
Heresy to the Plomb faithful. I will get my pitchfork and tar ready now
.LOL, Funny you mention lottery tickets. I've been carrying a $20 winner scratch off ticket in my car since July 2021. I bought it on a whim to tease a co-worker who spends a fair amount on tickets daily,seemingly frustrated by the losses. I was at a local pub Friday for lunch, noticed the $1.3 Billion jackpot, there happened to be a self-serve automated lottery machine ,I learned how to scan my instant ticket,got $20 in credits, promptly spent them on MegaMillions, today's scan indicates a $10 winner so I an still playing with house money,next time I venture into a lottery.
Now you'll need to spend some of that lottery luck on finding the 140 tools that came with that AA1 top box!
I picked a set of Teletype wrenches last year, DOE's made by Armstrong. Real thin and the smallest are just stamped steel;
(ignore all the other junk I picked up that day)
OOOOhh... Purty!
Turns out you were correct. I did some googling late last night, and apparently the reverse switch was often on the power head.
. There were flat head screws for everything, one allen head for an internal spring, and roll (tension) pins for the pedal to shaft connection. The roll pins actually had clearance on the back side of the pedal so you could remove them easily, or press them back in from the bottom. 
Wow. Thats almost 6 grand in today’s $$
1939 Bonney Catalog No.139 The Tools the Finest Money Can Buy!
Just to qualify, you could buy just the stack if you wanted. All major mfgs had a large (~100+ pcs) master mechanics' set that you could buy with the stack (some combination of roller, mid and top box). And you could just buy the stack. Or just the roller, or mid, or top box. Lots of options. Same with smaller sets and smaller boxes.
Holy Mother of Dragons!…I’m not sure I even want to know the price. Incredible find!
Speaking of suckage I would like to make note of Alinc100’s most recent find. Yesterday, he had zero *****, today he has 9 total and is the current suckage champion.
. Your prose is a pleasure to read!December 31st, 2022.
“Four Score and 7 years ago, (actually 11 years ago), Our Founding Father, Jeffmoss26 brought forth on this forum, a new thread, conceived in the joy of garage sale finds and other classified purchases. It is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and that the Average Joe can go forth and purchase used tools, shop equipment, for their joy and the “thrill of the hunt” and hopefully along the way find some “u **** deals”. “Now we are engaged in a friendly picking war, testing whether our forum, or any forum so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure the endless piles of baby clothes and vhs tapes to find those piles of rusty gold we long for. We are met on a great battlefield of 2023, waiting expectantly each week to see what the other guy/gal finds. We have come to dedicate this thread to document our finds for 2023 (all the meanwhile hoping our spouses don’t find this thread and see our purchases). It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this, both for our own enjoyment as well as others. “But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow the General Tools Discussion without every one’s participation. The brave men and women, who struggled through Estate Sale wait lists and rude fellow patrons, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to document our finds with photos and words. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what might be found in this coming year. It is up to us, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work for which they who got up at the crack of dawn to be the first in line at the swap meet strive for. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored finds we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these picks shall not have been sought out in vain, that this group of deal seekers, under the Prior Host- Old Radar, shall have a new treasure trove of finds, and that thread of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish for lack of participation”
Welcome to the 2023 Garage Sale Thread!
Rules of the thread
Only post used tools you have found from the usual classified locations- Estate sales, Garage sales, Facebook Marketplace, Kiji, newspaper classifies, TOO’s, etc. If you purchased it brand new from a store, we don’t want to see it. That’s what the New Tools Thread is for…you can post anything that would normally be found in a garage or thrift store so long as it’s used. In past years we have had antiques, furniture, occasional toy, etc. I know one year we had a piece of a building that went through the A bomb. Heck, even road side/free finds/used gifts are ok. You don’t have to pay for something in order to post it on here. Ebay purchases get the green light as well as long as they are used.
Happy new picking year everyone!
- Please make sure your posts include pictures. Some include multiple items, some include and overall shot…whatever your photography style is , post pictures. **but for heaven’s sake, please don’t lay your newest find down on your lap and take a photo. There are much better places to document your find that across your crotch** In other words, don’t be a tool when posting your new found tools. Take the extra 2 seconds to lay them on a flat surface that will result in a better photograph. Better photos also mean better opportunities for suckage comments and ultimately Awards at the end of the year
- Context is everything- feel free to share some back ground on the items or characters you encounter along the way !
- Suckage- no self solicitation allowed. You can post and then let others decide if you have earned a “U ****” deal. One persons suckage is could be another’s trash so be respectful. Yes there is a suckage award for the most earned by a single member of this thread for 2023.
- Prices paid- Some folks like to post what they paid and some don’t. Neither is required but I know that for myself personally , price helps to both gauge suckage and also helps to act as a market guide for what others are paying for similar items. (Example-If I see that Lugz paid $40 for a USMC(not that USMC) marked wartime Jerry Can, then if I see one for $20, I know I better hop on it quickly and ascertain the exact gauge of thickness at a later date). So It goes without saying, you will be more likely to acquire suckage if you help others out with the details.
- POTY- Picker of the year will be determined at the end of the year via a poll here on the forum
Adapters are not necessary to flare tubing. They are used with a double flare. A flare would be used with steel lines and a double flare with softer copper.
Steel automotive brake lines need to be double flared.
Having a closer inspection of the keys on my desk, they are new, I believe the lock cylinders are new(er) ,keys are way too sharp for 80 years old. I will dig thru some old locks and install something more vintage in the near future. My main concern yesterday was arriving at agreed time and getting the deal done and loaded before anyone could cut me off.Holy Mother of Dragons!…I’m not sure I even want to know the price. Incredible find!
and the keys, too!
Mike, pics will happen shortly. The box is still in the car. Trash day in our fair city,has us remove all cars from the street,which in our case today,puts 4 cars in the driveway overnight. I can't roll to the garage (yet)
My OCD and my wallet would be in eternal conflict if I ever decided to fill this box with the appropriate Bonney Tool list. It most certainly would be a quest that would last quite a millenium. That being said the 1941 and 45 catalogs I've seen list the sets AB,AA1,AA2 in such a way you could use it as a checklist highlighting as you went, atleast simplifying what goes in the boxes.
1939 Bonney Catalog No.139 The Tools the Finest Money Can Buy!
LOL...this could be good, this could be bad...
This is the appropriate response. The exact terminology and delivery escaped me at my reactive moment.
Yeah, you're going to have a tough time topping this.
Thanks! I like to keep it interesting and thought that would allow for a humorous opening
Trust me it’s a good thing. 9 ***** over 1 find is going to be hard to beat. Well done! Feel free to post a few pictures or a link to the thread once you take some pictures of it.
Man, that is in terrific shape!
