'Grover Handle' screwdriver

I am definitely on a weird screwdriver streak.

I found an unusual Sawyer screwdriver dating to 1898-1911 back in March, linked here. In May I added a Decatur Coffin Company screwdriver with an even more peculiar twist (pun intended) to the ‘Spiral Ratchet Screwdrivers’ thread, linked here. And just last month I found an unknown Hobson’s, linked here.

I picked up this strange jobbie today at my early bird flea market.

It’s marked Nashua Paper Box Company Nashua, NH on the ferrule. But I am pretty sure that was the customer/owner/user.

It’s also marked ”Grover Handle” on the ferrule, which is a reference, I think, to the maker – of the handle, at least. A bit of research revealed that the Grover Handle Company was also located in Nashua, NH, at least as early as 1915.

The handle is a piece of work. As you can see, it’s not a solid piece of wood. It’s slatted or split. (I am not referring to the unintentional split.) I am postulating that this might be by design. Similar to Disston’s patented file handles, which have a spring steel coil of wire wound around the ferrule end of the handle, which has splits in it just like this, letting it spread, allowing shanks to be inserted. But it’s on the back end. It could also be a repair, I suppose, but it just doesn't look that way to me.

Has anyone ever heard of Grover before? Has anyone ever seen a screwdriver handle like this before?

I believe that's a screwdriver blade in a file handle.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-lot-nicholson-wood-rasp-files-1811826945


American Machinist, December 1913.


Machinery, September 1920.

I'd be willing to guess that the handle was some original sort of knife, like a boxcutter. That could explain the imprint being more detailed and complete than a typical inventory ID. Either sold by or a giveaway from Nashua.

And I'd bet a nickel all that wiring business is a later repair.

notlob said:

I believe that's a screwdriver blade in a file handle.

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Agreed. Clearly. Although most file handles (Lutz, Shur-Grip, Skroo-Zon, even Nicholson) doubled as tool handles in the early days. Some were specified and sold explicitly as File and Tool handles (for inserting picks, knives, pullers, bearing scrapers, etc). And I find a lot of those kinds of early vintage tools with what we tend to only think of as file handles on them. But point well taken. And thanks for the ads. I had found/seen the first, not the second.

4xdog said:

I'd be willing to guess that the handle was some original sort of knife, like a boxcutter. That could explain the imprint being more detailed and complete than a typical inventory ID. Either sold by or a giveaway from Nashua.

Click to expand...

That's a good point on the stamping. It is probably too sophisticated for an in-house proprietary marking.

4xdog said:

And I'd bet a nickel all that wiring business is a later repair.

Click to expand...

That's all your putting up? A nickel? That doesn't seem to confident! No, you're probably right. And I can't find anything similar by design.