Upson Bros.,Inc.

This is the third part in the series and this part is very special, so I will break it up into two parts. In the first part a very special thank you to three GJ members for all their help, in this first part GJ member Private Lugnutz will help with his Military skills and better explain the Cage Number system from the Government and GJ member Twertsy will help fill out any missing information that he might find such as dates, times, locations, etc. The Second part in a future post GJ member Bczygan will help fill in the missing dates, so again thank you for all your help in making this story come alive.

In the last few stories as you will recall I found a few cans filled with some water and filled with screwdrivers in the bright sun of a Nov. day in Waco, Texas. Strange thing because all the men were going after all the bright and shiny screwdriver sets going for a very cheap price and all coming from China and they were passing up the screwdrivers sitting in those cans of water that just needed to be saved from any more rust. It so reminded me of that saying you cannot see the forest for the trees...

As far as a starting date for the Upson Brothers located in Rochester, N.Y. I have not found that date yet. Let me first say I started finding information about their Hold-E-Zee screwdrivers starting in the late 1940's, 1950's and up to the late 1960's. I thought (key word here) that the company must have got their start sometime in the late 1940's but that was way off center as they say. I then found a patent date, (for part two) that came from 1927 and the Upson Brothers were listed as the makers, so that killed my theory of the late 1940 date start time.

I could not find any information about the brothers, but I did find a name change, around the 1960's from Upson Bros., Inc., Rochester 4 N.Y. to Upson Tools Inc., Rochester, N.Y. 14608.

Somewhere in time they got a government contract to produce their tools hence the Cage numbers link.

In this first set of pictures you will see the Upson Ball End hex driver, in the part two post you will again see the same pictures only the story will change.

https://www.cagecode.info/78996

https://www.armyproperty.com/manufacturer/78996

https://books.google.com/books?id=o...Q6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q=upson tools inc&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=h...EIMDAC#v=onepage&q=upson brothers inc&f=false

https://www.trademarkia.com/holdezee-71538055.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-UPSON-...PaddedFlatRateEnvelope!43214!US!-1:rk:12:pf:0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-Ad-HO...PYPC:sc:USPSFirstClass!43214!US!-1:rk:22:pf:0

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/10-vintage-upson-tools-screwdriver-93254854

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-hold-zee-screwdriver-upson-153696840

https://books.google.com/books?id=Y...ved=0ahUKEwi2q-fvlPPeAhVKT6wKHRsJA4UQ6AEIQDAF

woody 73 said:

explain the Cage Number system from the Government...[ ]...Somewhere in time they got a government contract to produce their tools hence the Cage numbers link.

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There's really no secret sauce here and not much to explain, Woody. CAGE is an acronym for Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE). Every company and government agency supplying a product or services to a government agency has a unique CAGE number. It's just an easier way of identifying the source for something, from proposal to delivery to maintenance to replacement parts to disposal. If a tool maker has a CAGE code it is a good indicator they are supplying the government. Honestly, I am not positive when they were first initiated, but they are fairly modern. My guess would be 1979 with the advent of the 13-digit NSN and the Defense Logistics Agency.

Private Thank you, maybe it could indicate that Upson was still going strong into the 1970's ?

a paltry offering - all I've got:

Four Cycle thank you so much good job, at this point I will take any information that I can get.

That hex ball upson driver has so much information that it will fill another post and I just finished taking more pictures of it for the part two post; this tool is giving up secrets like you would not believe...

As I noted in my PM, I question the accuracy of the dates on those two snippets I posted - they could be off by ten years.

BK

Private Lugnutz said:

... My guess would be 1979 with the advent of the 13-digit NSN and the Defense Logistics Agency.

Click to expand...

National Stock Number started in 1974. It is also known as the NATO Stock Number; each member nation having at least one of certain two digit codes (Country Code) assigned to it for for items introduced to the NATO system by that country.
The NSN was formed by adding this two digit number after the four digit Federal Supply Classification (FSC - first four numbers which tells you what general type of item this NSN/FSN is for) and before the seven digit serial number.
For example:
What was Tool Kit, Elec Rpmn 5180-532-9112
In 1974 became: Tool Kit, Elec Rpmn 5180-00-532-9112
5180 is the FSC and designates a tool kit or set ( 5120 is general hand tools)
00 indicates a US item which was in the system prior to the cutoff in '74.
532-9112 is a serially assigned number for that CAGECode and Part Number, though some items have more than one CAGEC/PN combo. The day that Kit was entered into the system as regular item of supply, 532-9112 was simply the next number in the log book back, in this case, the '50s or '60s.

Tool Kit, MLRS 5180-01-110-2146
Here the 01 indicates this NSN was assigned after the cutoff date. The US has two NATO Country Codes: 00 for items before 1974 and simply added to the existing FSN
and 01 for NSNs assigned after the cutoff.

There probably was a prior FSN system before the one I became familiar with.
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retDAC said:

There probably was a prior FSN system before the one I became familiar with.

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There was. The phonetic system (e.g., 41-S-1076), administered by the Treasury Dept from 1934 to 1949, and then the 11-digit number administered by DSA then DLA, that preceded the 13-digit FSN. My point wasn't to get into the history of the FSN/NSN, though, but to postulate that the CAGE codes probably didn't come in any earlier than when the DLA was established, which was around the same time (DLA a few years later) than the NSN (as aside), because I am pretty sure the DLA issues CAGE codes. Generally, CAGE codes are not used to date collectible tools, though, as far as I know, because they are not typically found on tools or tool packaging. FSNs and NSNs are, however.

Upson / Upson Bros., Inc., 86 Exchange St., Rochester, NY / patent 1641307 / http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/11/vanished-tool-makers-upson-bros-inc.html /

Business Registration for Upson Brothers

Registration for Upson Tools, Inc.

Google patents for Mr. Velepec

I've attached some clippings to get you started. Millard and Merrell's (Twins) obituaries, as well as the obit for Mr. Velepec, the inventor of the screwdriver, and an advertisement for his business from 1924.

George T. Haines (Haines Mfg.) was also an inventor, and was VP of a toy company Multikraft, Inc prior to forming his company. Multikraft was founded in 1917 and destroyed by fire 2/28/1924.

You'll notice their obituaries say the brothers merged with Velepec in 1926 as Upson Brothers but the Rochester directory has Merrell (Treas) and Millard (VP/Sec) for Haines in 1929, and then Merrell (VP/Treas) and Millard (Pres/Sec) for Upson Bros in 1930.

Also, the R. J. Velepec Co was started on 1/21/1922 and located at 629 Central Park, Rochester.

Twertsy you are the Man now we have a starting date and the full name of both brothers good job.

Just before I went to bed last night I posted the story of Velepec and his patents, it never occurred to me that he went into business with both brothers.

A big thank you to everyone that helped complete the full story of this company.

Assembled these four Upsons while trying to get things tidied up and tucked away a little better for winter. All found in separate buys I'm nearly certain.

Two clutch head screw drivers, and two square tips.

Here are some of mine.
-Don

4-IN-1 UPSON MX-41
Missing the bits.
Not sure if vintage...?

Got some these around.

I really like this 4-in1 bit screwdriver.

Here is a kinda stubby one.
I have some more of these that I’ll get pics of soon.