Lump
Well-known member
If you don’t like pix of vintage tools in various stages of condition, now would be a good time to click away. 
In the past two weeks, there have WAY too many opportunities to find bargains on tools around here...
I have been to a ½ day flea market filled with tools (last Wed), two garage sales (last Thurs) filled with tools, a farm auction on LAST Saturday filled with tools, an estate sale this past Thursday filled with tools, an all-day one-day-only Friday flea market full of tools (2 days ago), and an auction LOADED with tools yesterday (Saturday, July 31). Whew! I’m getting way behind in posting pix and reporting results to my Garage Journal friends (that’s probably good news to those who hate pix of used and rusty vintage tools).
So now I will try to catch up a little bit (Sorry rust haters. No harm intended). Following are some pix from an auction on July 24th, 2010 (last Sat). Weather was clear, but hot and miserably humid. Buyers were miserable too, so prices were fabulous (for the buyers).
After I saw the tools on the farm wagons, and then saw how little the first items were bringing, I decided that I should get a tool box or crate to put my own purchases in. I saw a box or two, but the auctioneers were in a hurry, and put 4 tool boxes in a pile. I was the only bidder at $5. I could see right then it was going to be a good day (but HOT!)
Can you read the clerk's tag on these boxes?
Next I got a Kennedy Machinist's box for $10.
It's a little rough, but how do you pass it up for only $10?
By now some of you are asking, "What is Lump going to do with another Kennedy box?" Frankly, I have no idea. But how could I let it go at $10?
There were a few little tools inside. Not much. But....it was $10!
Next came a tray of sockets. Most US made, of all the brands you're used to...like Plomb, Herbrand, C-man, Proto, etc. The sockets sitting inside the metal tray in the background were not US made. They will be sold or given to family members.
Here is a little better pic of the US sockets.
Can you read the clerk's tag in the above pic? Now you see why I bought them.
Next item I won was choice on boxes of old catalogs, at $14.50 each. I chose two boxes, and let the rest go. The two I picked were filled with tool catalogs and auto parts catalogs from 1950-54. I really wanted the Snap On, Mac, and early Blackhawk catalog (featured in another post). I also got two big older hard-bound tool and hardware catalogs (see following pix).
Here are the two Bostwick Braun catalogs. They are VERY large hardbound wholesale tool, hardware, and accessory catalogs. They average nearly 1,200 pages each. They feature really great line-art images of tools, hardware, auto parts, equipment...even guns and fishing tackle! I LOVE the images and information in them. You can really tell the differences between one tool and another, and they are great for identifying old unknown items.
Cool images of vises, eh? Sorry about image quality. It's late and I'm just trying to get these posted, with quick camera shots. Maybe later I'll scan some pages...
Check out the several pages of Blackhawk brand tools. Are you seeing all this, Bull?
MORE Blackhawk tool images. Ahhhh.
Yep, still more Blackhawk images, to help Bull in his search to fill out his tool boards!
Don't worry...not ALL of the tools featured in these old 1932 and 1938 catalogs are Blackhawk brand. Check out the cool screwdriver images, and screwdriver display cases.
I think that all the catalogs shown, plus all the vintage auto parts catalogs which I did NOT show were worth the $29 catalog investment. Do you agree?
(Again, sorry about image quality. I can scan pages later to get better images).
Next a complete set of 3/4" drive sockets with breaker bar and extension came up. The tools were in great shape, although the box itself was tired. It was Indestro brand, and I have a friend who collects that brand, so I went ahead and bought it. Not a bargain like the rest of this stuff...but in the end what matters is what you paid for ALL of it, right?
Above is a closer image, so you can read clerk's tag.
Next up would be this box of ratchets, which I had my eye on. But the auctioneer grabbed up several cardboard flats of tools, and put them all together. I have pix of it all, but I'm not totally certain which flats went with what. I bought 7 or 8 flats that day. I wanted those ratchets, and got two more boxes of wrenches in the bargain for 3 boxes.
I hope you can read the clerk's tag in this pic. I'm not sure WHICH of the other flats went with the ratchets, but I do recall that one of the three was indeed the ratchets.
Above is a pic of several of the flats laid out on my driveway, along with a couple of socket sets which were not included with the flats.
I bought these two trays of drill bits, burrs, dremel tools, taps, etc, because no one was bidding at all. One tray cost me $5, and the other $2. Several of the tools were new and unused. Others were scrap metal.
Next I got this Doerr 3/4 HP electric motor, double shaft, for $5.
One of my favorite buys at this auction was this tool box. Before the action started, I was looking at the contents, and closed the drawers to check the action. See next pic.
When all the tool drawers were fully closed and out of the way, this is what I saw on the inside of the cover which fits over the drawers! I quickly and quietly reopened the drawers...so everyone could see the contents!
Decal on the lid is shot, so no one knew...
Can you see what I paid, on the clerk's tag?
This is what the box looked like when I got it home.
Oops! ...too many words here... see my follow-up post.
In the past two weeks, there have WAY too many opportunities to find bargains on tools around here...
I have been to a ½ day flea market filled with tools (last Wed), two garage sales (last Thurs) filled with tools, a farm auction on LAST Saturday filled with tools, an estate sale this past Thursday filled with tools, an all-day one-day-only Friday flea market full of tools (2 days ago), and an auction LOADED with tools yesterday (Saturday, July 31). Whew! I’m getting way behind in posting pix and reporting results to my Garage Journal friends (that’s probably good news to those who hate pix of used and rusty vintage tools).
So now I will try to catch up a little bit (Sorry rust haters. No harm intended). Following are some pix from an auction on July 24th, 2010 (last Sat). Weather was clear, but hot and miserably humid. Buyers were miserable too, so prices were fabulous (for the buyers).
After I saw the tools on the farm wagons, and then saw how little the first items were bringing, I decided that I should get a tool box or crate to put my own purchases in. I saw a box or two, but the auctioneers were in a hurry, and put 4 tool boxes in a pile. I was the only bidder at $5. I could see right then it was going to be a good day (but HOT!)
Can you read the clerk's tag on these boxes?
Next I got a Kennedy Machinist's box for $10.
It's a little rough, but how do you pass it up for only $10?
By now some of you are asking, "What is Lump going to do with another Kennedy box?" Frankly, I have no idea. But how could I let it go at $10?
There were a few little tools inside. Not much. But....it was $10!
Next came a tray of sockets. Most US made, of all the brands you're used to...like Plomb, Herbrand, C-man, Proto, etc. The sockets sitting inside the metal tray in the background were not US made. They will be sold or given to family members.
Here is a little better pic of the US sockets.
Can you read the clerk's tag in the above pic? Now you see why I bought them.
Next item I won was choice on boxes of old catalogs, at $14.50 each. I chose two boxes, and let the rest go. The two I picked were filled with tool catalogs and auto parts catalogs from 1950-54. I really wanted the Snap On, Mac, and early Blackhawk catalog (featured in another post). I also got two big older hard-bound tool and hardware catalogs (see following pix).
Here are the two Bostwick Braun catalogs. They are VERY large hardbound wholesale tool, hardware, and accessory catalogs. They average nearly 1,200 pages each. They feature really great line-art images of tools, hardware, auto parts, equipment...even guns and fishing tackle! I LOVE the images and information in them. You can really tell the differences between one tool and another, and they are great for identifying old unknown items.
Cool images of vises, eh?
Sorry about image quality. It's late and I'm just trying to get these posted, with quick camera shots. Maybe later I'll scan some pages...
Check out the several pages of Blackhawk brand tools. Are you seeing all this, Bull?
MORE Blackhawk tool images. Ahhhh.
Yep, still more Blackhawk images, to help Bull in his search to fill out his tool boards!
Don't worry...not ALL of the tools featured in these old 1932 and 1938 catalogs are Blackhawk brand. Check out the cool screwdriver images, and screwdriver display cases.
I think that all the catalogs shown, plus all the vintage auto parts catalogs which I did NOT show were worth the $29 catalog investment. Do you agree?
(Again, sorry about image quality. I can scan pages later to get better images).
Next a complete set of 3/4" drive sockets with breaker bar and extension came up. The tools were in great shape, although the box itself was tired. It was Indestro brand, and I have a friend who collects that brand, so I went ahead and bought it. Not a bargain like the rest of this stuff...but in the end what matters is what you paid for ALL of it, right?
Above is a closer image, so you can read clerk's tag.
Next up would be this box of ratchets, which I had my eye on. But the auctioneer grabbed up several cardboard flats of tools, and put them all together. I have pix of it all, but I'm not totally certain which flats went with what. I bought 7 or 8 flats that day. I wanted those ratchets, and got two more boxes of wrenches in the bargain for 3 boxes.
I hope you can read the clerk's tag in this pic. I'm not sure WHICH of the other flats went with the ratchets, but I do recall that one of the three was indeed the ratchets.
Above is a pic of several of the flats laid out on my driveway, along with a couple of socket sets which were not included with the flats.
I bought these two trays of drill bits, burrs, dremel tools, taps, etc, because no one was bidding at all. One tray cost me $5, and the other $2. Several of the tools were new and unused. Others were scrap metal.
Next I got this Doerr 3/4 HP electric motor, double shaft, for $5.
One of my favorite buys at this auction was this tool box. Before the action started, I was looking at the contents, and closed the drawers to check the action. See next pic.
When all the tool drawers were fully closed and out of the way, this is what I saw on the inside of the cover which fits over the drawers! I quickly and quietly reopened the drawers...so everyone could see the contents!
Decal on the lid is shot, so no one knew...
Can you see what I paid, on the clerk's tag?
This is what the box looked like when I got it home.
Oops! ...too many words here... see my follow-up post.
