Help with vise "ID" Cox & Son's

[CraigCoGuy]

Hello Garage people,
I was told this is the place to be. I just picked up this vise from my late father-in-laws basement. He was a machinist. It is labeled Cox & Son's, so I know who made it, but can't find anything about it on the net. It is missing the screw and handle, so I'm guessing he was going to try to make one (I'm still looking for the old one). Any help on the company, age, value would be appreciated. And were I can get a screw for it!

The picture of the jaw opening is just a guess since there is no screw.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Try searching these:

Drivesitfar's vise mfgrs' directory thread...
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=283430&highlight=vise+manufacturers

Twertsy’s vise history thread
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=387740&highlight=vise+manufacturers

Or the Mega Vises thread up on the General Discussion board:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782

 

[CraigCoGuy]

No luck, no Cox in those 3 threads.

 

[1982fxr]

Never seen anything like that.

 

[davethorik]

Definitely post that in the big vise thread.

 

[bl00]

Looks a lot like these from Howard Iron Works. https://tinyurl.com/y3rb6dsy

 

[Fierljeppen]

Cox and Son's Co. were manufacturers in Philadelphia from the late 1800's to early 1900's. They were listed in many manufacturing directories for Steam and plumbing tools and machines. I found one directory from 1903 listing them as manufacturers of pipe vises, as seen below.

Wow! That's an incredible find. Any vise collector would love to have that in their collection. It's hard to say what it would go for in an auction, because it's so rare and there really isn't much information about it.

Please post a few more photos of the whole vise from different angles for us. It's referred as vise **** around here.

 

[woody 73]

What is the reason it is so rare ? Not many made ? Turned in for metal scrap for the first two World Wars? Any reasons that I missed?

 

[Fierljeppen]

Rare, as in thats the first one ever posted in the garage journal or anywhere else on the web.

 

[twertsy]

Rare, as in thats the first one ever posted in the garage journal or anywhere else on the web.

Yup. I had them in my list of vise makers but I could never find an example..........anywhere on the web, which is rare.

 

[CraigCoGuy]

Yup. I had them in my list of vise makers but I could never find an example..........anywhere on the web, which is rare.

Too bad it doesn't have the screw or handle. Is that something that could be made or should it be left alone in as found condition?

Also, I don't know why they put a ' in Son's?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not uncommon for that era for the name to include the possessive apostrophe. It was his company, and his son's company.

 

[CraigCoGuy]

Please post a few more photos of the whole vise from different angles for us. It's referred as vise **** around here.

Here are more pictures you asked for.
The vise weighs 65lbs without the screw and handle.
I am also amazed at how small the holes are to hold it to the bench. 3/8" ? That seems quite small, don't you think?

 

[CraigCoGuy]

Please post a few more photos of the whole vise from different angles for us. It's referred as vise **** around here.

More pictures. The last few are of a piece that was laying with it. Does it go with the vise?

I am thinking about putting it on Ebay. Any idea as to what my starting bid should be?

 

[Fierljeppen]

CraigCoGuy...Thanks for the extra photos! It's really appreciated!

As far as your eBay question, I think the most important thing would be to make your listing known on the Garage Journal. Most likely it will be won and owned by a GJ member, which would be very cool. My feelings are that if you start with a low bid and go with a traditional -7- day auction, it will probably get sniped at the end with a very favorable price for you.

Thanks again for sharing a really rare and interesting piece of early American iron to us!

 

[davethorik]

To add, the holes may look small, but there is that T-slot running on the bottom of the 90° piece. I have seen some other vises with that, all older. T-nuts, studs, make yourself a custom mount tailored to your work surface.

 

[Shiftless]

As others have already said...
Post it in the big vise thread found in the link posted here.
(Yes...it really is over 3000 pages long)

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782&page=3668

 

[Private Lugnutz]

CraigCoGuy

It looks like Cox & Sons was located on Race Street in Philly in the late 1800's, and eventually moved to Bridgeton, in south Jersey, across the Delaware river and up the Cohansey river around the turn of the century or shortly thereafter.

An 1896 business report identifies them as a maker of castings
https://books.google.com/books?id=4...UTAI#v=onepage&q=Cox & Sons Bridgeton&f=false

A 1900 Philly area business directory lists them as engineers and ships engine builders
https://books.google.com/books?id=T...jAhWOUt8KHXhECh4Q6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q&f=false

A history of Bridgeton says they were makers of steam engines and boilers
https://books.google.com/books?id=B...LDAB#v=onepage&q=Cox & Sons Bridgeton&f=false

A 1926 USPTO bulletin credits them with two (2) patents for threading dies
https://books.google.com/books?id=l...NzAD#v=onepage&q=Cox & Sons Bridgeton&f=false

What does all that mean?

I don't know for sure.

As BL100 pointed out in post #6 upthread, the vise does bear some resemblance to the vises manufactured by Howardll Iron Works in Buffalo, NY. One possibility is that Howard made the vises for them, they were used in their shops, and the "Cox & Son's Company" marking is proprietary.

That would explain why there is no public record of them as a vise maker.

 

[CraigCoGuy]

The Ebay auction for the Cox & Son's vise is live.