How Much NOS Is Out There?

[RM209]

Went to the Carlisle, PA Flea Market over the weekend. This is a series of auto events held at the former fair grounds; it's well attended by folks from PA/MD/NJ/NY. One of the regular vendors has a trailer outfitted w/ racks and is loaded w/ bins of new wrenches, sockets, ratchets, etc. Although lots from the Danaher lines, including some Armstrong, Allen and NAPA, most interesting to me was the older New Old Stock inventory including Bonney, New Britain even a few pieces of P&C! These tools are brand new; I assume the vendor is buying old inventory from distributors cleaning out their older stocks, or businesses liquidating their inventory. But it's surprising to see new tools that have been out of production for over 30 years.

Regardless of the source, it makes me wonder how much NOS stock is out there waiting for us!

RM209

 

[Packard V8]

You would cry if you knew how much NOS has gone in the dumpster, over the side of Navy ships, buried in the crash zone of Air Force bases, been scrapped when S-K changed to S-K Wayne, S-K Lectrolite, or when Bonney/Utica went out of business.

Many times, the merger business model had a new brand name and they didn't want any of the old stock cluttering up the market. Sealed containers went to feed the Chicom furnaces.

I know where there is a barrel full of NOS Plomb WF 3/8"dr 5/8" sockets. Some leftovers from a forgotten WWII Navy contract. Who wants one?

thnx, jack vines

 

[RM209]

I'll take a couple
Thanks to reading this board, I've begun collecting Plomb and older Proto's.

RM209

 

[dan76]

sure....I'll also take a couple...

 

[gtiboy66]

I have been going to Carlisle Import show for 22 years. That guy has been there the entire time. I ended up buying a in/lb torque wrench from him. There is a lot of good buys at that show.

 

[Mickey O]

I've seen NOS in Federal and Military places that would blow your mind, just sitting there and you can't get it, I've tried. Occasionally you'll see a guy at the flea market that has a pile of it, don't know how he got it and he won't say but I bet it wasn't obtained legally.

The MAC tool dealer sale I went to had tons of NOS (and I mean tons) all for sale and reasonably price, I suspect all that MAC and S-K NOS stuff you see on eBay, sold from Illinois and Indiana, came fro that sale, I know positively that a good deal of it is. And that's just one retired tool dealer.

Occasionally a member here will post some finds from old hardware store or trade suppliers.

It's out there it's just a matter of getting your hands on it.

 

[selohssa]

I've seen NOS in Federal and Military places that would blow your mind, just sitting there and you can't get it, I've tried. Occasionally you'll see a guy that has a pile of it, don't know how he got it and he won't say but I bet it wasn't obtained legally.

I got a box a few weeks ago that was like that. The guy was a Sargent and when he retired, the boys bought him a box (cheap waterloo top and bottom) and filled it with NOS tools. There were many brands but the Snap-On stuff was all dated from the 60's to the 80's. By the sounds of it, the warehouse was full of this stuff.

I bought the entire set up for $250, took out all of the goodies and sold the rest for $300.

 

[Vinko]

Just the other day my SO driver was talking about how he imagined the stock of SO for the military during WWII and Korea was finally being depleted (in least in our area) because he hadn't been getting warranty attempts on it anymore.

Harry Epstein has a lot of Bonney, Wilde, etc on it's closeout site.

On occasion, I'll see someone on here touting a tool in the Classifieds, and the same thing can be found NOS (and cheaper) on old Harry's site.

 

[Joe Mamma]

Went to the Carlisle, PA Flea Market over the weekend. This is a series of auto events held at the former fair grounds; it's well attended by folks from PA/MD/NJ/NY. One of the regular vendors has a trailer outfitted w/ racks and is loaded w/ bins of new wrenches, sockets, ratchets, etc. Although lots from the Danaher lines, including some Armstrong, Allen and NAPA, most interesting to me was the older New Old Stock inventory including Bonney, New Britain even a few pieces of P&C! These tools are brand new; I assume the vendor is buying old inventory from distributors cleaning out their older stocks, or businesses liquidating their inventory. But it's surprising to see new tools that have been out of production for over 30 years.

Regardless of the source, it makes me wonder how much NOS stock is out there waiting for us!

RM209

and you did not buy the entire truck because?!?!?!

Seriously, how often do they have that flea market? I heard they have car shows there too. I might make the trip there sometime. I just want to make sure it's on a good day. Thanks.

Joe Mamma

 

[arkangel06]

So... how much did you buy??

 

[ZRX61]

You would cry if you knew how much NOS has gone in the dumpster, over the side of Navy ships, buried in the crash zone of Air Force bases, been scrapped when S-K changed to S-K Wayne, S-K Lectrolite, or when Bonney/Utica went out of business.

After the '94 Northridge quake the entire contents of the Sears tool dept was taken out to the desert near Barstow & buried. Apparently "asbestos dust " was the cause..... which is easily removed with a garden hose...

 

[Mickey O]

After the '94 Northridge quake the entire contents of the Sears tool dept was taken out to the desert near Barstow & buried. Apparently "asbestos dust " was the cause..... which is easily removed with a garden hose...

Could you post the GPS coordinates.

 

[Scooterfish]

Could you post the GPS coordinates.

I have a back hoe on stand by for the tool rescue

 

[Packard V8]

After the '94 Northridge quake the entire contents of the Sears tool dept was taken out to the desert near Barstow & buried.

Urban legends like this persist, but think about it for a minute. First, think about the penalties for illegal disposal of asbestos-contaminated debris. Second, knowing the persistence of LA thieves, there would have to be a mine field around such a site to stop the guys who were paid to bury it or their friends from coming back the next night with a stolen backhoe and a couple of stolen trucks. One local hot rod shop was cleaned out over a weekend and the thieves made at least four trips back in a twenty-four hour period using a stolen truck.

jack vines

 

[Teken]

I would give up a left nut to be able to review and purchase some of those Armstrong NOS tools from that truck pictured here!

That is something that will never happen in this small aszz town, ever!

 

[caper]

I was in a surplus store this afternoon that had 2 5gal tote tubs full of NOS Herbrand Canada flathead screwdrivers,$3 each.Picked up a bunch of NOS Task brand clamps.Nice heavy copies of the expensive Bessey clamps.$5 ea for the 3x8" and $11 ea for the 4x12".
http://www.task-tools.com/commerce.web/product.aspx?id=18234&catID=7396#

 

[RM209]

Joe Mamma: Carlisle Events probably has 10 car events each year; this vendor attends at least five or six, maybe more. He also attends the big Hershey flea market in the fall. Not sure, but I think he also attends some of the NJ events as well; perhaps our Jersey members can provide some input.

http://www.carsatcarlisle.com/ce/index.asp

arkangel06: I just bought a few things; whenever possible, I (like many others on this board) prefer to buy tools used to save even a few more $$.

RM209

 

[mrb]

Urban legends like this persist, but think about it for a minute. First, think about the penalties for illegal disposal of asbestos-contaminated debris. Second, knowing the persistence of LA thieves, there would have to be a mine field around such a site to stop the guys who were paid to bury it or their friends from coming back the next night with a stolen backhoe and a couple of stolen trucks. One local hot rod shop was cleaned out over a weekend and the thieves made at least four trips back in a twenty-four hour period using a stolen truck.

jack vines

maybe 'buried in the desert' is layman terms for sent to a hazmat landfill near barstow'

 

[ZRX61]

maybe 'buried in the desert' is layman terms for sent to a hazmat landfill near barstow'

Exactly. Most of the stuff from the Northridge mall ended up there.

& the thing you have to remember about Barstow is this:

It's not the end of the earth, but you can see it from there....

 

[bonneyman]

I saw "NOS Bonney", and got heart palpitations!

 

[Brad54]

That vendor was at the Carlisle AutoFair last spring. I made it through the entire day and only bought a few cheap file handles for .25 each, and 12 tiny Craftsman screwdrivers for $10 (sacrificial screwdrivers for ****-welding panels).
Then I walked past that guy's trailer. My friends literally had to pull me away. I blew through $60 in the blink of an eye. Got some GREAT Napa welding clamps, and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't live without. But those clamps were the gems of the day.

-Brad

 

[mkdive]

Ah, would be nice to find a crate or two of NOS Plomb!