IBM Snap-On

[Ramper]

A local auction has a bunch of tools that were made for IBM by Snap-on. Is there any collector value to these? My bid price will be based on using them, but I did not want to miss a resale opportunity.

 

[Roberts210]

I would suppose it depends on what the tools are. I've worked on IBM Selectrics, and there is always a small market for Selectric tools. Can you post some pictures?

 

[Ramper]

https://www.proxibid.com/Hawker-Services-LLC/Auction-627-Antiques-Collectibles-AV-IBM/event-catalog/176019?p=2&sort=4&srchloc=true#cnTb

LOTS 106-160

 

[CoogarXR]

I have some ibm branded xcelite, see-lect and vaco drivers. Maybe we should start a “post up your ibm tools” thread...

 

[Roberts210]

Ramper, honestly I don't know what the collector market would be for these. But S-O guys love their S-O's, so there's no telling. (I've got a really clean Selectric 1 and a just-redone dual-pitch, correcting Selectric 2, both with 15 inch carriages)

 

[outofbounds]

Looking at the Snap-On combination wrenches in that auction, I don't see any connection stamped on the tools to connect them to IBM. Am I missing something?

 

[Ramper]

I think many of the other items were marked IBM, so maybe they just "assumed".

Do you think the screwdrivers are Snap-On?

 

[Man of Many Vices]

It appears that the seller disassembled an entire IBM service toolkit, including case. In my opinion, the entire kit as a whole would have been worth more than the sum of its parts. But then, nothing stops a prospect from bidding on each individual item, many of which should sell real cheap.

 

[ncboat]

The snap-on screwdrivers were made to IBM service specifications against snap-on's recommendation. They were jokingly called Snap off by Customer Engineers because they were brittle.

 

[Roberts210]

Thanks for that NCboat. Hilarious!!

 

[ncboat]

Gotta love a selectric. The same design of the typewriter was used for terminals and consoles on the 360 series of computers. It was a very intricate design with tilt and rotate tapes and interchangeable type balls. Servicing them in the computer realm was challenging.

 

[Roberts210]

The IBM Selectric was the last great mechanical invention.