I've never seen a socket like this...

[Jaguar Fan]

I was given some tools by an elderly widow cleaning out her garage a year or two after her husband passed.

Inside a toolbox is the following socket (see pics). It's markings say "Made In U.S.A. 18 MM"

Look how it is driven: not by a standard 3/8" or 1/2" ratchet with a square drive but rather by a hex.

Ever seen anything like this? I haven't. Maybe I'm just naive.

and how it is driven:

 

[rijndael]

It looks like this: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6934279&postcount=3

Look at the 3rd picture.

 

[engineer2]

I've got a set like that from my dad. They were pretty common before the mid-60's. It had a big allen wrench to drive the sockets. It filled the need for the occasional user who didn't want to pony up for a ratchet. My dad was pretty cheap.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Many thanks. That explains it. I guess I've lived a sheltered life!

 

[Jazzman442]

I must have been too. I did not know this..

 

[joe_padavano]

I've got a set like that from my dad. They were pretty common before the mid-60's. It had a big allen wrench to drive the sockets. It filled the need for the occasional user who didn't want to pony up for a ratchet. My dad was pretty cheap.

X2. My dad had a set of these. The allen wrench "handle" slid across the tops of the sockets in the holder to retain them. There was a ball detent on the side of the allen wrench that snapped into place.

 

[GreyOwl]

This is the only pic I have of my set.

 

[PiperCub49]

Thanks for posting this! I have some sockets like this and was wondering what the deal was.

 

[yrly]

This is the only pic I have of my set.

I’ve got a set like this, I think they were from my grandfathers car. I never thought I’d use them but just recently they were the first thing I grabbed out of the box that was SAE and I did.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Those 50's and 60's era "household" or "junk drawer" class sets with the L-handles in a self-contained holder is what hex drive devolved into long after the automotive maintenance industry standardized around square drive. Many early professional grade socket drive tool sets were hex-drive based in the 'Teens, 20's, and into the 30's. Some of the sets were internal drive, some were external drive, and they included ratchets. Nonreversible, reversible, and, ingeniously, what we would refer to today as a ratchet adaptor, cog, or palm ratchet, that turned a regular L- or T-handle into a ratchet.

Here are just a few examples.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here are some examples of some external or male hex drive systems.

 

[pbon]

Maybe they are hot commodities now because young people who grew up with cheap dads remember these and want to collect them. My dad had no sockets so I am spared. He did give me a crosscut 2 handled 4’ saw.

 

[bpjr]

Maybe they are hot commodities now because young people who grew up with cheap dads remember these and want to collect them. My dad had no sockets so I am spared. He did give me a crosscut 2 handled 4’ saw.

I inherited a dozen or more of these sockets back in 1971. They came from my grand father's estate who owned (1928-1971) a Standard Oil Service station with 10 service bays. Based on the tools he left behind, I don't think he had (or would own) any cheap tools...so have always believed they were high quality and specialty for certain applications. They show lots of use too but are only in SAE. I've never used them and their value is purely sentimental. I checked on ebay several yrs ago and they have low resale value.

 

[DSLTRK]

Those 50's and 60's era "household" or "junk drawer" class sets with the L-handles in a self-contained holder is what hex drive devolved into long after the automotive maintenance industry standardized around square drive. Many early professional grade socket drive tool sets were hex-drive based in the 'Teens, 20's, and into the 30's. Some of the sets were internal drive, some were external drive, and they included ratchets. Nonreversible, reversible, and, ingeniously, what we would refer to today as a ratchet adaptor, cog, or palm ratchet, that turned a regular L- or T-handle into a ratchet.

Here are just a few examples.

Man, what a wonderful collection you have! Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[driftpin]

We had a set at-home in the '50's/'60's, I used them to work on my 3-speed Sturmey-Archer Raleigh English bike. I've come-across them in yard sale or Habitat purchases, mixed-in with other sockets.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

I had never seen sockets like that until the flea market a couple years ago. I bought 2 sets with allen wrench and ratchet for $10.

 

[manwithtools]

I've got a set like that from my dad. They were pretty common before the mid-60's. It had a big allen wrench to drive the sockets. It filled the need for the occasional user who didn't want to pony up for a ratchet. My dad was pretty cheap.

Holy flashback Batman - I could have written this exact post. I can't recall whatever happen to them but I know my dad had this same set.

 

[honcho]

I've run across a fair number of hex drive sockets over the years but I don't think I've ever seen any metric ones, so the OP's 18mm hex drive socket is, to me anyway, a bit unusual.

 

[2mJps]

I had some years ago and i found a set in some junk some one through out they are in a plastic bag like VW tool kits come in.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I've run across a fair number of hex drive sockets over the years but I don't think I've ever seen any metric ones, so the OP's 18mm hex drive socket is, to me anyway, a bit unusual.

They weren't as common, you're right, but Sears, Oxwall, and others were offering them. In fact, the OP's looks like it might be a DUNLAP socket. This link will no longer be any good when the sale ends, but here is a link to a DUNLAP 20-pc hex drive set with metric service openings on sale on eBay right now. (Not mine, no affiliation, yada yada, just posting for context.)

Man, what a wonderful collection you have! Thanks for posting the pics.

Thank you, sir. It's not too often they come up in conversation on this board. Here are a couple more...

 

[rick carpenter]

Those 50's and 60's era "household" or "junk drawer" class sets with the L-handles in a self-contained holder is what hex drive devolved into long after the automotive maintenance industry standardized around square drive. Many early professional grade socket drive tool sets were hex-drive based in the 'Teens, 20's, and into the 30's. Some of the sets were internal drive, some were external drive, and they included ratchets. Nonreversible, reversible, and, ingeniously, what we would refer to today as a ratchet adaptor, cog, or palm ratchet, that turned a regular L- or T-handle into a ratchet.

Here are just a few examples.

This Oxwall set must be later than yours as it's sq drive. They sure didn't evolve into something better...

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

The small 1/4' drive size ones were at one time, quite common. Like the screwdriver 1/4" drive sockets sets, the $1.99 specials. I bought a panternmakers chest and he had one. I think it might have been just a collectors oddity, though.

 

[jgromada]

These were common in the 50s to 60s. I have an Indestro set that my wife's father had

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This Oxwall set must be later than yours as it's sq drive. They sure didn't evolve into something better...

I'm not sure who this was directed to, but I don't own any Oxwall sets, hex or square drive. As for their lesser quality, that's why I used the verb devolve. As I said upthread, hex drive tools of the 20's and 30's were serious tools, hot forged of the same good steel and as well broached and finished as their square drive counterparts. Oxwall didn't exist until the 50's.