Plomb Lovers, Get in here, Info needed!!

[bigcaddy]

Sundays are usually the one day i spend away from estate sales/garage sales and anything of the sort. Its my day to relax with the girlfriend and be lazy.

Today we decided to tag along with her parents to Ventura and walk around downtown. On or third antique store, the GF spots this box in the one booth that i passed on. Yes, i know, shes a keeper


I'm guessing its a 3/4" drive socket set box but the "o" has me confused. The really old Plomb stuff, prior to the inverted triangle, is somewhat rarer then the later stuff and i've never seen ratchets that didn't have the mid 1940s pebble finish.

Does anybody have a tool catalog scan with an early 3/4" socket set? Perhaps with the PN and what it contained. If its something other then the socket set, i would like to know so i could fill it. Maybe its a body kit but the 2 slots in the upper right side are taper to accept graduated sizes of sockets.

AA has very little on 3/4" drive stuff.

 

[Outlawmws]

Cool, find but you implied you have the ratchet? where is the pic?

 

[WWIIjeep]

Does anybody have a tool catalog scan with an early 3/4" socket set? Perhaps with the PN and what it contained.

P/N for the box should be 5695.

They offered several variations of 3/4" drive socket sets (8 in the 17-B catalog) ranging from 10 pieces to 23 pieces.

 

[bigcaddy]

Cool, find but you implied you have the ratchet? where is the pic?

The ratchet i have was acquired at a different time from a friend in a trade of tools. Its a later model 3/4" ratchet with the pebble bed panel and inverted triangle "o"

Has anybody seen a early 3/4" ratchet with the smooth finish, circular "o" and a date code?

 

[chopper1]

1927-1933 ---- These tools have a round "o" in the word Plomb, have Los Angeles as the manufacturing locale, and will have a stamped number normally followed by a letter. The number represents the year of manufacture, i.e.., 7 represents 1927. The numbers then are 7,8,9,0,1,2,3.
1934 - 1939 ---- These tools will have a "point down" triangle in place of the "o" in Plomb. The numbers will be 4 through 9 representing the year of manufacture.
1939 - 1942 --- Tools manufactured during these years will be marked USA as opposed to Los Angeles and will have the number 9,0,1,or 2 stamped on the body.

Taken from The History of Plomb Tools

 

[zeet]

You found that box in Ventura?? (Herman Munster stamps his feet and says "Darn, darn, darn!" ;^)

I'm in Moorpark and scout the Ventura shops regularly... And I missed a find like THAT!

Well done!

 

[porschedude996TT]

I guess I need to extend my searches down to Ventura... Still in Santa Barbara County.

 

[Steven67fr]

To the best of my knowledge they kept the round "O" on the boxes through the late 30's. Nearly all boxes I've seen aside from tool mobiles and 1/4-1/2 inch socket cases have the round "O".

I have yet to see a 9989, 9990, or any other larger box that is market with the inverted triangle (at least stamped in... the decals are a different story).

Their 3/4 boxes are nice cause the gauge of the steel is so thick.

Great find! Now you've gotta pick up extensions and sockets to fill it!!!