vintage Sargent & Co bench vise

[npillar]

i have a vintage sargent & co bench vise looking to see what its possibly worth.

 

[Shiftless]

I suspect that the vise you have was sold by the Sargent and Co. lock manufacturing company. Quite a few old vises were made by various companies without ID molded in so that vendors could sell them with their own name.

As far as I know, there are no vises manufactured by Sargent. Based on its overall appearance, and the fact that the name Sargent is just stamped rather than molded, there is a good chance that vise was manufactured by Parker and wholesaled in bulk to Sargent.

Let’s wait for a real expert to chime in.

How wide are the jaws on that one?.

Edit:
I just found a catalog page showing your #21

Value is hard to say. Anything is worth what a willing buyer and seller agree to at any one point in time.

If you want to sell, take some pro grade photos and put it on eBay. Start the bidding at $100 and wait for the action.



.

 

[npillar]

I appreciate all the info and the catalog page.

The jaws are 3” wide

 

[thehorse13]

The 1911 Sagent & Co tool catalog shows this vise in 5 sizes, model: 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23. I suspect you have a model 21 which is listed as 3 1/8th wide jaws.

In case you would like to have a look, see here:
1911 Sargent&Co. Catalog

Novelty vises are difficult to price. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that region can significantly impact the value of bench vises. I happen to live in a place where they are very cheap in comparison to other areas of the country.

All of that said, I've never seen one of these in the wild. If I came across this vise and a seller had 40 bucks on it, I'd likely drag it home. My price is completely without comparisons and solely based on what my gut tells me.

 

[Shiftless]

The 1911 Sagent & Co tool catalog shows this vise in 5 sizes, model: 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23. I suspect you have a model 21 which is listed as 3 1/8th wide jaws.

In case you would like to have a look, see here:
1911 Sargent&Co. Catalog

Novelty vises are difficult to price. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that region can significantly impact the value of bench vises. I happen to live in a place where they are very cheap in comparison to other areas of the country.

All of that said, I've never seen one of these in the wild. If I came across this vise and a seller had 40 bucks on it, I'd likely drag it home. My price is completely without comparisons and solely based on what my gut tells me.

Agreed... but I would double it! Would it fit into a large flat rate box if you took it apart?

 

[Roberts210]

I'm very familiar with Sargent as a manufacturer of door and window hardware--and they made excellent door and window hardware. I never knew they made vises too. With an "orphan" vise, a lot depends on how heavy the vise is, and how tight the tolerances. With the jaws just kissing, but not tightly closed, can they be wiggled side to side? I have a Wilton that's 45 years old, and has seen a lot of use, but there's no side to side movement of the jaws. Chuck something up in the vise, and tighten the handle. Then loosen it and see how much play the vise has in the screw. The less play, the better the vise is. These things will all come into play in pricing your vise.

 

[Fierljeppen]

I think that people who come here only to get honest, valuable information about their tool in question, so that they can maximize their profits on an eBay listing should at least offer a substantial discount to a GJ member if they win the auction.

 

[Shiftless]

I think that people who come here only to get honest, valuable information about their tool in question, so that they can maximize their profits on an eBay listing should at least offer a substantial discount to a GJ member if they win the auction.

Yep!
That’s why I offered $80

 

[Roberts210]

Npillar, do you have a response?

 

[1982fxr]

I think that people who come here only to get honest, valuable information about their tool in question, so that they can maximize their profits on an eBay listing should at least offer a substantial discount to a GJ member if they win the auction.

Nice notion but I disagree.

It's not like we're wading through thousands of threads in the vintage forum everyday. I'm happy to see any old cool stuff people post, I don't care about the reason. Jmho

 

[Shiftless]

Npillar, do you have a response?

He hasn’t been on GJ since 10 minutes after he last posted in this thread which was the day before yesterday.

 

[danstools]

I picked this Sargent no.43 Machinist Vise up from a local estate sale. Never seen one before this. Pretty solid vise. Stout at 31 lbs. with 3 1/2" jaw width. Very nice fit between both the bodies and screw. Very little play in Lead Srew. I would appreciate an honest appraisal. No need trying to buy. It is already sold. Just curious as to whether I got a good deal for it.

 

[Fierljeppen]

I picked this Sargent no.43 Machinist Vise up from a local estate sale. Never seen one before this. Pretty solid vise. Stout at 31 lbs. with 3 1/2" jaw width. Very nice fit between both the bodies and screw. Very little play in Lead Srew. I would appreciate an honest appraisal. No need trying to buy. It is already sold. Just curious as to whether I got a good deal for it.

danstools...You do things a little different than most eBay sellers. Usually, they seek out information about their vise before they sell, rather than the latter, like yourself.

It's an awesome vise! It came up on my eBay search and immediately grabbed my attention. Your asking price and shipping were reasonable, but it looks like you took a quick offer of less.



What I can tell you about the vise is it's an (1890's-1900's) Trenton machinist vise. possibly mfg. by the Trenton Vise & Tool Works, Van Wagoner & Williams or even an early Columbian Hardware Co.



It's truly a beautiful and historical vise and any serious vise collector would've had an interest. I think with a better listing, the same photos and a true auction, you could've gotten more money for that vise.

Either way, it's a good vise story and I'll leave you with a photo of my own Trenton vise, same specs as the one you just sold.

 

[Balejeune84]

Well it

I picked this Sargent no.43 Machinist Vise up from a local estate sale. Never seen one before this. Pretty solid vise. Stout at 31 lbs. with 3 1/2" jaw width. Very nice fit between both the bodies and screw. Very little play in Lead Srew. I would appreciate an honest appraisal. No need trying to buy. It is already sold. Just curious as to whether I got a good deal for it.

Well it is a cool piece @danstools and I would bet that the buyer of the vise is quite happy with his purchase and expecting the item soon. Thanks @Fierljeppen

 

[crguy]

I picked this Sargent no.43 Machinist Vise up from a local estate sale. Never seen one before this. Pretty solid vise. Stout at 31 lbs. with 3 1/2" jaw width. Very nice fit between both the bodies and screw. Very little play in Lead Srew. I would appreciate an honest appraisal. No need trying to buy. It is already sold. Just curious as to whether I got a good deal for it.

Is that a Davis level on the wall behind?

 

[danstools]

C.E Jennings 24” cast level

 

[danstools]

Does anyone on here have or know where I can purchase a Reed no.204R movable jaw? I have a completely reconditioned Reed with swivel base but a broken movable jaw. (Never seen a broken Reed until now). I could anchor then braze this but would love to get this back to as original as possible... Thanks for any advise.

 

[danstools]

Thank You for the information on the Trenton vise. I purchased it for next to nothing at a local estate and turned a nice profit. I love learning about old tools as much as I enjoy hunting them down and reselling.

 

[Roberts210]

OUCH!! The picture of the green Reed hurts my brain. Having seen some amazing brazing jobs, I'd vote for letting a pro braze this one, IF you can't find an original.