Vintage Snap On Toolbox

[mattymess]

My dad bought this snap on roll cab, top chest, and end cab in the late 70s. He, unfortunately, passed away a few years ago and my mom sold it without telling me. Long story short, I found the person who currently owns it and I'm trying to buy it back from him. The problem is Mom sold it for $450...

The current owner is very sympathetic to my situation and is working with me to make the deal happen. That being said, he knows he got a good deal and while he is willing to sell it back to me, he knows it can't be replaced for the same price. Therefore, he's asking me to either replace it with something similar or pay close to what it would cost for him to buy a replacement. The problem is that I don't know exactly what it's worth. On top of the purchase price, I also have to take into account shipping as we are about 900 miles apart.

I'm hoping someone can help me determine a fair value if one were to purchase this in the current condition. It has been well maintained and everything is in fine working order.

Really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks so much

Below is a current photo...

 

[alcorelli]

My guess would be about 1300 to 1500 dollars. I have bought and sold a number of Snap-on boxes over the years.
From the general appearance, the box is in wonderful shape.
It appears that it predates about 1986 so that means it does not have roller bearing drawers. Other than that there are no drawbacks whatsoever to owning that box. Looks like the new owner has space. I would offer to buy him a new Harbor Freight box that is larger, shinier, and has a few more bells and whistles. Perhaps he would enjoy a nice new tool box instead of a fairly vintage Snap-on box. I wish you a lot of luck with this. I totally understand the sentimentality of the situation.

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[scg]

The bottom box is a Craftsman.

 

[dr_clyde]

Obviously there is no price that can replace dad's box, so the best you can do is to get close.

Just for comparison's sake I bought this box off the snap on truck for $300 a few years ago, sold it to a friend.

Your box has a Craftsman bottom which is pretty common, so that's good news.

That side locker is a little rarer, but not incredibly so.

I would put that setup worth approximately $5-800, mostly due to condition.

 

[mattymess]

I had no idea the bottom was Craftsman! That must be why I couldn't find a Snap On that matches the drawer layout. That's really great news since that is the most expensive part of the setup.

Is the side cabinet Snap On? My memory is fuzzy, but I feel like it was floating, so I'm curious if it is Snap On, how would it attach to the craftsman bottom?

 

[dr_clyde]

I had no idea the bottom was Craftsman! That must be why I couldn't find a Snap On that matches the drawer layout. That's really great news since that is the most expensive part of the setup.

Is the side cabinet Snap On? My memory is fuzzy, but I feel like it was floating, so I'm curious if it is Snap On, how would it attach to the craftsman bottom?

Most side boxes just hang on the side with a lip. That one looks like a genuine one.

 

[zkling]

While the new owner may have gotten a good deal, they aren't that nice or rare to be worth much more. Offer him $600. If he doesn't take it, he is just trying to take you for a loop. Those boxes have very limited market, especially to professionals. Most users would be better served by a harbor freight stack.

About the only thing equivalent to them still being produced iskennedy friction slide stuff. Don't let people tell you the modern 9 drawer snap on top box is the same, as it is not. For example the modern variant is a ball bearing slide box and overall built better.

As mentioned the top (kra59) and side (kra274) are snap on. The bottom is craftsman.

And this advice is coming from someone that collects them.

 

[mattymess]

Thanks so much for all the info, everyone! Trying to find this toolbox has been quite a journey for me and I'm excited that it may be coming to a close soon. It will be a really special moment when this lands back in my garage.

Slightly off topic, but can anyone recommend a shipping company if I go that route? So far I've submitted an RFQ to uShip, but haven't heard anything yet. It would be going from Santa Fe, NM to Encinitas, CA.

Thanks again

 

[Natemade]

Fastenal offers pretty reasonable freight. They only do store to store but should get it pretty close.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

My first ‘real’ tool box was that top box on a roll cart. Looks great, hope you can get it back.


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[manwithtools]

My first ‘real’ tool box was that top box on a roll cart. Looks great, hope you can get it back.


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Mine too, still have it...

 

[1931S/X]

I have that top box, it was my dad's also. I have it in my basement just for house tools. I won't part with it.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

Hi, I empathize with your journey. I hope you get your father’s gear back. My mother would also do things like that. I finally had to get into a huge fight and I think she’s starting to get the message that it’s not okay to sell my stuff or family stuff. Now she asks my sister first, : )

Regarding shipping, I heard that Greyhound, the bus company, will ship. I’m in California and found some vintage tool boxes I wanted in New Jersey this week. Calling around, Greyhound had what I thought was reasonable rates. The only thing is each package must be 100#s or less. So in my case there was a top and bottom box, older and from a car dealership, but same idea as your fathers. The shipper would then have to package and ship each piece separately as long as each package was less than 100 pounds. In my case the seller does not want to ship, local pick-up only and I don’t know anyone or any way I can do that.

In your case the sender might be more motivated to help and would separate and package the pieces so that they could go Greyhound. It is also cheaper if the trip is Station to Station rather than house to house (if available). In my case the seller would have to take it to the station but I could receive it at my local station or pay extra and have it delivered to my house.

Thinking about this a little more, I would first look up the individual units in catalogues to find their weight. In my case I was surprised to find that the old 1950s Snap-on catalogues had the shipping weight for the top box and bottom roller I was interested in. Once I could see that each individual piece was less than 100 lbs and the idea could work, I called Greyhound to get a quote. You could easily do the same for the top box and probably for the bottom. I’m sure the side unit is less than 100 pounds. It’s mostly air inside.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing pix of the boxes in your garage.
Cheers

 

[elmech]

450 is even a bit high. He should let you pay him the 450 or go on marketplace on facebook in his area and buy him a replacement. I'm a lifetime mechanic and shop owner those boxes are dinosaurs the side box is really the only thing of value.

 

[zkdiesel]

Bought several stacks similar to that for $500
It they had tools in them I would pay $400 for.....
450-600 is more than fair to send him for that setup

 

[BarryWells]

Yup. I had the same rig I bought new in 1977 ? Good box.

 

[txvwnut]

See if he’ll swap for a HF 44” box. If will he’ll get a new box and you’ll get dad’s back.

 

[rsanter]

If that was full of tools then it was a good deal.
If it was empty then you mom sold for a good price.

See if they like this one I have and we can make a deal

 

[greg13]

As said I would see if he bites on a new HF box or check with a few Snap on dealers for a used box cheap.
Remember that in YOUR mind you are paying for memories of your father, so you might be too close to make a fair deal.

 

[Tynee]

Mattymess, I also wish you luck, hope you got this deal done, and you got Dad's box back home.

A couple of resources can be found elsewhere on this forum:
The Vintage Toolbox Thread
The Grey/Red Craftsman thread

There's also Collectingsnapon.com. A WEALTH of information on old snap on.

Based on my perusal of the threads above, I, I'd imagine $150 for the top, $150 for the bottom, and $100 for the side box would all be more than fair offers for them. I'm not sure how long ago your mom sold them, but as others have said above everybody wants the 56"+ wide, 24"+ deep roll cabs these days. Nobody wants top boxes, and the 12"-18" depth limits the tools guys can put in them.

Just my $.02, hopefully you've already got the box home...

 

[tros]

Obviously there is no price that can replace dad's box, so the best you can do is to get close.

Just for comparison's sake I bought this box off the snap on truck for $300 a few years ago, sold it to a friend.

Your box has a Craftsman bottom which is pretty common, so that's good news.

That side locker is a little rarer, but not incredibly so.

I would put that setup worth approximately $5-800, mostly due to condition.

I bought one just like that back in 1975 still have it,I waxed it when it was new and every other year it still looks new and iam still use it every day its a good box