Can you help a new collector?

[Corey]

I have recently taken up the hobby of collecting/selling tools and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to quickly identify valueable wrenches, since there are millions of them.

For my collection I dont really care if there is a value or not because if I think the tool is cool, it doesnt matter to me if its worthless. 

But

I also like to sell tools and would prefer not buy ones that are worethless, so I was hoping I could get advice.  For example, if I could rembmer 5, 10, or 15 things that would help me identify a wrench that is valuable compared to one that is worthless, what would those be?  Or can you give me a website that would help me with this?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Neals]

I haven't sold many but I would watch for brands that are collected by more people. Anything I don't know what is, odd or unusual, old but in fine condition, Well marked by brand and made in US are all good points. That doesn't mean they are valuable just improves the odds a bit. Made in Asia is not likely to be in demand. Cutouts and adjustables are popular.
I spend a lot of time on Ebay but have never bought any tools there. If there is one site that covers as much it might be Worthpoint which has a fee. Remember that asking price or 1 sale does not establish a value. Prices from a few years ago were higher on most items.
I can only suggest that you live on the internet until you get a feel for it.
I don't think there are any general rules that are much help other than quality and condition.
I buy mostly at auction and buy what I want. The other stuff in the box I will probably sell but value is not my reason for buying although it is reflected in what I will pay.
Many of the others on here are more knowledgable than I on this subject
Good luck

[strik9]

First figure out what excites you and is available to you.  For me its the lowly DOE wrench.  There are way too many types of tools to try to get them all.

As far as resale value goes there are too many variables to give an answer here.  For example I found a IHC plow wrench for a buck or two.   I traded it off to a collector right after IDing it and posted it here later.  Seems that particular one sold well at auction in 2001 but who knows how it would sell today.  Either way the collector and I are pleased with the trade.  I don't do IHC  or implement wrenches.

[scottg]

I have appraised things for money for years.
 While you have to subscribe to all the major auctions and get the prices realized, and get books and hang around the library, the tool clubs, major collectors and more,  to really real know.
 
 But meanwhile.................. Just go look at --closed-- ebay auctions. Its right there in the left side menu. Anybody can ask anything (and never get it). And once in awhile you see a crazy price, either high or low.
But seeing what people actually paid for an item.........(it'll be the listings in green)
You will get a feel for national prices quicker here than anything.
Regionally there are places of high and low prices. But nationally its all available.
  yours Scott   

[kxxr]

Everyone has given great advice. I know this too, don't spend all your time trying to figure it out, cuz some other guy that doesn't know any more than you do is out buying that cool $2 tool that could have been yours. Once you start trying to beat that guy to the punch, it's on, you're hooked! Enjoy!

[rusty]

>things that would help me identify a wrench that is valuable compared to one that is worthless,

After years of looking , I have  discovered that if I recognize it, it is probably common, and not highly valuable, and if I don't recognize it, it can't be identified and no one wants it ';P

You can't memorize millions of wrenches, but you can memorize a few, pivk a more specific theme and start there, like say, Winchester wrenches, then you can narrow down what's common in that area and what is not, plus if you sell them you may find the same people interested .....

If you are just buying random stuff to throw stuff on ebay, good luck, ebay doesn't make sense half the time anyhow -P

[Corey]

Thanks for all the advice.  Although its not exactly what I was looking for, I figured it was not possible given the wide range of wrenches.   

By the way, I am already hooked.  I am addicted to searching and finding, and then collecting or selling.

[Papaw]

I have slowed selling of wrenches, and have been trying to collect certain types and certain makers only, with the intention of filling sets.
Narrow your field a bit to get a handle on collecting, you will always find another type or maker now and then that will take you down another path!

[Varidrivegt14]

Im not a big seller but have been a collector for many years. First off collect what YOU like and what you can afford. if you think a guy is asking too much for a tool. DONT BUY IT! everyone thinks everything they have is worth all kinds of money. i collect what i like pipe wrenches, stillson wrenches monkey wrenches. i prefer good brand names and made in USA. i like some European and japanese to some extent. i stay away from anything from china . those are my preferances. set your own prefernces, this is something for you to enjoy not to be dictated by someone else or a website. that being said, go out and start hunting! thats the greatest fun!!! Youll never know what youll find!!!

[Papaw]

And when you find some, let us know! We like pictures!

[Corey]

I will for sure.  I actually just picked up a huge lot of old wrenches.  There is probably about 300 of them.  I found them for a good deal and thought they would be a good way to learn about them.  Every bit of free time I get I have been going thru them and doing some research on them. 

I hope to get thru a lot this weekend and so I will post some picutres and will probably have a couple more that will need to go in the "whats-it".  There are some that I have never seen before. 

[Papaw]

Do you have this book?


Contact our member Bus Haury by PM, he probably has some for sale.

[johnsironsanctuary]

Corey, I've only been a part of this forum for less than a year, but have gotten a HUGE education from this group. To me, the fun is not only the hunt, but wrench genealogy makes the hunt all the more fun. Rusty says that you can't memorize every wrench. He is being modest. He really has memorized every wrench in North America and shares that knowledge freely. He is one of the dozens of experts that use their resources to further the cause. Once I found out about Rose Tool .com and alloy artifacts.com, in addition to books that I already had, I became more knowledgeable. Searching closed ebay auctions is certainly a good way to see if something is common or rare. It is probably not the most accurate way to set a value. Ebay often has some strange results. One of the best tools for appraising is to look at bushauryauctions.com. Bus is a member here, and helps often with rare pieces. His wrench auctions are huge and very well cataloged with good photos. He will sell catalogs with results. Remember that live auctions often drive prices through the roof just because there are a few wealthy guys who are " Not going to let that guy get another one away from me"
 Rathbones books on old wrenches are great, but a bit pricey at $110 for the pair. There are a lot of books on Stanley Tools.
I wasn't really a wrench collector until I showed up here. I was more of a wrench accumulator until Papaw and his wrenchophiles showed me the light.

Jump in, it's fun and there are always more wrenches than you can afford.

Johnsironsanctuary

[Wrenchmensch]

I started out buying old Williams S-wrenches. That stopped after I found the February, 1991 issue of Smithsonian magazine which had an article in it sub-titled "Old wrenches can be objects of beauty for tool collectors".  The article had a picture of Elmo Rinehart's wrench collection. That sold me on antique wrench collecting (I had been collecting expensive railroad lanterns).  Then I bought a soft-cover book, My First Thousand Wrenches by Donald Snyder.  I read that through and through until I had memorized things that identified unusual old wrenches. I have read numerous wrench tomes since then, including Snyder's Second Thousand Wrenches, Cope's American Wrench Makers, Schulz's Antique Wrenches, Wullweber's The Antique Wrench Book, and P. T. Rathbone's The History of Old Time Farm Implement Companies and the Wrenches They Issued.  I also read Martin Donnelly's Catalogs of Antique Tools which  had 7 - 9 pages of usually high quality antique wrenches for sale.  Finally, I joined the Missouri Valley Wrench Club, the Midwest Tool Club, the Early American Industries Association (EAIA). I still belong to the Missouri Valley Wrench Club (MVWC) since I have found its mission is closest to my interest in collecting old wrenches. The EAIA turned out to be mostly interested in colonial and post-colonial early industries, a lot of them related to woodworking. The Midwest Tool Club seemed alright, and it had regional meetings which MVWC does not. I still maintain a relationship with the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA which contains a massive collection of 18th and 19th century American tools and many other artifacts produced by craftsman and artisans of the time.

Tool Talk is a unique site, drawing together both new and experienced tool collectors. Reading the many posts will give you an idea of where to find tools and what tools to look for during your searches.  This site will also assist you in developing a tool collecting focus, which you will probably be refining over time.

[Papaw]

Here is an example of what can happen, Corey!
I show one Armstrong tool, and a member gives me a push that just might send me down another collecting slope!
http://www.papawswrench.com/vboard/index.php?topic=3315.0