Branson, does the dating of these Bartons get an easier if they are crook-necks?? All three have varying amounts of radius to them and the widths are slightly different too. I'm pretty ignorant about such things, i guess.
DM&FS
The Davistown Museum has a good history of D. R. Barton:
http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioBarton.htmlYours have the oval mark it looks like. The Davistown Museum site says:
David R. Barton Tool Co.: 1874 - 1880.
Augers, axes, bits, cooper's tools, edge tools and wooden planes.
Marks: D.R. BARTON / 1832 / ROCHESTER N.Y. (in an oval shape with top and bottom lines curved).
A cabinet maker's paring chisel currently on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-D-R-BARTON-1-Paring-chisel-Cabinetmaker-/281084593832?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4171f286a8A group of 13 on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/13-Vintage-D-A-BARTON-CHISELS-GOUGES-WOOD-WORKING-CARVING-Wellman-handles-/161002115375?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257c79512fYours have original handles in excellent shape.
The crook neck design doesn't make them easier to date, but it does make them more valuable. These are usually described as pattern makers' chisels and are less common.
I'm gonna sound like Scott here. 30 or 40 years ago, when I started getting woodworking tools, I bought cheap. Old tools were cheaper than most of us can imagine today. I got chisels for under a dollar, and some as low as 25 cents. Bartons and Buck Bros I came to discover, were among the best -- dependably great steel that took and kept an edge, and stood up to use. Ditto W. Butcher and L&IJ White. Now they're "collectable" and usually more than I can afford.