12 Vintage Tools You Should Always Buy [Marks & Values]

Humans are tool makers. As far back as we can go, we find that men have created tools for essential functions out of natural things available in their environment, like wood, stone, bone, and shell.

Those primitive tools are rarities, but vintage and antique example from the 1800’s to mid-1900’s are both generally available and highly collectible, particularly those signed by famous makers, including Stanley, Craftsman, and Miller’s Falls.

I know tools are a somewhat unusual category for women to sell, but collectors (mostly men) tend to be quite avid buyers and are typically willing to pay good value for what they want. So it’s worth it for antique sellers to know a bit about them.

I am not a tool expert by any means, but I have found success with a few things that I’m happy to share about. They are items that can typically found at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets, often for a dollar or less.

Let’s get you started by taking a look at twelve categories of tools that I have found sell well from my antique booth.

Table of Contents

What to Look For
To Clean or Not to Clean
Where to Find Marks
Tool Values
TOOL CATEGORIES:
1. Awls
2. Calipers
3. Clamps
4. Drills
5. Hammers
6. Levels
7. Measuring Tools
8. Oddities
9. Planes
10. Stanley
11. Tool Boxes
12. Wrenches

What to Look For in Vintage & Antique Tools:

Marks

Tools with the maker’s name and/or logo are more valuable than those without. The clearer and easier to read, the better.

Working parts

All tools bought for resale should be in good working order.

Good Condition

Don’t let a little dirt and/or grime hold you back since most tools can be cleaned up, but do avoid pieces where the wood is chipped or the metal is bent, crushed, or twisted.

Soft, worn wooden handles

The satin finish on many wooden tools or those with wooden handles and other parts serves as one of the most attractive aspects of vintage tools. They just feel so good in your hand. I do recommend applying a coat or two of my “famous” wood salve after cleaning.

Any red tool

I’ve found that any tool that comes in red or has red parts makes a good seller, presuming everything else is kosher.

To Clean or Not to Clean

I’m in the camp of not thoroughly cleaning old tools that I offer for sale. I leave it up to the buyer, who may choose to leave the tool as is, may lightly clean it, or clean it right down to the original wood and metal tones.

As mentioned above, after a light cleaning, I typically give my tools a coat of wood salve to both brighten and soften the surface. I apply it to both wood and metal.

Where to Find Marks on Vintage & Antique Tools

Many old tools have maker’s marks or logos, but to the uninitiated they can be tricky to find. They are often very small, kind of like sterling silver marks. You need to hunt for them.

With each category of tool you’ll see below, I give hints on where to find marks and reveal any marks I have discovered.

Vintage & Antique Tool Values

The sorts of tools that sell in the low to mid-range, that are shown below, typically resell for $10-75. Perfect condition examples of these same tools may see a 50-100% increase in value, especially if found with their original packaging.

1. Awls

Awls are sharp tools used for a variety of functions. Be aware that those with metal showing on top of the handle can be hammered, while those without are primarily for “scratching,” though many can be lightly tapped. Some uses:

• Creating holes to start nails, screws, and drills
• Piercing leather and thin metal sheets
• Scoring lines (scratch awl)
• Marking locations for sawing (scratch awl)

Marks: Look for an incised maker’s mark on the ferrule (metal collar) at the base of the handle.

Pair of Antique Wooden Scratch Awls (nicely shaped handles)
c. 1930’s
Unmarked
$15-20

Scratch Awl w/Red Wooden Handle
4″ (c. 1960’s)
Marked: Japan on the metal
$6-7

2. Calipers

Calipers are a specialized devices, designed to precisely measure objects using two “arms”, “legs”, or “jaws”. I like to hang these often graceful tools on the wall to demonstrate their good looks to potential buyers.

Marks: Look for an incised mark on the flat surface near the “top” of the calipers

Inside Calipers

Inside Calipers
c. Mid-20th Century
Unmarked
$8-10

Outside (Spring Loaded) Calipers

Goodell-Pratt Spring Loaded Outside Calipers
Greenfield, MA (7″)
c. 1940’s
$15-25

Sandow Spring Loaded Outside Calipers
1930’s-1950’s
Marked “Sandow Tool Co. USA” on the side of one leg
$10-12

Large Outside Calipers
c. mid-20th century
Unmarked (11″)
$20-25

3. Clamps

Small clamps like the one below can usually be found for 50￠ or less at sales. I recommend that you pick them up because they sell quickly, especially those that have a makers mark. [See a Stanley example below.]

Red Cincinnati Tool Co. Metal Clamp
Cincinnati, OH (3″)
Marked “Cin. Tool Co”
$6-8

I’m including this clamp to highlight one tool I don’t recommend buying because very few (if any) buyers are interested in them:

Antique Wooden Handscrew
c. 1800’s
USA
$5-10

4. Hand Drills

Marks: Look for an incised mark on the flat side of the turning handle.

1. Miller’s Falls Hand Drill no 25000
   Greenfield, MA (14 1/2″) Mid-20th century
   Marked: Paper label and stamped on metal handle
   $25-30
2. Unknown Maker
   Unmarked
   14″ (Mid-20th century)
   $15-20

5. Hammers

Look for hammers with heads that fit tightly to the handle and make sure the hitting edge hasn’t “mushroomed” and the claw is undamaged.

Marks: Look for an incised mark on the flat side of the hammer head and/or a “permanent” sticker on the handle. Finally, check the base of the handle where you may find a model #.

Claw Hammer

Vintage Millers Falls No 1418 Claw Hammer w/Hickory Handle
Greenfield, MA (10.5 oz) 11.5″ (c. mid-20th century)
Marked: Millers Falls, Made in USA, No 1418
Notice: Remnant of label on side of handle
$15-25

Note: Millers Falls was founded in 1868 and then merged with Goodell-Pratt in 1931.

Ball Peen

Ball peen hammers are used in metalworking–the flat side for striking and the round side for shaping and smoothing metal.

Antique Standard Tool Co. Ball Peen Hammer w/Oak Handle
Cleveland, OH (12.5 oz.) 13″ (c. mid-20th century)
Marked: Standard, Made in USA
$15-20

Note: The Standard Tool Co. was founded in 1861.

Furniture Tack

These specialized hammers belong to upholsterers and leather workers and are usually magnetic.

Antique Furniture Tack Hammer w/Hickory Handle
14″
Unmarked
$15-20

Child’s

Children’s tools and tool boxes are collectible! Don’t discount them if you come across them while out vintage shopping.

Pair of Vintage Chilren’s Hammers
c. 1950’s-70’s
Unmarked
$10-12 each

6. Levels

Marks: Look on the side of the level and/or on the metal plate (if there is one).

Vintage Red Port Austin Tool Co. Wood Level
Port Austin, MI (18″)
Marked: Port Austin Level, Port Austin, Michigan
$20-30

Note: Port Austin Tool Co. opened in 1947 and closed in 2022.

Small 8″ Wooden Levels
Unmarked
$8-10 each

Hockley Abbey Brass & Wood No 1621 Level
UK (8″)
Marked: Trade Mark, Hockley Abbey, Made in England, Warranted, No 1221
$20-30

Find a Stanley Level HERE.

7. Measuring Tools

In your treasure hunting you will come across all kinds of measuring instruments. Below are just a few that I come across fairly regularly.

Marking Scribe or Gage (used to transfer one mark from one board to another)
USA (6″) c. late 1800’s – early 1900’s
Unmarked (6″)
$8-12

Keuffel & Esser Slide Rule w/Leather Case & Manual
New York (c.1940’s)
Marked on tip (not shown)
$30-40

Note: Keuffel & Esser

Vintage Lufkin Rule Company Self-Winding Steel Measuring Tape
Leather Cover
Saginaw, MI (75′) c. early 1900’s
Marked: “Challenge” Steel Tape, Made in USA, The Lufkin Rule Co. Saginaw, Mich, USA
$15-22

Note: Founded by Edward Taylor Lufkin, the Lufkin Rule Company opened in 1869 but was sold in 1967. It is known for producing the first steel tape measure in 1890.

Vintage Lufkin no 1206 Metal Folding Ruler
Saginaw, MI (72″)
Marked: Right by 1″
$20-25

Vintage Lufkin Folding Rulers
Saginaw, MI
$10-12

1. Yellow Wooden X46
Marked between inches 2 & 3
2. White Plastic 460
Marked between inches 3 & 4

Related Article

• Folding Ruler Stars

Small Lufkin No. 686 Measuring Tape
Saginaw, MI
Marked: The Lufkin Rule Co., Saginaw, Mich., No. 686, Made in U.S.A.
$20-25

8. Oddities

When I come across unusual tool-related items while out vintage shopping, I pick them up–if priced right, which they often are. Lots of buyers are interested in pieces that have attractive design qualities (like the piece below) and others have a clue about the item’s intended use and want it for that reason.

Antique Miter Box Part
24″ (c. early 20th century)
$30-40

Unknown Antique Tool w/Oak Handle
5 1/2″
Unmarked
$10-15

Antique Smelting Spoon? (for melting metals)
11″ (c. early 20th century)
Unmarked
$12-18

Antique Forged Iron Rake Head?
14″ (c. late 19th century-early 20th century)
Unmarked
$15-25

9. Planes

Antique Wooden Block Plane (no blade)
USA (17″)
Unmarked
$20-25

Antique Plane Blades/Irons

1. Signed Thomas Turner
   If in good condition:
   $10-12
2. Signed Stanley
   $12-15

Millers Falls no 900 Smooth Plane
USA (c. 1940’s)
Marked: Millers Falls, Made in USA No 900
$25-35

Note: Millers Falls was founded in 1868 and then merged with Goodell-Pratt in 1931.

Antique Molding Planes
USA (early 1900’s)
Marked: J. Lloyd (on the side)
$25-35

10. Stanley

“Stanley” is a highly collectible name in tools. Frederick Stanley founded the company in 1843 in New Britain, Connecticut as U.S. Stanley Tool Co. and it become Stanley Rule & Level Co. in about 1858.

In 1919, Stanley Rule & Level merged with the Stanley Works hardware company to form the largest tool and hardware company in the world at the time: Stanley Works, with Stanley Tools as a division.

Stanley no. 220 Block Plane
New Britain, CT (c. 1920’s)
Marked: Stanley
$20-25

Red Stanley Clamp
USA (3″)
Marked: Stanley, Handyman
$10-12

Antique Wood & Brass Stanley No 3 Level
New Britain, CT (28″) 1930-34
Marked on brass plate: Stanley, SW in heart, Made in USA, No 3
$30-40

Note: Stanley stopped using the SW in heart logo in 1934. SW stands for Stanley William, after William Hart who worked for the company for 61 years.

In 1929, Stanley introduced the Defiance tool line, which included less expensive tools, braces, drills, hammers, levels, screwdrivers, squares, and planes. In 1953, the name was changed to “Handyman” (see the red clamp above).

Defiance Red Level
USA (c. 1950-53) 18″
Marked: Defiance, Made in USA
$15-18

Stanley Boxwood no 58 4-Fold Rule
New Britain, CT (24″)
Marked: No 58, Stanley (between #10 and #9)
$25-50

11. Tool Boxes

Tool boxes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some with names like Stanley or Snap-on are prefered by tool collectors. Others are favored by decorators who like to use them in a variety of ways, including holding plants and flowers.

Vintage Handmade Wooden Tool Carrier (green)
32″ long
Unmarked
$25-35

Vintage Metal Tool Box
c. 1970’s
Unmarked
$25-35

Vintage Wooden Tool Box
c. 1950-70’s
Unmarked
$25-35

Vintage Green Metal Tool Box
c. 1950’s
Unmarked
$25-35

12 Wrenches

Billings & Spencer R 681 Double End Wrench
USA (12″)
$10-15

Vintage Adjustable Stillson Walworth #8 Pipe Wrench
Boston (8″)
Marked: Walworth (on handle) & Stillson (on the side of the top edge)
$15-25

Antique Williams Spud Wrench #207A
USA (17″)
Marked: Williams (on the wrench head)
$10-15

Vintage Red Wrench
USA (5″)
Marked: Made in USA (on handle)
$6-8

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Final Thoughts

I hope today, if you’ve never considered buying tools to collect or sell, that I’ve given you something to think about. Tools can be cool! And they can be moneymakers, too. Let me know what you think or what your tool-related experiences have been in the comments below.

Bye for now,

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