3 old wrenches

[Benner]

Ok, as I said on a previous topic, my grandad recently passed away and as he knew I was fond of tools, he left me his tool collection.  There were a few nice tools in there, an old stanley Yankee, a stanley hand drill and a few decent screwdrivers and a good pair of side cutters.  I also found in there some wrenches that looked pretty old.



Above is the picture of the 3 wrenches with my PST as a comparison of size.

The one on the left is marked with COES WRENCH CO WORCESTER MASS. U.S.A on one side and M.F.D UNDER L.COES PATS STEEL on the other.  It has a wooden handle.

The centre one is marked BRITISH MADE KINGDICK H2419 and is all steel.

The one on the right is difficult to read but looks something like SPRINGFIELD (then a few words that I can't make out) then SPRINGFIELD MASS U.S.A.  It is again all steel.

Would anyone know anything about any of these?  Really wanting to know how old they were and if there are still many around.

Look forward to your responses!!

Benner

[Grant Lamontagne]

Sweet!  I love old tools- something about a handmade tool that lasts a hundred years, you know?

Def

[Benner]

Sweet!  I love old tools- something about a handmade tool that lasts a hundred years, you know?

Def

I know exactly what you mean.  They feel really well made and you can see signs of where they have been made by hand, which I really like.  I actually EDC the small wrench from time to time.  Great little tool that.

[I'm Still Bison]

My grandfather had some in his tool box as well,just well nigh indestructible. Also something nice to have in your hand on a Friday night in parts of some cities.

[Benner]

Also something nice to have in your hand on a Friday night in parts of some cities.

The Coes wrench would be!  Weighs a tonne and has a nice taperered point to it!  ;D

[supratentorial]

Nice collection of adjustable wrenches!  I'm more familiar with antique woodworking tools but...I think that the Coes monkey wrench and the bicycle wrench are 100+ years old.  I don't know the age of the King Dick mechanic's wrench but I know that it is atleast vintage.  I can't say how many are around (they are not uncommon to find on ebay) but they are treasures, esp. since they belonged to your grandfather.  All of these wrenches were made in several additional sizes.  There's a really tiny Coes wrench that is somewhat rare.  I'll take another look after work.

They all appear to be in really good condition too!  You might want to pick up some of this stuff to preserve the tools:  http://www.restorationproduct.com/

[Benner]

Nice collection of adjustable wrenches!  I'm more familiar with antique woodworking tools but...I think that the Coes monkey wrench and the bicycle wrench are 100+ years old.  I don't know the age of the King Dick mechanic's wrench but I know that it is atleast vintage.  I can't say how many are around (they are not uncommon to find on ebay) but they are treasures, esp. since they belonged to your grandfather.  All of these wrenches were made in several additional sizes.  There's are really tiny Coes wrench that is somewhat rare.  I'll take another look after work.

Thanks for the info!!

Will look forward to see what else you can find out.

[supratentorial]

One of my most prized possessions is my grandfather's Stanley #5.  I treat it with RenWax and camellia oil and store it in a Lie Nielsen case.  It's one of the most common Stanley planes so its not worth much (maybe $20-30) but it won't ever be sold by me.  The fact that it was one of the most common planes means that my grandfather used it every day!

If you get a chance, take a photo of these too:

There were a few nice tools in there, an old stanley Yankee, a stanley hand drill and a few decent screwdrivers and a good pair of side cutters.  I also found in there some wrenches that looked pretty old.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Worth is always in the eyes of the beholder.  Sure, it may only cost $30 to replace the tool, but the association can never be replaced.  Rotokid on SOSAKOnline had his garage broken into a couple of years ago and he had a nice collection of old antique tools.  Had being the operative word unfortunately. 

Def

[Benner]

Worth is always in the eyes of the beholder.  Sure, it may only cost $30 to replace the tool, but the association can never be replaced.  Rotokid on SOSAKOnline had his garage broken into a couple of years ago and he had a nice collection of old antique tools.  Had being the operative word unfortunately. 

Def

That's a horrible thing to happen.

I agree, it doesn't matter whether these things are worth $2 or $200 it's what they mean to you.

I just find it interesting finding out about the history of these things.

[Benner]

I have managed to get the smallest wrench in the right light and I can now see that it says SPRINGFIELD DROP FORGING CO MASS U.S.A

[Grant Lamontagne]

Always nice when they stamp a name so you have a place to start researching.

Many of those companies don't exist anymore unfortunately, and the few names that are still around are mostly sourcing from overseas, so you have a real piece of history there.

Def

[Benner]

I was amazed just how many of his tools were from the U.S.A actually.  In fact apart from that middle wrench I think all the others were made in the U.S.A.

[Grant Lamontagne]

That is odd- I would have thought that most tools from that era would have been made more locally.  I wonder if there was a reason he had US made tools?

Def

[Benner]

That is odd- I would have thought that most tools from that era would have been made more locally.  I wonder if there was a reason he had US made tools?

Def

I thought that.

I always knew him to buy the most expensive tools etc that he could.  I would imagine that they would have been quite costly at the time.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I can't imagine shipping tools overseas with so many local suppliers would have really been a common practice then.  They must have cost quite a fortune at the time, but apparently well worth it as they look completely functional in the hands of his grandson!

Def

[Benner]

I can't imagine shipping tools overseas with so many local suppliers would have really been a common practice then.  They must have cost quite a fortune at the time, but apparently well worth it as they look completely functional in the hands of his grandson!

Def

They are indeed.  And they do a fine job.

A little heavy though!! 

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's because they've been loading with lots of extra quality!

Def

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That is odd- I would have thought that most tools from that era would have been made more locally.  I wonder if there was a reason he had US made tools?

Def

I thought that.

I always knew him to buy the most expensive tools etc that he could.  I would imagine that they would have been quite costly at the time.

Maybe the GI's brought them over during the wars or the cold war

[supratentorial]

Here's some information on the history of Coes.  http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioCoes.htm
Based on this source, I'd guess that the monkey wrench dates to 1888-1900.  The patent numbers might help narrow the dates down a bit more.

Springfield Drop Forging Company was also in operation around the turn of the century but I can't say for how long afterwards.

King Dick is still manufacturing tools: http://www.kingdicktools.co.uk/  The "King Dick" trademark dates from the turn of the century but I didn't come up with a date for the manufacture of the wrench.  The wrench is atleast vintage... possibly antique. 

Here's a reprint of an old Coes catalogue:



Imagine trying to carry this wrench on your tool belt!!!   



This 4 5/8" Coes wrench is somewhat rare:

[Benner]

You've done some homework there!!

Thanks for the info.  I appreciate all the hard work you have gone to to find it.

I will enjoy looking at those sites.

[J-sews]

Fascinating stuff all right! I especially get a kick out of those prices...$10 for a dozen 6" wrenches!   

[supratentorial]

You've done some homework there!!

Thanks for the info.  I appreciate all the hard work you have gone to to find it.

I will enjoy looking at those sites.

You're welcome but I only spent about 10 minutes on Google!   

[Benner]

You've done some homework there!!

Thanks for the info.  I appreciate all the hard work you have gone to to find it.

I will enjoy looking at those sites.

You're welcome but I only spent about 10 minutes on Google!   

You're meant to say that you spent hours going through old books then scanned and uploaded these images for me. 

[J-sews]

Speaking of old tools, here is a bizarre one. It is a pair of pliers with a box end wrench at the end of each handle. About 8-1/2" long overall. The only markings are Duro-Chrome 2114, forged in U.S.A.

Anybody know anything about it?

[eodtech]

I have managed to get the smallest wrench in the right light and I can now see that it says SPRINGFIELD DROP FORGING CO MASS U.S.A

SPRINGFIELD DROP FORGING was incorporated May 18,1893 in Springfield, MASS.

[eodtech]

The one on the left is marked with COES WRENCH CO WORCESTER MASS. U.S.A on one side and M.F.D UNDER L.COES PATS STEEL on the other.
Benner

Coes Wrench Co.
This companies working dates are from 1885 or 1881 to 1928 in Worcester, Massachusetts.  It was originally A.G. Coes & Co. and made both knives and wrenches.  The company merged back into the L. Coes & Co. in 1888, but both names continued to be used as marks.  At some time, the company was acquired by Billings & Spencer or Bemis & Call (sources differ.)  The mark was different configurations of the maker name, city and state.

For more information on Coes wrenches see the discussion in our information file on Boston wrenches.

Coes Reservoir is a 100-acre property at the Worcester headwaters in the Tatnuck Brook Watershed. The historic Coes Knife Company – where the monkey wrench was invented in 1840 – formerly occupied the site.

[Benner]

They are pretty old then! 

Maybe I should ease off the use a bit then.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

They are pretty old then! 

Maybe I should ease off the use a bit then.

It might be worth you getting them valued, not to sell neccassarily but it's good to know these things

[Benner]

They are pretty old then! 

Maybe I should ease off the use a bit then.

It might be worth you getting them valued, not to sell neccassarily but it's good to know these things

I'm sure they are worthless.  The big one is so heavy, I'd probably get more as scrap value!    Only worth something to me because of what they are.