Just realized my grandpa's old hand plane is worth more than my whole tool collection

I was cleaning out my uncle's barn last weekend and found this beat up old Stanley plane that's been sitting in a box of rusty stuff for probably 40 years. I almost tossed it in the scrap pile but decided to look it up on eBay out of curiosity. Turns out it's a type 11 from 1910 with the original iron still in it, and similar ones are going for $400-$600 on auction sites. I nearly dropped my coffee when I saw that. I spent like 2 hours reading through old forum posts about how to date these things by the lateral adjustment lever and the patent dates. Now I'm scared to even sharpen it, let alone use it on a project. Has anyone else stumbled onto an old tool worth way more than you expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_davis2d ago

Use it. That's what your grandpa would have wanted.

noraroberts1d ago

Wait, you're telling me to USE it? Like actually use grandpa's old cast iron skillet that he seasoned for 40 years and left to me in his will? The one with the crack in the handle that he taped up with duct tape back in '98 because "it still works fine"? Man, that thing is basically a family heirloom at this point, not a cooking tool. I can just picture grandpa rolling his eyes from the afterlife if I brought it to a potluck and the handle snapped off mid casserole.

lilyt231d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back on this. Sentimental attachment to an object isn't a good reason to use something if it's not practical or could get damaged. Grandpa saved that thing for a reason, maybe he wanted it kept nice, not worn out. Using something just because someone died doesn't honor them if you'd rather have kept it safe. Plus, what if it's something fragile or you don't actually need it? Idk, I feel like keeping it as a memory piece is totally valid, especially if using it would just make you worry about breaking it. You're not disrespecting him by being careful with something he cared about.

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