Holtey Planes For Sale

[Anonymous]

I have some handplanes left to me by my Dad which I have absolutely no use for, so I want them to go to a good home. While I have yet to take delivery of most of them, I have one in my possession...

The plane was handmade by Karl Holtey. You're probably all well aware of the quality...

It is an 'A1' jointer plane, and would normally retail for about £7.5k... It is unused, and still in the delivery box that it came in.

Click Here For Info

Like I say, it's unused. I'm open to sensible offers...

Thanks

Chris

Mod Edit: Please note that I have investigated this post and, I believe, that it is a genuine sale. Neil

 

[Jarviser]

Unfortunately I couldn't afford to make a sensible offer. I must admit that if I were selling it (well I wouldn't, it would be under my pillow most nights) I would use a specialist auction, even eBay with good actual photos, and watch it fly internationally close to the retail value. I have been in your circumstances recently and it is easy to try and dispose of posessions in a hurry. You have some real treasures there that need to find their true value on the open market.

 

[Chris Knight]

That is a truly magnificent plane but a bit rich for my blood. Unfortunately, the market is depressed at the moment and the dealers are moaning like heck so you may not get a decent offer from them. I think your best bet is to talk to a couple of dealers - if you need some contacts we can supply them I am sure - or Karl Holtey himself, sometimes makers are happy to buy back the things they have made in the past, equally he may point you to a buyer.

You can also Ebay it but in that case put a hefty reserve on it - not less than the £7.5k you mentioned I reckon! Make sure you include the USA in your Ebay offering if you go this way, I know of a couple of guys there who have paid this sort of money for handmade planes by master makers in the last few months.

Another option is to hang on to the thing if you don't need the cash, and wait for the market to recover - as it undoubtedly will in due course.

 

[JesseM]

Thats a beautiful plane. I think I'd be afraid to use it.

 

[Waka]

If only I'd won the lottery.

I'd hang onto it if you don't need the money.

 

[bugbear]

so you may not get a decent offer from them.

Dealer need around a 30% (and up) mark up to make a living, so if the retail value is (considered to be...) 7000, no dealer that wants to stay in business can afford to offer more than around 5300. (5300 * 130/100 = 7000)

One uses dealers for convenience, not a high price. To get the best price you must use an auction - either eBay, or a specialised tool auction e.g. David Stanley's.

BugBear

 

[Jake]

You can also Ebay it but in that case put a hefty reserve on it - not less than the £7.5k you mentioned I reckon!

Did you mean this, Chris - a reserve of not less than the retail price of a new one?

 

[Chris Knight]

Jake,

Yes, I did mean it. Holtey planes have sold for more than their original prices in the past and whilst the market probably isn't up for it at the moment I am not sure. It really depends what the seller's desires/needs are and how long he cares to wait to dispose of it.

Having said that there are now more contemporary makers around than a few years ago when Holtey was clearly the market leader and I am not sure if and how long he will continue to be regarded as such - that could have a big impact on prices.

 

[Jake]

That's pretty astonishing, I guess the supply is very limited indeed - or is just very long lead times? It isn't like sportscars or whatever, where the number of any model built are limited to a certain number to maintain residuals and cachet.

I imagined that the market would be so miniscule that Holtey would need to sell everything he could to make a living, even at those prices. I guess not!

 

[Anonymous]

I've just realised, there are a few Lie Nielsen (sp?) planes in there too. I'll post pics up, if anybody's interested...

 

[Chris Knight]

Chris,
I am sure people would be interested - please do post the pics.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, I have some images for you all. Sorry about the quality of some of them, but hopefully you'll get the idea!

I don't have a clue what the individual models are, but this is what there is, unless I can uncover more images...

Thanks

Chris

 

[trevtheturner]

Hi Chris,

:shock: That really is a very impressive assembly of planes. I could not hazard an estimate of their collective worth, but it will be considerable.

An expert valuation really is essential, IMO, before you consider selling any of them (although the Records and Stanley will not be of high value compared to some of the others) and I would suggest, as previously mentioned, that they go to an International auction to realise their true worth.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[Chris Knight]

Chris,
As Trev says an impressive collection! The most valuable planes are the infills, followed by the Lie Nielsen planes. The latter are often sold on Ebay for good prices and occasionally for a little more than their current price from LN (I guess it's auction herd fever that drives that!).

The infills are much harder to value from photos. A maker's name helps if they can be ascertained, otherwise one is dependent on a knowledgable dealer appraising them. Sending them to an international auction as has been said is probably your best chance of securing their proper value. Tony Murland holds one in the summer (in Stowmarket) as does David Stanley (in Coalville, Leicester).

Apart from the maker, other factors affecting the infills' value will be the quality of making, the type of wood used for infill, the fineness of mouth, the fineness of the adjuster and the quality of the blades. Many so-called "craftsman-made" infills have been made which are not of particularly good quality and these can go for as little as a couple of hundred pounds - at the other end we have Holtey and the occasional rarity that can go sky-high.

Your father's taste in planes suggests he knew a good one and I suspect the infills are by good makers or are at least very good planes that deserve a good price or at least a good home.

 

[Scrit]

Chris

I can't exactly identify a couple of these items from the photographs, but here goes (from memory) anyway:

First photograph (front to back, left): post-war Norris A5 beech infill smoother, Stanley #5 jack plane, Record #05-1/2 jack plane, Record #07 ot #08 jointer plane (the #07 is 22in long with a 2-3/8in wide blade, the #08 is 24in long and has a 2-5/8in wide blade)

Second photograph (front to back, right): copy? of early-period Norris A1 15-1/2in panel plane (would need more photos to confirm), Stanley #60-1/2 block plane (although it might be a #9-1/2) and Lie-Nielsen #140 skew rebate block plane with fence.

Third photograph copy (Holtey?) of Norris A13 smoother with brass sides.

Fourth photograph Lie-Nielsen #3 (?) bronze smoother, appears to be 8in which would make it a #3. What width is the blade?

Fifth photograph Lie-Nielsen #62 low-angle jack plane.

Sixth photograph Lie-Nielsen #7 or #8 jointer plane - if it's 22in long with a 2-3/8in wide blade it's a #7, 24in with a 2-5/8in blades makes it a #8.

Ninth photograph: Lie-Nielsen #5 or #5-1/2 jack plane. The #5 has a 2in wide blade whilst the #5-1/2 has a 2-3/8in wide one.

Tenth photograph copy (Holtey?) of a Norris #31 thumb plane brass sides with adjuster

Sorry I can't be precise on a couple of these. The repro planes may be Holtey, although there are/were a number of other Norris repro makers less well known such as Henley Optical and Geoff Entwistle to name just two. In particular I'd need to see another couple of more detailed photos of the infill panel in photos 1, 2 and 8 to identify it as it seems to be somewhat of a composite [plane at first sight with details from the early Norris period, but what appear to be a late period lever cap, but that may just be lack of detail in the photographs. Hope the identification can help you value them.

I'd suggest that you'll get the best prices through the International Auctions of either David Stanley at Osgathorpe, near Coalville , or Tony Murland at Toolshop Auctions in Needham Market, Suffolk.

Scrit