Norris A7 Shoulder Plane

[Anonymous]

Hi,

A friend of mine, who doesn't use a computer, has asked me to sell some tools for him and amongst the normal old Stanley planes, chisels, wooden mallets and various other stuff, there's a Norris A7 shoulder plane. There's some pictures of it here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_3.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_1.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_2.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_4.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_5.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_6.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_7.jpg

I believe it's worth quite a bit but I want to get the most for him I can. Can anyone suggest a fair price I should sell it for and where best to sell it?

Although it may look like rust the metal is actually covered in some type of laquer which has bits from the original felt bag (the plane is resting on the bag in the pictures) stuck to it. I wondered if it's worth cleaning this off, how to clean it and finally how to store the plane. For the last six years it's been stuck in the owner's loft...

Incidentally, he also wants to sell the other planes. Do you think they may be worth anything or should I just put them on EBay for him?

Thanks for looking

 

[Frank D.]

I'd say that's worth 20 pounds for sure. I'll send you a pm with my address. :wink:

 

[Philly]

No,no,no-sending it to Canada could harm the steel. I would be happy to look after it for it true value. £25?? :roll:
Just joking-sorry, unaware of what its worth, only that its a bit tasty!
Cheers
Philly

 

[Shady]

I think that could be worth quite a bit. I'd suggest ringing some of the antique tool dealers (do a google) and asking what they'd offer/value it at. I also suspect that an e-bay appearance that stated you'd post to the states would generate serious interest - larger market, and some planes go for silly prices that way...

It looks to be in very good condition under the superficial gunge.

 

[Chris Knight]

It is a lovely looking plane and in perfect condition by the looks of it. The most I would do by way of cleaning it is to use a rag dampened with white spirit and gently try to remove the felt/lacquer. Any more than this and you are likely to reduce its value rather than enhance it.

It was one of the last planes made by Norris and there were not many made so it could command a decent price. A modern equivalent is made by Darryl Hutchinson at £595. I would reckon if your friend's plane is as good as it looks your could realise maybe £300 in a private sale, perhaps £200 from a dealer. However, I am not an expert on the resale of these things so do seek more advice.

You could of course try Ebaying it with a high reserve.

 

[AndyBoyd]

Ebay with a high reserve will ensure you get a market value price.

 

[Alf]

Welcome to the forum, phykell. There's a list of UK tool dealers here, if you want to do a bit of research on prices. I fear Ebaying it is probably the way to go to get a fair price. :roll:

Cheers, Alf

 

[bugbear]

2 great names for the price of one. The owner "Holland" shares a name with an infill maker of extremely high repute...

http://www.thebestthings.com/infill_i.htm

To get the best price I'd suggest eBay. A dealer will want his margin, which is considerable. A specialist auction might serve (Murland or Stanley) but their commission is also high.

Ebay has enough competing collectors that you'll get a fair price. I wouldnt worry too much about the reserve for the same reason.

BugBear

 

[Rob Lee]

(snip)

Incidentally, he also wants to sell the other planes. Do you think they may be worth anything or should I just put them on EBay for him?

Thanks for looking

Hi -

You're on "dangerous" ground here.... I'd get some professional advice on what you've got. If you want to give me a shout by email - I'd be glad to send you the contact information for reputable dealers - both in the UK, and in the USA.

You may find that a plane like a Norris will command a higher price in the US market...though it's tough to tell...with the weaker USD, many American dollars are staying at home (depressing prices a bit in the UK, and raising them in the USA).

I suspect that the Norris you've shown is worth 500+ pounds - and could be worth much more (condition is everything). Don't clean it al all!!!

You can reach me at [email protected] .

Cheers -

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm in contact with a number of people now and I'm passing the information onto the owner of the plane who is absolutely amazed that this tool is so valuable.

His other planes are here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/di ... planes.jpg

The spoke shave looks interesting but unfortunately there's nothing to indicate who made it or when.

It's been fascinating reading through all the information on these kind of tools though, and I found a great source here:

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~alf/en/antique-tool-faq.txt

It's an FAQ and has an excellent explanation of the practical value of a Norris infill plane. This whole episode of selling these planes has been very illuminating for me.

[Edit] A couple more pictures:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_8.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/a7_9.jpg

Can anyone tell what this wood is? Is it rosewood like the rest of the plane's wood?

 

[Chris Knight]

The other planes look fairly standard fare I am afraid, worth anything from £20 to £50 depending on condition, age etc.

The spokeshave looks like a copy of a Preston but I am not sure. If a rare one it could be worth quite a lot. The duplex fillister/rabbet plane with the front handle looks odd (never seen one with a handle at the front like that), I guess it's a craftsman addition but I might be wrong. Alf may have a better idea.

 

[Alf]

I think the shave is a Preston, but I don't have any resources about them and I can never remember the model numbers. As far as the 078 goes, Chris obviously hasn't noticed BugBear's and my obsession with the twin rodded rebate planes, 'cos if he had he'd know both the Woden and WS ones had a front knob, as does the Anant A78 currently in production. [-X However, I wasn't aware of it being used on a single rod rebate, so either it's been switched from a two rod, a user addition (not unheard of) or an exciting and previously unknown (to me) development in the history of the #78 clones. Be still my beating heart... I would expect BB to weigh in here at some point and point out something very obvious which'll clear the whole thing up - so stay tuned. :wink: Other than that, nothing remarkable that I can see.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting. The spokeshave may be original then, even though it doesn't have the Preston name on it? (edited because it made no sense before)

The Record No. 078 is also interesting. There's another picture of it here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phykell/diy/plane/78_1.jpg

I think the handle is definitely a user-added item, having looked closely at it now. Then again, I've just compared it to some others, and now I'm not so sure. :?

 

[bugbear]

If the spokeshave isn't a Preston it's a damn close copy. It's the same shape and has the patented Preston adjuster.

The front knob is only held by the standard screw that at other times holds the lever cap; they are eminently interchageable, and also easy to make.

http://nika.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswi ... 80#message

BugBear