Tool value?

[Bod]

"I have an overwhelming amount of "stuff" and would be distraught to think my family went down that route so I've started listing & cataloguing my tools with approximate values and that has shown me just how time consuming and difficult it is."
This comment from another thread, strikes a chord with me.
I've been, as I'm sure others have, looking at Tool Dealers websites, and have been shocked/frightened at how much it would cost to replace, even 2nd hand, my most used tools. Indeed many are now just not available new.
As I work in an integral garage, my tools might be covered under "New for Old" household insurance, but would I want/accept a modern brand new Irwin Record No.5 to replace my 1930's Stay-Set, with rosewood handles, No5.
Several times I've pointed out to the kids(youngest is over 30 now) the 3 books on my shelf that cover the maintenance and use of the vast majority of my collection, in the hope that they will appreciate, the value of what's there.

Bod

 

[marcros]

I am sure that there is, but does anybody know of a cataloguing app or programme to put values against things? Excel would do but I would have thought there must be a better tool.

 

[Lons]

That comment from the other thread was mine and all I've done so far is start to list freehand with item, description, condition etc. as well as take photographs. I haven't got very far tbh and it's a mammoth task, haven't yet put down many valuations.

My initial thoughts were to set out some sort of Excel template in due course and transfer all the info with photo but I'd need to get the old grey matter stirred as it's a while since done much with the prog so any ideas to make it easier would be of great interest.

My other thought is to set out how my family should go about selling, where to look, who to ask etc and a small database of useful sites.

Whether my family is left crying or having a street party when I'm gone ( not for quite a while though hopefully :wink: ) they're going to need some help sorting out all my stuff and the more I look around the more shocked I am at potential value, the wood alone is worth a small fortune. :shock:

 

[lurker]

They don’t know it; but two forum members have been “appointed” as my workshop executors, in the event of my premature demise.

 

[Lons]

They don’t know it; but two forum members have been “appointed” as my workshop executors, in the event of my premature demise.

That's a novel idea. Bet your ears are ringing if you can still hear when you're dead!

 

[Bod]

That comment from the other thread was mine and all I've done so far is start to list freehand with item, description, condition etc. as well as take photographs. I haven't got very far tbh and it's a mammoth task, haven't yet put down many valuations.

My initial thoughts were to set out some sort of Excel template in due course and transfer all the info with photo but I'd need to get the old grey matter stirred as it's a while since done much with the prog so any ideas to make it easier would be of great interest.

My other thought is to set out how my family should go about selling, where to look, who to ask etc and a small database of useful sites.

Whether my family is left crying or having a street party when I'm gone ( not for quite a while though hopefully :wink: ) they're going to need some help sorting out all my stuff and the more I look around the more shocked I am at potential value, the wood alone is worth a small fortune. :shock:

Hi Lons, hope you don't mind me using the comment, I didn't want to hijack Linda's topic, but her predicament has got me thinking (Dangerous territory, I'm told).

Bod

 

[Lons]

Hi Lons, hope you don't mind me using the comment, I didn't want to hijack Linda's topic, but her predicament has got me thinking (Dangerous territory, I'm told).

Bod

It's not copywrite Bod free to use however you like :lol:

What set me off down that route was as I posted in Lindas thread about sorting my mates workshop. I was furious that his widow was ripped off. I've never told her because nothing can be done but she could have done with the money.
I doubt if many of us realise the true value of our belongings and I've witnessed first hand on several occasions the real problems facing families sorting out after a death. I think everyone should consider what we leave behind for our loved ones to sort out!

A close friend only 51 lost her husband to cancer last December, he was a mechanic but had loads of hobbies and she's hardly touched his stuff yet as her 14 year old son got really depressed when she started. I asked how she is when I saw her earlier this week and she burst into floods of tears - horrible.

As I said, my lot will possibly have a street party. :roll:

 

[AES]

Apologies in advance for lengthy post coming up:

I too was struck by the posts from Lindas, and all the points raised in the posts above. It just so happens that Lindas and I will be having a Skype call later on today to discuss her large collection of files.

Although at present I'm "fairly disabled" (my +"*ç%&/! pineappling back AGAIN), when asked by member SammyQ to help Lindas, I was pleased to try and do so. Here's part of what I wrote in response to Sammy Q's PM request for help:

QUOTE: Anything I have personally done to help members has been simply following on in that same spirit of general "fellowship" and helpfulness/mutual cooperation so often seen on UKW.

Because of my background and training it just so happens that my knowledge of general metalworking is somewhat more detailed than many other UKW members - but by no means ALL! So both in answer to specific questions raised, or just in my general "metal bashing vanity publishing", I have posted quite a bit of - hopefully useful - guidance in those areas in which I've been professionally trained and had subsequent real world experience.

In short then, anything I've done up to now, or am likely to do on UKW in future, is simply based on a tradition set by a large number of members who were here before ever I came on the UKW scene. So whilst a "thank you" is definitely much appreciated, no "stars" or "Sirs" are needed, thanks all the same Sam! );-

But I have a 2nd and more practical reason for being willing to help in Linda's specific case.

I'm 74, not exactly in the best of health, and my wife Sylvia is a couple of years older than me. Being purely practical for a minute, I'm not going to live beyond, say, the next 20 years or so, max. We live in a nice house perched on the side of a South-facing wooded hill, which is split into 3 levels. Already our garden is getting too much for both of us to handle and we have to pay a gardener to do almost everything now. Sylvia has said we need to think about moving to a flat. Although I know she's quite right, I find the thought very depressing and the whole idea of moving fills me with absolute dread.

But if something completely disables me while Sylvia is still alive, the work of stripping my workshop will fall to her (we have no relations to leave the stuff to) - and the shop is on the 3rd, deepest level of the house, just to make such matters even more interesting! Having been brought up in her dad's garage workshop as a kid, and having helped me in my shop, she may well have a bit of a better idea of what's in there and what it's (maybe) worth than Linda does. But if and when that happens Sylvia will still be faced with a big problem - AND all on her own at the worst possible time.

So I'm going to have to do something about that (starting off by making an itemised list, with approx values would be a very good idea!!) but meantime I may as well start off by first "practising" a bit on Linda's stuff. UNQUOTE:


So my own situation is not so very different to a number of other UKW members already "involved" with Lindas, as shown in the posts above, AND amongst those members who I know are already trying to help Lindas.

Further, and more importantly in my opinion, I'd hazard a guess that the average age of all UKW members is OVER 50, am I right? Dunno. But if so the sorts of situations described above are going affect us all sooner or later - AND I've lost count of the number of posts that I've seen here which say "my family/kids/relations have no interest in/any idea about what I get up to down in my shed".

And in another similar thread, member Trevanion hit the nail on the head when he said that he feels a definite "connection" with the previous owner/s of SH tools he's bought previously and now uses regularly - I don't want to sound "soppy" but I definitely do feel a "link" to my Dad when using tools I inherited from him when he died back in the late 1970s.

So what to do? The thought of anyone having to dump a load of "junk" at the tip really angers me - and even more so the thought of some sharp "dealer" saying "I'll give you a tenner for that bunch of files"!!!! (example again).

So?

Make a list - Yes, of course (and keep it updated too), definitely. But the thought of starting it is VERY daunting, but MUST be overcome (somehow)!

But what about potential values? Especially if, like me you haven't lived in UK since the 1980s, not bought anything from UK since then apart from the odd internet/mail order purchase? Or if you just haven't bought much at all recently. And what about all your materials and supplies? What are they worth??

Example again: "How much does a decent quality 10 inch rectangular ******* cut hand file cost in UK these days" - AND "What's the value of a used one in decent condition/lots of life left?"

I tell you frankly, the more I think about this subject "properly", then the more I despair - perhaps "just chuck it all in the tip" IS the way to go????

Sorry for the length and "depressed tone" of this post.

Any help and encouragement out there please?

 

[Trevanion]

The amount of stuff I've got now even in my twenties is shocking, to be honest, how does it all accumulate? (eBay :roll. I do really need to have a big clear-out as I've got loads of stuff I won't ever really use that someone else would love to have. No man needs as many chisels as I've got, ever. :lol:.

I think If I kept it all and kept going at the rate I have been and got to my later years it would seriously be overwhelming the sheer amount of "stuff".

 

[AES]

@ Trevanion:

I can only say that at least at "your young age", with luck you've got "many" years ahead of you to enjoy your shop and its contents.

As a young lad growing up I always wished for a well-equipped shop but it was only when moving to the present address in 1993 I had the cash and space (and "geographical permanence"!) to make it happen.

As Lindas has pointed out in her first post, perhaps we do need some sort of "general outline" sticky type thing to help members have some sort of guide to the present values of "stuff"? But who would do it, how it would work, AND keep it updated is frankly beyond me.

 

[Droogs]

Andy,
You raise some very good points. It would be a "crime" for our tools etc to just end up at/in a dump. Lurker's comment about appointing someone from the forum to possibly handle what happens to our treasures once we're gone, is a fantastic idea. Over time I feel people on here form very good friendships even if only at a distance, but I am sure that most on here if asked would be willing to assist others to make sure that those left behind do not get "shafted" by dealers after a bargain. Yes there are lots of legal stuff to sort out but the first step is for all of us to accept the inevitable will happen and at the very least make a full inventory of what we have and let our loved ones know where that list is along with instructions on what initial steps to take

 

[Just4Fun]

Whilst this forum membership collectively has an amazing knowledge about tools and their use we might not be the best people to talk to about value. Most of us are more likely to seek out bargains at boot sales and perhaps few of us pay (and are knowledgeable about) the high prices tools can fetch elsewhere. Indeed it is common for us to lament and deride the way endorsement by internet gurus can drive up prices. Yet we would all want our surviving family to sell near the top of the market so who should they ask about that? I don't know.

Perhaps when making a list of our tools, rather than indicating their value - which could be a pain to keep up to date - we should add a list of suggested internet search terms for each one for a novice to use to find current values.

 

[lurker]

I reckon I have maybe £15k worth of tools.
I am unconcerned about releasing their value, I just want them to go to good homes.

I have kitted out both of my sons, but their interest is just getting things done.
One is very good at DIY and renovation.
The other is not interested but has a decent basic set of kit for when he is needs it.
Everything they have is what I had accumulated over the years.

 

[Dibs-h]

Reminds me of a meme I saw a few years ago:

 

[AES]

Yup, I can definitely buy into that to pic (though my shop isn't as full as that looks)!

 

[AndyT]

Some good thoughtful posts here.

It's very easy to build up a collection of hundreds of tools whose value, potentially, is far in excess of what was paid for them. And if the families we leave behind are hard up, then it would be a kindness to provide them with enough information to maximise income from any sales.

However, there's an unavoidable rule with selling old tools - you only get maximum return if you put in lots of work. For an eBay seller, that means knowing exactly what each item is and what it's worth, taking good photos, listing it clearly and building up a presence. A big job, especially if you are grieving.

For a commercial tool dealer it's all of that, plus getting to know collectors and what they will pay for items you know they want.

However, there's a contrasting thought which will apply to some of us.

Sometimes it's not necessary to maximise income. It's more important to re-home the tools to someone else who will appreciate them, without too much effort.

In that case, the simplest way forward is through a specialist tool auction house such as David Stanley. They will collect a workshop full of a lifetime's accumulation, divide it into lots and sell it. Everything will disappear from the deceased's house and a cheque will arrive.

The financial return will only be at wholesale rates - a box of thirty old chisels could sell for less than£30 - but pretty much all the tools will go to new owners who will use and appreciate them, not to the tip.

It's an outcome I'd be happy with.

PS The photo in the meme is not a private collection - it's a shop, Bristol Design!

 

[AES]

Thanks Andy T, you raise a very good point which I have overlooked.

You're dead right, if I/my wife are not exactly hard up when my stuff has to go, I'd much prefer for it all to go to "a good home/s". It's the idea of it going A) to a tip, and/or B) to someone who's clearly trying to rip off a (probably) ignorant widow that worries (and riles) me.

Thanks for pointing out that important (IMO) big difference - example, if I knew that someone could walk into my shop after I'm dead & gone and "guarantee" my stuff would go to a place/s where it was welcomed and used, then I'm in the fortunate position of not needing to bother too much how much cash my widow received.

Thanks for pointing that out (but that is my personal opinion and perhaps not every one would agree).

 

[Keith 66]

I have just had the unpleasant task of clearing Mums house part of which was Dad's workshop (he died 5 years ago). He was a real craftsman & loved good tools. I have kept the best of his tools & will use them all. It feels like he is still there when i pick them up. I sold the rest to a cabinet maker at a reasonable price who will either use them or sell them on.
I recently had to clear a workshop for a family friend, he was a fearful bodger & his workshop was a shocking mess, Out of the whole lot there were only a couple of things that were any good with a value of about fifty quid. the rest being worn out scrap metal.
The worst bit was after 4 days of hard graft & 40 sacks of garbage to the tip I was asked how much it all fetched! The relative almost accused me of ripping them off! So much for helping out.
Many people have unrealistic ideas of things worth, Antiques, Boats, Tools & Equipment, all are being devalued at a shocking rate. Many people expect every tool to be brand new & the same price as in machine mart, the fact that its crap & breaks after 5 minutes doesnt enter their mind its cheap!
Fortunately i have trained my son well & he appreciates good tools, just as well hes going to get a lot of them one day!

 

[AES]

Keith 66, you've raised the other side of the coin and I sympathise if you've been doing your best to help someone only to be accused of being a rip-off merchant. Not nice at all!

It does highlight a key point in all of this though - what (really) is the value of "all this stuff"! I guess that in the end it comes down to the answer "whatever someone is willing to pay", though in such sensitive situations as the death of a partner that does sound "very hard-nosed commercialist/free market capitalist" to me.

And for someone who does need the money, it would be a long and laborious effort to achieve "best price" I guess - and that just at a time when, no doubt, the idea of going to all that hassle probably feels like the last thing they want to be doing. In short - "I dunno the answer, sorry".

Now a small thread drift if I may - hope it's mildly amusing, it amused me anyway:

In my (lengthy) OP in this thread, I used a 10 inch "bar steward" cut file, purely as an example. I noted when re-reading the post that the Forum's "naughty words" filter thingy changed that to read "10 inch turnip cut file".

I LIKE IT - "rubbish in/rubbish out" and all that!
;-)

 

[MusicMan]

And there I was wondering what a turnip cut was, as didn't dare ask!