Ed Minch’s wife has begun thinking about what to do with his remaining tools, a
number have been distributed to family and friends. Interestingly, they are not
collectors and have gone for user tools (of which there were many). There are
still many tools  that will interest collectors and will probably go to auction.

There is an infill that, despite how many times I was in his shop over the
years, I don’t recall seeing. It is unmarked, other than “WC” which I take to be
an owner’s mark. The blade is well marked Auburn Tool Co. The front bun is like
you would see on a chariot plane. It is an 8 inch smoother and weighs a hefty 5
lb 7 1/2 oz. For comparison my Norris smoother of that size weighs a paltry 3 lb
15 oz. The steel sides are a full 3/8 inch while the Norris is 1/8 inch thick.
The bed is a brass plate that is 1/4 inch thick. Given the construction and the
Auburn blade I first thot it was a New York plane as I have seen various NY
infill miter planes. However, the blade has clearly been ground on both sides to
fit it to the chip breaker. The chip breaker has not been ground so probably is
original. The mouth is incredibly tight. I could not test it because the blade
is not sharp enough to cut warm butter. Clearly it was not one of Ed’s users,
yet it was located with his working tools and not on the collectables shelves
that are in another room.

So two questions: From the pictures, can anyone id this plane? And value? I
would think it is worth a bit but having never seen one like it, I don’t know.

Here are the pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/77280442@N.../albums/7217772030
1334353/with/52288642250/

Thanks,

Bill