RE: Stanley #73 Morticing Gauge
Previously, Jerry Serviss wrote:

>The value, to me, would seem to me to depend a large measure on how 
>likely I beleive I am to find the missing parts. In this case, I 
>asked myself: How likely are you to find the replacement for the 
>sliding bar ? I answered this one, out loud no less,  "slim and none" 
>but perhaps not.
>
>Anyway, is there some rule of thumb for how to go about the process
>of derating  an incomplete tool so that a price can be assigned ?

I've lurked long enough near the dark recesses of the incomplete tools 
box and this query has brought me out.

First, a bio: My name is Tim and I'm a Galoot. I have a passion for old 
things: houses, tools, guns and an occassional pocket knife. Yes I 
collect, meaning I've got at least two identical items, but most likely 
three or four. Yes I use, to repair and replace in the style of my 
104-year-old Queen Anne. But I mostly travel and show kids and unwitting 
adults how  tools were used, from two-man saws to molding planes to #45's 
to cider presses to my Roy-inspired treadle lathe. By day, I scrouge for 
another treasured addition to the travelling road show; by night I drive 
a Mac -- Mac 9500 that is -- designing page fronts for a daily newspaper.

But, to the point. I've seldom had success finding a replacement part for 
anything. If I do it usually means buying another tool with a different 
missing piece, marrying the best of the two (or three or four) and swap 
the now stripped piece to some other soul in search of "the piece."

Price? Yeah, guidebooks are fine, but the real price lies in the heart of 
the buyer -- what you're truly willing to pay for the elusive cooper's 
croze or minty #55 -- regardless of "the guide" and regardless of it's 
completeness. Is it to be a wall-hanger or a user? When will the next 
chance come by?

But Jerry,the thrill, and often the reward, is in the hunt. Today I 
logged 200 miles putting out feelers for an apple grinder to fit my 
nearly restored cider press. No grinders, but I did stealth home with a 
*complete* #45  dripping in grunge and costing me far less than guidebook 
prices. My best guess is I'll wind up with two or three incomplete cider 
presses before I get the parts I need. Dont worry though, I've got homes 
for the others!

Galootdom -- it's a passion, it's a vice -- get used to it!

 

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GG--
        I agree pretty much with Tim Rutherford when he concludes:
(hack, chop)
>Price? Yeah, guidebooks are fine, but the real price lies in the heart of
>the buyer -- what you're truly willing to pay for the elusive cooper's
>croze or minty #55 -- regardless of "the guide" and regardless of it's
>completeness. Is it to be a wall-hanger or a user? When will the next
>chance come by?

        But I'm sorta surprised that not many msgs in this intresting
thread have set "worth" or *worth* off in a way that implies the relative
and subjective nature of the very concept.  I think the Patternmaker's
Widow is a special case.  In the everyday world of buying and selling,
whether it's replacement parts for Ford 9N tractors (another sideline of
mine), or Rembrandt originals, or rusty metal, one way to look at is, if
both buyer and seller walk away satisfied, then "worth" has been
determined--and it is probably different for the two parties, or else no
transaction would have taken place.
        Beyond the specific thread, this issue relates to the recurring
queries that appear on this list in the following vein:  "I picked up this
#** thingamajig at a yard sale the other day.  So what's it worth?"  Others
report what "the book" says, or what they know of comparative sales prices
for something similar in other circumstances, and you can gloat to SWMBO
when an esteemed Galoot proclaims that the #** is *worth* a lot more than
you paid.  But I think that's mostly mind games your playing with yourself.
What really matters is what it's worth to you--guide, SWMBO, or no.
        My $.02. . . . .WORTH
                Tom,
who wishes he had a Mac 9500 to play on, and get paid for it.