Martin J. Donnelly Antique Tools

Home » Newsletter

Results per page:

Issue #2166

STANLEY RULE & LEVEL RARE ROSEWOOD & BOXWOOD MITRE PLANE FOR U.S. CENTENNIAL? ONE OF FOUR KNOWN

A rare ROSEWOOD AND BOXWOOD MITRE PLANE, No. 25, by STANLEY. One hundred years after the first reading of the Declaration of Independence, the spirit of America was on the rise. The memories of a destructive civil war were finally beginning to fade and there was a sense of optimism in the land. New cities were rising in the West and the great cities of the East were growing larger. Tools were needed to sustain the march of progress. No maker of hand tools was more at the center of that spirit of industry than the Stanley Rule & Level Company of New Britain, Connecticut. Stanley's business was being fueled by the dramatic success of the metallic planes invented by Leonard Bailey and manufactured at the Stanley Rule & Level Plant. Historical records show that a Great Centennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia in the year 1876 to commemorate one hundred years of independence. It is know that the Stanley Rule & Level Company put on a major display at that exhibition and period engravings exist of the elaborate Stanley display. What is not known, however, and will likely never be known, is the exact makeup of the Stanley display. We know from the few surviving examples of the work of other makers that companies often crafted special tools for these exhibitions to demonstrate mastery of their craft. While we have no specific documentation to associate the plane offered here with the Centennial Exposition, there is a very strong evidence that these planes were crafted at precisely the time of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Moreover, the extreme custom nature of this plane and the exotic materials of which it was made would have placed them outside the scope of the custom work Stanley would have been prepared to perform for customers. Crafted with a body of beautifully grained Brazilian Rosewood and fitted with a dovetailed sole of bright, yellow and grainless Turkish Boxwood, this pre-lateral transitional mitre plane has been boldly struck near the junction of the rosewood and boxwood with the "No. 25" imprint exactly as used beginning in the year 1874. The front knob of this planes is formed of the same dark rosewood as the body, another extreme custom variation that would have required far more time and effort than could have been justified by a "special order". Retaining nearly all of its original lacquer finishes and shiny, black japan finish, this plane is in nearly new condition. Was this plane exhibited at the Centennial Exposition? We will likely never know. Should it have been part of that Exposition? We will leave it to the viewer to judge. A unique Stanley jointer plane and one of the most important Stanley tools we have ever offered for sale. Highly recommended. From the Collection of John and Janet Wells, Berkeley, California.
Auction: FC18-700
Estimate: $2500.00 - $5000.00