Michael Gendron Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Im looking at making an offer on this lot of blacksmithing tools but am unsure of the value of the items. Any help with a ballpark value would be appreciated im located in Maine. The anvil is a 149lb PW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 One question, are you planning to use most of them or flip them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Im not looking to flip anything, im looking at getting into blacksmithing and it looks like i would have everything i need to get started. Just wondering approximate value cause im not sure what anything is worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Quite a bit; but depending on what you plan to do in blacksmithing many of those items will not be useful to you but expensive to buy...Some of those hammers for instance would be well liked by armour makers or sheet steel sculpture makers but not very useful for basic smithing or bladesmithing or tool make or... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 My plans in blacksmithing after i learn the basics and tecniques would be furniture, fixtures, harware, tools.. stuff like that maybe a knife or two. He's selling as a lot so im just trying to see what its worth so i can make an offer and not get hurt on my end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Quade Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Honestly the value is crazy right now depending on where you are located. I went to an auction last year where a brake drum forge sold for 500 bucks and a broken anvil that weighed 85lbs went for 600 bucks. Every hammer sold for 100 bucks plus. I mean if your going by those numbers this is probably like a 5 thousand dollar sale easy. No idea how much the screw press is worth as i have never actually seen one for sale. I mean the nice thing would be that you would have basically a full shop ready to go. The other thing to considder is buying the lot then just taking what you really need and sell the rest to recoup the costs. Alot of those hammers have somewhat specific uses that may not be something you want to get into so you could sell them to somone who is. Good luck with the purchase though. It would be great if you get a decent deal on it. I am curious to know what it all goes for in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 What screw press? I see a pipe vise but no screw press. Difference in value between the two items is in the hundreds to thousands of dollars with the pipe vise being on the low side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Quade Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 12 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: What screw press? I see a pipe vise but no screw press. Difference in value between the two items is in the hundreds to thousands of dollars with the pipe vise being on the low side. My bad you are indeed correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 "worth" is not an operative word here. About all that can be done is compare to what one could get flipping individual pieces. Assuming you didn't photograph much in terms of duplicates, you're north of $ 5000 USD and probably in the $ 6 to $ 7 K range. Much of that is in the handled stuff at about $ 100 bucks a pop for the desirable ones. It adds up. Note that a lot of the stuff would also collect dust 99.9% of the time in your own shop. Sure, it's nice to have when you need it, but much is not stuff you *need* to get the job done. If you are starting from scratch, I'd shop piecemeal for the stuff you really NEED rather than pile up "goodies" you may desire but can easily live without. You'd have less than half the cash into it that way and would actually see the value from what you chose to buy. That extra cash left over could also buy you not only good material stock but other tooling that would be far more beneficial to you than "mostly-wall-hangers" that are not often used. Just a 2-bit opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 I looked through the pictures and it looks as if some of it is duplicates, i will try and find out more when i talk to him. Again thanks for everyones help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR_Lewis Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Not being a blacksmith, but on my own path, I found the sale and what he's asking in the ad is very fair. Kozzy nailed it when he said $6-7K range; if one were to take the time to sell it for premium/retail/collector prices. If you plan to use it, pay what he's asking (within reason) and walk away with a warm fuzzy!! There's something to be said for both parties walking away from a transaction feeling like they both got a decent deal. Cheers, JR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7A749 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Know nothing specific about blacksmithing tools, but the guys asking price looks pretty fair indeed. Hard to say what's dupes in the pix, but from what others are saying on hammer pricing alone it sounds pretty darn good to me. And, at what eBay prices are the deal is exceptional. I don't think you would lose any money paying the asking price. Not at all. If you really want the stuff, just go buy it. Offer $1600 but be prepared to give him the cash. Prolly be best to just grab the stuff before someone else does. I'm all for keeping what you want and offing the rest to recoup your investment. Oh, I'll add that although I'm not into blacksmith tools, I've been in the buy and sell business collectively 15+ years. Ten of which have been professionally as a major or sole source of income. Do the math alone on the bigger speciality hammers and bottom dies. You could sell a good lot of that off by itself and recoup a major part of your investment. You play it right and sell enough, you may walk away with a free anvil, forge and more than enough stuff to get started, or maybe even make a profit depending on how fast you wanted to unload it. Of course, eBay pricing is not always a super reliable indicator for market value, but it does give you enough of an idea what something is nominally worth. Seems blacksmithing stuff is in high demand by the looks of it and what I read here (and I read quite a bit) IMHO of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Thanks for all the info! im going to get a hold of him and try and get the stuff tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7A749 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Good luck with it Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 All depends on what it is worth to you. Out here where I am , I pay $3-$5 for hammers, tongs, fullers, and hardy tools. $1 a pound for anvils, and the forge around $150. Now, the fact that this is all as a package makes it attractive as it gets you everything to start in one shot. In the end it really doesn't matter what others are paying, but what can YOU afford comfortably, and will you be happy with what you paid? If the answer is yes, then by all means buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 A beginner isn't going to use 99.9% of that haul and after a few years of gaining skills the useful quotient will of course go up, maybe all the way to 10%. Seriously, I don't know of many blacksmiths that would've used that variety of tools even in the old days. A beginner needs an anvil or some description, that one is a beauty. A short selection of smooth faced hammers with maybe one as heavy as 3lbs. A turning hammer, a couple ball peins of various weight, a cross pein and a single jack sledge and maybe a double jack when you get to needing a striker. A hot and a cold hardy, a butcher a couple hot cuts and a few pair of tongs. I've been a hobbyist for maybe 50 years now and rarely use a bottom swage, top swages very rarely. Bottom fullers are handy fro drawing as are top fuller, having a couple around is a good idea. A forge, fuel of your choice or availability locally. Seriously a person should be able to load their entire beginner's blacksmithing shop in the trunk of a mid sized coupe without overloading the suspension. A wheel barrow if you're hauling fuel and stock. However, that said if I lived close and was really flush I'd be sorely tempted just because. I have no idea what some of those bottom dies are for but I see a few matching top tools so I'd have to see what they do. All that and I think I'd recommend you look for a more basic set of tools and use the money you save to take some classes. It isn't the tools that do the work, it's the person using them. Of course if you appeared at a conference with a small portion of that haul in your pickup you could easily tail gate yourself a class or two. It's like any sale, it's not that's being asked it's what you're willing to pay. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I buy and sell some smithing tools here in the northeast. Looks like there are a number of the same pieces shown in multiple photos? Assuming that I'd pay $5-$600 if I was looking to flip for a small profit, and $800 to $900 if collecting or buying to use and earn money with. Prices have been going up lately thou so if the seller is on the ball they may be a little sticky. You are going to the NEB meet in New Hampshire this weekend, right? You could probably pick up a similar kit in the tailgate sales for $500 there, and meet some interesting folks, and watch some pros work, and play around at the learning center, and bid on stuff at the auction, and... http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org/spring_&_fall_meets.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 I wish i could make it to that meet, this is the first ive ever heard of it.. my girlfriend is working so i have to watch my kids during the day this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 The anvil looks repaired, to me it is worthless. forge w/ good working blower is easy 400. Assorted tools 20 each unless they have famous maker's marks. Since you litterally don't need 90% of this stuff and the anvil is likely junk I would walk away. Package deals are usually a great deal....for the seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Why do you say the anvil is repaired? It looks like a typical sway backed Peter Wright to me. I disagree that package deals are only good for the seller. I have gotten better deals many times because I was buying everything, and not just bits and pieces. The seller looked at it as they wouldn't have to mess around trying to peddle off the remainder. I recently went to look at a Kaiser pie press that was used in a commercial pie shop. The guy had it listed for $450 obo. They usually bring upwards of $2,000 rebuilt. I get to the guys house and look it over, and it is in good shape, but you can tell it was used. He had closed a restaurant years ago, and these last items were the remnants, and they were taking up space in his small garage.. It was kind of funny that the restaurant he closed was 20 miles up the road from where I grew up in CA, and we both ended up in Southern NV. Anyways, he says tell ya what, for $500 I'll toss in the extra dies, a case of pie pans, the pie transport chest, a case of pie cutters, the signs, the slicer unit for a Hobart VS9, and for $800 I'll throw in the Groen 40qt tilting steam kettle that he had listed for $450 obo. I tell him I'll think it over and see if I can find a buyer for the kettle in a couple of days as I wasn't interested in it at the time. I get home later that night and do a Google search on the Groen kettle. Turns out the kettle new is over $6,000, and they have a ton of uses besides pies. I contacted him the next morning and sealed the deal. He got his garage space back, and I got $3,000+ worth of used value commercial equipment for $800. So,in a way it was a great deal for him too, as he doesn't have to mess with it anymore. Another time my buddy and I went to a closed Dodge/Jeep dealership sale. They had all of the factory shop manuals piled on a table, and priced at $5 each. I ask them how much for all of them...which surprised them. He thinks a minute then asks $50? Done! As that is what I was thinking. I filled the entire back of a 77 Pinto wagon with shop manuals. The first automotive swapmeet we took them to we made a profit on the very first sale of a set for $60. Even if he can't use most of what is there, he now has trading material to get whet he does need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwistedCustoms Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Hard to tell about duplicates on the hammers/swages etc but based on prices in my area for the items shown I would offer $1000usd in cash of course, and that's depending on anvil rebound/condition. I've heard about prices being crazy high in other areas but I can get the hammer heads for $3-$5 each, the pipe vise for $20, the forge and blower together for $250. If you piece it all out there is a lot more than a grand there but if the seller wants to convert it to quick cash....on the other hand the seller may think he can retire off the sale in which case let some sucker over pay, everything there can be found elsewhere. Try a thousand dollar offer and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Well i went down today to look at everything and there were alot of duplicates in the photos. I ended up making a deal with him and took the lot. The pw felt like it had better rebound than the trenton so i guess i will get a ball bearing and test it and keep the better of the 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwistedCustoms Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Nice haul, congratulations! Now put it all to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Thanks Im very excited!! now im trying to figure out how/ where to set everything up. Arftist what makes you think the anvil is repaired? I used a small ballpeen hammer and the thing bounced back and hopped all over the place like crazy. Maybe i checked it wrong but its seems to rebound back and ring better than the trenton i got a few days ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gendron Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 The 7 hammers with the concaved face all have a makers mark of V&B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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