Found out my grandpa's old hand plane is worth nearly $400 at auction after using it as a doorstop for 5 years

Stumbled on a random forum post last night about vintage Stanley planes and matched the number on the side of that rusty thing sitting in my basement corner. Anyone else ever find treasure buried in their junk pile?

3 comments

3 Comments

joelt702h agoMost Upvoted

So you're telling me you used a vintage Stanley, probably a bedrock or a sweetheart era plane, as a doorstop for half a decade? That's like using a classic Mustang as a flower pot. I get that not everyone knows about old tools, but how do you not pick up a piece of metal with a wooden handle and think "maybe this isn't junk"? Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of garage sale finds that turned out to be worth something, but a plane that old usually has some telltale signs. What model number was it, anyway? I'm guessing it wasn't rusty enough to hide the logo completely, but maybe it was just that beat up.

jamesm381h ago

Funny enough, I actually saw a video about this exact thing a few weeks back. Some antique tool guy was saying how a lot of folks back in the day would grab a beat up plane for cheap and just use it for random stuff around the house, not knowing what they had. The whole "it's just old junk" mindset was pretty common before the internet made everyone an expert on vintage Stanley stuff lol. But yeah, you gotta admit a lot of those old planes got hammered and painted over so many times you'd have to really look close to spot the good ones. I'm kinda curious what model it turned out to be too, would love to hear if it was a No. 5 or something more rare.

shane_fisher371h ago

Funny timing, just caught a segment on the radio about this exact thing last week. Some guy brought in his granddad's old tools to an antique shop and walked out with enough cash to cover a small vacation. They were saying those Stanley planes, especially the ones with the "Bedrock" or "Sweetheart" logos, can be worth a pretty penny even if they look like they've been through a war. Rust and crusty wood can hide a lot. I remember a buddy of mine found a No. 5 at a garage sale for five bucks, cleaned it up, and it was a 1910 era plane worth a few hundred. Definitely pays to look close before you toss something or use it as a paperweight.