"John McCoy" wrote in message
. ..
Electric Comet wrote in news:mgsf1k$chl$12
@dont-email.me:

what's the story with planes and the prices

what makes a plane worthy for a collector

just trying to understand why some are sought after and fetch a
high price and some don't even though they seems to be similar

Well, like anything that's collectable, it's mostly about
rarity. Some planes were only made for a short time, either
because the design was bad or the maker was not in business
very long, or they were simply so specialized that the demand
didn't exist; those planes are now very rare.

Others are common, but went thru many design variations over
their production lives, and since collectors have to have
"one of everything" the variations that had short production
lives become collectable.

If you really want to know, I'd suggest reading Patrick's
"Blood and Gore" (a compendium of posts from this very newsgroup
about 20 years ago):

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html

John

I met Patrick a couple of years ago in England. Had agreed to buy an old
Stanley compass (or circle) plane from. He was visiting UK and hand carried
it to me. Nice guy and very knowledgeable.
I have quite a few hand planes, mainly Stanley/Bailey and Norris. All in
good fettle and used when required.
For an old codger like me the sharpening, setting up and use of a well tuned
hand plane is part of the enjoyment of working with wood.
I have a 16" planer/thicknesser which is only used for the biggest stuff.
Otherwise it's all hand planed and I enjoy it. Obviously I work with wood as
a hobby, not in any way commercial.
I have an electric hand plane. Horrid thing but useful when working with
manufactured board as the blades are reversible and disposable. I probably
use the compass plane more than the electric one, for different purposes of
course.
Also have 60 or 70 wooden planes, both flat, moulding and. These are pretty
much retired now although I still use some of the moulding planes
occasionally. One thing about these is that the blades are always of better
quality than might be purchased today.

Back to op. My view is that a good plane will be a good friend for life. I
don't collect them per se but I will always buy an obviously good one if I
can use it. Good hand planes, with some very expensive exceptions, are no
longer manufactured as they are not needed generally.
Sorry, that's a very sweeping statement that may irk some but I feel it is
correct. I'm thinking of Veritas who make some fine stuff although I have no
experience of it.
I have butchered some of my old wooden planes and turned them into table
lights. A bit quirky but they work well.

Finally. I am very please that this ng is alive/kicking and populated by you
good and learned folk.

Now, where did I leave my tin hat?

All the best,
Nick.