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Antique Tools at The Best Things
Chisels

CH80938 Fenton & Marsden This is a clean 5/16" morticing chisel by one of Sheffield's most respected 19th Century makers. Fenton and Marsden chisels are not common. The blade is in nice untouched condition. The handle looks original but it has been scrubbed with something like Murphy's Oil Soap, so that it has no patina left. It is a nice handle and if you sweat on it for 20 years it will get some patina again. A quality chisel. G+ $36Sold
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CH80939 J. Buck This is a good 3/8" morticing chisel. Interestingly it is marked "Best Steel" instead of Cast Steel like they normally are. The handle is wonderful with great patina. The blade has been polished with a buffing mop so that it is bright, although it still has some patina. The edges were not damaged and it will tone down. It is a nice chisel. G+ $36Sold
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CH80925 Ward & Payne This is a set of 3 paring chisels and a gouge that are new in the original rust preventative wax paper in the original box. The paring chisels are 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4". The gouge is 1/2", out-cannel. The box is a bit tatty and has the corners of the lid taped, but the chisels are truly superb with perfect original decails on the handle that state, "The World's Best Tools." Ward & Payne was certainly among the best. These are post-War, but still superb quality before things went down the drain in Sheffield. Mint $199
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CH80934 I. Sorby This is a 3/8" English morticing chisel with what looks like its full original length. The handle might be owner made but if so it is very nicely done, just not finished as smoothly as factory. The blade has been cleaned and has no patina. A great user piece. G+ $36 Sold
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CH8091 Unmarked This is a delicate 1/8" chisel useful for furniture size sash mortice work, among other things. It is probably by Marples but these small ones are harder to mark and are sometimes left unmarked. It is as found and has light corrosion in places but nothing that will impede its use. This chisel is straight, but it is not set into the handle squarely and the handle is not in a straight line with the blade. If this others you, you can pull the blade out and reset it. I priced it to reflect this. G+ $29 Sold
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CH8098 P. Law This is a great 18th Century mortice chisel. It is a 1/8" wide chisel and the handle and blade are proportionately small. The mark has P. Law with the crown. The handle looks original and is nice. The steel is slightly more cleaned than I like but still OK. There is about 1 1/2 of steel left on the blade. I don't know how long it started out, but probably not too much longer than this. Maybe an inch longer. This is a nice example. G+ $89Sold
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CH80917 R. Melhuish, Fetter Lane This is a nice full length original 1/4" mortice chisel marked by the famous London retailer, Melhuish. Melhuish only sold the best. This one has the original handle and is in nice clean condition. G+ $45
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CH80834 Buck, Tottenham Ct. Rd This is a particularly wonderful timber merchant's chisel, used for taking a shaving off of the surface of a plank. This one is also marked, "London Made" and is ground super thin. That extra bit of quality that one expects from London made goods. It is in its original leather sheath, which is embossed with the initials "J.B." There are some light dings on the handle but this is a very nice tool. G+ $159
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CH8089 John Green This 1/4" mortice chisel bears the John Green with the fleur de lis symbol mark, which appears in the 1787 Sheffield directory as belonging to Hannah Green, wife of the late John Green. I can't say when this was made, but clearly it could easily be older than 1787 and is well over 200 years old. It is marked twice with the same mark, which at first seems odd. But look closely and you will notice that it was first marked James Cam, and the John Green mark was struck twice to try and obscure the Cam mark. Perhaps Hannah could not keep up with demand and had to buy in chisels from Cam. It is also a very beautiful tool in its own right. The handle, which I think is original, is boxwood, and has a worn spot were a thumb rubbed on it for many years. This chisel is quite short, but I don't think that it is as short as it looks. From other early chisels that I have seen, I think that they were not as long as Victorian morticing chisels. This chisel is just over 8 inches overall. There is about an inch of steel left on the blade, which is clean and rust free, but please don't buy this one to use. I have not had an early chisel that I liked more. G+ $185
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CH80715 Wm Marples & Sons This is a very fine 1/8" mortice chisel for doing fine work such as furniture size sash work. A nice clean chisel with its original ash handle. G++ $45
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CH80716 Wm Marples & Sons This is an extra very fine 3/32" mortice chisel for doing fine work such as furniture size sash work. A nice clean chisel with its original boxwood handle. G++ $45
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CH80642 Trask & Son This is a wonderful as found D-Handled Slick with a 4" wide blade. Beautifully hand forged by a scarce 19th Century New York City blacksmith. Great Patina overall, both on the metal and the walnut handle. I don't recall seeing a nice example. This is the way I like my tools. G+ $165
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CH80639 Powell & Co. Cleveland This is a 1" wide heavy carpenter's socket chisel. I have not seen this mark before but it is recorded in the EAIA directory. The chisel is 12 1/2" long not counting the handle. It is a nice original oak handle with an iron hoop. The body has been cleaned slightly more than I would like, but only slightly and I only say this because the surface is a bit bright. It has not been touched with any abrasives and still has nice surface, just a bit shiny in spots. A super example of a hand made American chisel. G+ $89
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CH80613 Drawer Lock Chisel This is a clean as found cabinetmaker's drawer lock chisel, 5/8" at one end, 5/16" at the other end. A nice example and very useful if you intend to do accurate period reproductions. G+ $35
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CH80524 Buck Brothers This is a socket mortice chisel measuring a fat 1/2" width. The steel is mostly bright and looks full length. I don't like the patina on this chisel, despite its being in pretty clean condition. It will be a great user. Good $45
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CH80517 A. Hildick This is a matching graduated set of 9 out-cannel gouges, ranging in size from 3/8" to 1 1/4". The need cleaning, but the blades have no serious rust, just some surface rust. The handles are ash and all match. They all need to be reground and honed. They will make a great set of gouges at very cheap price on a per gouge basis. Good $199
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CH80472 Buck Brothers This is a pair of Buck spoon gouges from the golden age of Buck. They have matching applewood handles and are from the same craftsperson, although the marks on the chisels are not the same. They are a 29 in 5/8" and a 30 in 1/2". Superb as found condition. G++ $95
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CH80473 Buck Brothers This is a matched pair of swept gouges from the same tool chest, but again they marks are not the same mark. I assume that different marks were used simultaneously, in large part chosen by what fit on that tool. The handles are matching beech handles. They are both #18s, 3/8" and 1/2" size. Nice as found condition. G++ $95
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CH80432 C. I. Mix & Co. This is a 7/8" timber framer's corner chisel. The blade is very clean with a nice patina. The socket has been lightly hit but with a wire wheel, but it doesn't take much to ruin the surface and this one is definitely the worse for its encounter with a fool. The handle is an old, but not period, replacment. This is a great user example. G+ $69
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CH80339 W.E. Blaisdell, Maker, Warranted This is a fantastic American timber framer's chisel by an unknown maker. This maker does not appear in the EAIA toolmakers directory. It looks to be 1850 or earlier. The width is 1 1/2" and is about 11 1/2" long not counting the handle. It is as found and needs only a careful light cleaning. The handle, which looks original, has been screwed up by a fool. The hoop has been driven into the body of the handle. I think that it could be restored. Not for use, but for display at least. The patina on the handle is so nice, that it should be saved. You could pull the hoop back out and pull it back together. This is a great piece. Signed chisels by American blacksmiths like this, are scarce and should be preserved. G+ $85
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CH80257 Buck Brothers This is a 9/16" socket mortice chisel. The handle may be an old replacement. There is minor deformation around the edge of the socket from being hit a few times without a handle installed. Light surface rust and staining, but nothing serious. A great user. G+ $59
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CH80233 Hand Forged This is a hand forged wheelwright's bruzz. At the end of the steel part there is a bend and some separation where the tool has been bent. I imagine that it could be straightened but I would live with it. It is hard to date something like this but it must surely be first half of the 19th Century, if not older. As found and untouched. G- $45
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CH80138 A. Hildick, Sheffield This is an as found set of 9 out cannel gouges. They are mid-19th Century gouges, but could easily pass for 19th Century with the hand hammered bolsters. Ranging in size from 3/8" to 1 3/8". All matching original handles. One handle has a piece that fell out, that was a defect in the wood. Priced less than new ones but better quality than anything you will buy today. These chisels should clean up to better than G+ $269
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CH80124 S.J. Addis/Ward & Payne This is an original boxed set of 18 Addis chisels. I have an original Melhuish catalogue of about 1920 where the exact set is pictured. This set is totally complete, with all the original chisels, all with matching beech handles. The labels in the lid of the pine box are fantastic. The box has a handle so that you would carry it like a little brief case. Outside of the old catalogue, this is the only box of this style that I have seen. The chisels were originally straw finish, the most expensive, but now there are only traces of straw remaning. There were patches of oxidation on the blades which somebody has cleaned off and in so doing taken off the straw color. There is no pitting on the blades, they just have dark patches. A superb set. G+ $695
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CH7129 J. B. Addis & Sons This is a matched graduated set of 6 spoon gouges with matching owner made mahogany handles. They vary in width from 1/8" to 1", and vary from medium to tight sweeps. All are super clean and well cared for. For the price of new chisels, you can have genuine Addis in a condition that we just rarely see. Fine $259
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CH71131 Buck Brothers This is a truly rare find, a complete matched set of 12 bevelled bench chisels by Buck Brothers, the most famous American maker. At their peak, Buck chisels were as good as they got. These are short socket chisels. When sets turn up, they are typically pattern maker's chisels. Sets of cabinmaking length chisels like these just are not out there. These chisels are all in the 8" to 9" overall length range, perfect for dovetailing. The handles similar and they are all period, but they do not have the Buck logo stamped on them and I am not sure if they are original or not, but the certainly have been with these chisels for a long time. The handles are untouched but the metal has been cleaned with steel wool. One handle is split over its whole length but should glue up fine. Some of them have spots and patches of light to medium pitting. The backs have been polished and they are all sharp for use. This is not a replaceable set. G+ $795
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CH71045 Pair of Lock Mortice Chisels This is an unmarked pair of blacksmith made lock mortice chisels. It is not a matching pair, I have put these together and it is not a true pair, but they complement each other well size wise. These were used for fitting of slots into the carcasses of chests of drawers to accept the bolts from the drawer locks. They are not common by any means. G+ $69
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CH70927 S. J. Addis This is a 3/16" wide, #32 front bent gouge, with a n original boxwood handle. The ferule has been polished by a misguided English dealer, but otherwise nice as found condition. G+ $39
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CH70351 I. Sorby, Sheffield This is a nearly unused cabinetmaker's drawer lock chisel. It is a hand forged tool and it still has the original grinding and glazing on the finished parts. Apears to have never been honed. A superb example. Fine- $59
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CH70282 Addis & Herring This is a group of 6 delicate carving chisels that we found in the same tool box, all unhandled. 1 is marked S. J. Addis, 4 are J. B. Addis, and one is by Herring. Some appear to have never been ground for use. We are including 6 new old stock handles that are all a registered design and marked, but indistinctly. You will need to fit the handles yourself. Include are 3 spoon gouges, a delicate 60 degree spoon V, a fat 1/8" spoon chisel, and a 90 degee V (this is the Herring). I have had these about 20 years. They don't turn up like this anymore, just sitting in a tool box. Nor do pre-war new old stock handles turn up either. G++ $199
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CH0081 Matched Set of 23 Architectural Carving Chisels This is an incredible set of carving chisels that is unique in our experience. While many of the chisels are of a normal size, some of them are massive, and not are what could be called small, or delicate. These are late 19th Century chisels, probably by Addis, but they are not marked. Our picker found them in a house in the East End of London. The story was that the ancestor who owned them had carved architectural features. The boxwood handles were black from soot having been in the basement where a coal furnace was used until the 1960s. The handles are all matched except form one that is an old replacement. The profiles are all desireable, including 3 straight veining tools, 3 spoon veining tools, 1 swept veiner,7 spoon gouges, 7 reverse spoon gouges, 1 fishtail and 1 skewed fishtail. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a set like this. If the handles are careful cleaned up, the condition could be upgraded. All of the chisels are in good useable shape with minor preparation. Good $899
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60550 William Marples This is an original matched set of 11 ornamental turning chisels with matching ash handles. There are some great profiles here. I would not care to try and date these precisely but I would have thought that they were about 1920. They are from my personal collection and are quite a rare find. They are heavier in construction than Holtzapfel type examples and frankly seem like they would be better to use. The quality is superb. New chisels would cost you more. G++ $379
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