is this an "antique" wrench?

[green papaya]

any tool collectors here? does anybody know how old this piece is?

it's a small wrench about 7" in long with a wooden handle

marked:

P.S. & W CO

Cleveland OH

USA

Im guessing it may be late 1890's or turn of the century?

 

[BellyTank]

Well spotted- the Antique Wrench; invaluable when working on the collection.

B
T

 

[pablocham]

Peck, Stow and Wilcox is the maker. Looks about like the Agricultural
Standard: http://tinyurl.com/jru2b

The full catalogue, from 1923, can be found here: http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id199.html

 

[PrettyBigGuy]

any tool collectors here? does anybody know how old this piece is?

it's a small wrench about 7" in long with a wooden handle

marked:

P.S. & W CO

Cleveland OH

USA

Im guessing it may be late 1890's or turn of the century?

Just be careful with that wrench when hanging around the conservatory with Col Mustard!

 

[The Wolf]

Actually, I think it might be a spanner.

Nice item for retro home repair.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Johnnysan]

I believe that what you have is what is commonly referred to as a "Coe's Patent Standard Wrench." They are fairly common and often called a monkey wrench or a knuckle buster. Here's some history from "The Antique Tool Collector's Guide to Value":

The first wrenches were used during the heat of battle to twist bars out of castle windows. The next designed were for the purpose of bolting together wagons and boats, or perhaps even stone-throwing war machines. So far we have been discussing only fixed-jaw tools. The metal wedged jaw of the first shifting-type spanner, or "monkey" wrenches (1790-1835), provided only a partially successful method of adjustment. In 1835 Solyman Merrick of Springfield, Massachusetts patented the first sleeve/screw adjusting feature. In 1841 the brothers A. & G. Coe refined the screw closing principle further by replacing Merrick's handle-wrapped design with a smaller knurled-rosette nut on a shaft parallel with the handle. This modification made it possible to adjust the jaws with the same hand that held the handle. By 1860 Coe's Patent wrenches were in world wide distribution.​

Your wrench appears to be of the the type commonly available between the late 1890's to the late 1920's.

 

[green papaya]

I believe that what you have is what is commonly referred to as a "Coe's Patent Standard Wrench." They are fairly common and often called a monkey wrench or a knuckle buster.

Your wrench appears to be of the the type commonly available between the late 1890's to the late 1920's.

thanks,

thats exactly what I was looking for, to use in my "turn of the century" display, Im trying to put together a group of items commonly used back around 1900 - 1906 era for my display of The Great San Francisco Earthquake & Fire of 1906

here is a copy a newspaper from 1906 with a US model 1898 Krag bayonet [dated 1901]

 

[green papaya]

I found another variation of this old monkey wrench at the flea market for $2.00

it was all rusted and the parts would not budge, I cleaned it up and sprayed oil on it and used extra fine steel wool and also fixed it, now it works smoothly.

this wrench is marked:

L. COES

PATD.

MAY 15. 1900

steel

the other side marked:

COES WRENCH CO.

WORCHESTER, MASS

the handle is made differently than the first wrench and this one is only 6 1/2" long

 

[LolitaHaze]

Just be careful with that wrench when hanging around the conservatory with Col Mustard!

Bwhahahaha That is what I was just thinking!!!

 

[Dixon Cannon]

When I was a lad....

My dad had a whole 'utility room' full of tools like this. He had obtained them from his own father who, undoubtedly, got them back at the turn of the 19th/20th Century. When my dad passed away in the mid 60's, my mother gave every one of them away while I'll was at school. Everytime I see tools I this I'm reminded of the treasure trove that we had in our own back room.

-dixon cannon

 

[Mojave Jack]

Bwhahahaha That is what I was just thinking!!!

Ditto! Does everyone in our generation only recognize that type of wrench as a murder weapon now? lol

 

[Michaelson]

I see these all the time in our antique store prowling in the $35 range.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Phil]

Well, you have the wrench and dagger, what's left? I think a candle stick, rope, and a revolver. Well, on the bright side, you can really scare the bejesus out of your friends if you play Clue.

 

[Twitch]

I have a small size of that which I can't find right now but it's about 7" long. I came from the tools of a family friend who was an electrician that worked in the 40s-50s in the trade. I am pretty certain it is not super old turn of the century since a tradesman wouldn't have used it. All his other stuff was top notch. I'd suppose versions of it were made into the 1930s for sure. I figure post-war ones lost the wood handle and successively got plainer and cheaper.

 

[Mycroft]

My father has the same wrench on the wall of his office. I will see if I ask about it today and look it up in his antique tool book as well, when he goes to the office Monday.