Garage sale guy wanted $80 for a box of rusty hand planes, I laughed and walked away

I went to this estate sale over in Millbrook last Saturday, the one off Route 22. Some old woodworker's family was just dumping everything. They had a cardboard box with five hand planes just piled in there, all crusted with rust and one missing the blade entirely. The guy running it said $80 FIRM because they're 'collector grade.' I picked one up and the sole was so pitted it would tear up any board you tried to plane. I offered $20 for the lot since I can clean them up but he got all offended. Said he saw similar ones sell for $200 online. Those auctions online show the shiny restored ones after someone put in 10 hours of work. Has anyone else run into people who think rusty junk is worth premium prices just because its old?

2 comments

2 Comments

ward.piper6d ago

The whole "I saw it online for $200" thing kills me. Saw a guy at a flea market last month trying to sell a beat up Stanley No. 5 with a cracked tote for $60 because "they go for way more on eBay." Sure, maybe if it was fully restored and tuned up by a pro, not something that's been sitting in a damp basement for thirty years. People get hung up on that "old equals valuable" idea without looking at the actual condition.

evanr7913h ago

Seen a guy sell a rusty hand plane for triple what a new one costs just because it was rusty.