HARVEY Report post Posted May 23, 2012 Just talking here, maybe to express some shock. I was at Sheridan this year, and over at Sheridan Leather Outfitters, Bob Douglas had a small collection of routine stamping tools by various name makers. Don King was one. I was shocked to see the prices he was asking: $130 and $150. Now I KNOW the cachet the name Don King has. Still, 150 bucks for a basket stamp struck me and strikes me as damned pricey. With all the custom makers out there, there are some excellent quality tools for routine (e.g., basket stamps) stamping tools. Does any other dead tool maker command these prices? Is this the usual price range for Don King, or because it was THE Sheridan Show? Or I am just turning into a damned cheapskate? Harvey Los Angeles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terrymac Report post Posted May 23, 2012 They are collector pieces, and has nothing to do with the impression the stamp makes. The price is right in line with others I have seen for sale. Why does a pre 1964 Winchester Model 70 command the prices they do, when any modern rifle will shoot just as well? You want a piece of history, then you are going to have to pay. Simple as that. Terry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CWR Report post Posted May 23, 2012 Harvey, They get those prices because they are collectible. Any thing that is collectible is worth whatever someone is willing to give for it. Also those prices aren't that much higher than Bob Beard's. Bob has a pretty long waiting list from what I've heard. CW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HARVEY Report post Posted May 23, 2012 Harvey, They get those prices because they are collectible. Any thing that is collectible is worth whatever someone is willing to give for it. Also those prices aren't that much higher than Bob Beard's. Bob has a pretty long waiting list from what I've heard. CW Yeah, yeah, you two -- Terri and CW -- are right. It's the collectible angle. Since he hasn't ben dead all that long, I guess I didn't think of it that way. Would Stohlman tools go for that much? I suppose so. I kind of overlooked the collectible facet versus the functional/quality facet of the name. Out of curiousity, do any of the dead toolmakers go for even more than that? Bob Dellis? Anybody else? Harvey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted May 23, 2012 That seems to be the going rate. Some simpler stamps might be a little less, but some more intricate can go for more. Part is collectible and part is that they just good stamps. There are sure other makers that are sought after but the Don Kings tend to be the top of the heap. Personally the other one I would compare is Bill Woodruff. I wouldn't sell a spare Woodruff basket for less than a Don King. I really like his basket stamps and the rest are nice too. I like Walt Fay stamps too, but they don't have the collectible factor. Good old stamping tools and old books are pretty much a one-way street for me. When I find one I don't have, they aren't leaving soon. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Blea Report post Posted May 23, 2012 I saw the Don King tools too. I'm not a collector, though it would be cool to have a tool made by him I just can't justify that price. However, I did buy a few figure carving tools from Robert Beard at the show. I have a specific use for them and I can justify that price, though they weren't as much as the Don King ones. I got a couple of Wayne Jeuschke geometric stamps too, and he does make some big baskets and geometrics that sell in the $120+ price range new. They are all great tools and if you have a good use for them and can justify the price, it doesn't seem like so much to pay. It's all in how you look at it. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
