2016 Toolapalooza II – Pre-auction Grazing

It’s always fun to see the effect of the mountains of tool treasures at the annual MJD Auctions “Three Days of Peace, Love and Tools” shindig in Avoca, central New York.  This year it was our friend Craig’s turn to walk around with eyes bugging out and head shaking like  leaf on a windy day.  It’s almost like Robin Williams in the Moscow on the Hudson supermarket scene where he is so overcome with the largess on the shelves that he faints.

Every year at MJD it seems bigger with more and better tools.  In chatting with Josh Clark, who obtains a huge portion of his Hyperkitten sales inventory at Avoca, he observed the same thing.  There were more good quality tools, and in better  condition, than ever before.

Here is a what awaits the auction attendees.  This was just one of at least a half dozen tents!  Each box shown is part of a single lot, although some lots include several boxes together.

Need a tool chest?  They got dozens of ’em.

 

Workbenches.

More workbenches.

And more workbenches.  I think there were about two dozen this year.  No, make that three dozen as I forgot all the benches from Mike Dunbar’s chairmaking school now that he has retired.

Need a lot of brand new auger bits?

This anvil was only one of many there.  This one was a 340 lb anvil sitting on several hundred pounds of stump.

Unfortunately(?) the growing presence of old blacksmithing tools has brought in buyers who serve the Amish communities, and they snap up a big truck load of stuff.

Many of the lots were pretty standard fare, such as this box of four jointer planes.

Lots of Record bench vises from Dunbar’s school.

Some (many?) tools had their prices established by rarity.  Here the green turtle back Emmert patternmaker’s vise went for about $250 if I recall.  They are somewhat common.  The other patternmaker’s vise on top was an Oliver, their analog to the Emmert K1.  It was around a thousand bucks out the door due primarily to its rarity, I believe.  K1s go for about half that.

So that’s a tease of the taste upcoming.  If you haven’t been to a great tool auction you should go for the cultural eperience if nothing else.  I’m planning on going again next year, and you should too.

Just don’t bid on anything I want.