10 Tips in Building a Good Antique Tool Collection

22nd September 2020 by Steve 1 Comment

There are many ways to build a great collection and in many cases, it takes years of dedication to build them but has many benefits along the way.

Those who are experienced will know this and will have built up contacts and friendships along the way to help them, they will also seek out new avenues and explore new territories in their quest.

There are many reasons people get into collecting old tools it can be as simple as just having a hobby that takes them to different locations and the fun of the hunt, the study of the subject or in many cases, if they have a trade background there are also financial benefits.

10 Tips:

1. Find a good used tool dealer you can deal with & don’t forget they buy and sell tools. In many cases if you look after them they return the favour when needed, i’ll cover this in a future articles.
2. Invest in good books such as those written by Jane Rees for example who have dedicated many years to researching the subject. I’ll cover books in future articles.
3. Join tool clubs such as Taths (UK) or M-WTCA (USA) for example.
4. Watch specialised tool auctions and follow the tools that interest you.
5. Specialise – Antique tools is an expansive topic ranging types of tools to different toolmakers. The more you specialise the more of an authority you will become on that subject.
6. Buy and collect the best you can afford because the best tools are always sort after.
7. Learn how to trade up and how to use knowledge to finance your collection. I’ll cover this in future articles.
8. Beware of rogue sellers on eBay, ask yourself do they have a reputation to protect and do they specialise in old tools? Also beware of sellers using ‘sold as seen’ and poor descriptions & dodgy imagery.
9. Tools can be heavy and awkward to carry around antique fairs and carboot sales etc so invest in some sort of trolley on wheels to drag around with you.
10. For the self employed, all tools are tax deductible regardless of how often they are used. (nudge nudge wink wink, do you know what I mean).

If you find any good collectible tools along your travels that don’t suit your collection please contact us and we will promote them properly to obtain a fair price for you. Check out our page on selling tools.

Collecting tools can become a bit of an obsession, I mean this in a good way so when you see a fellow collector you will soon realise there is much to discuss and they are often passionate about it.

Enjoy the video covering a range of collectible tools.