Thread: Made in Canada - Stanley Bailey No 4 1/2

Congratulations on the purchase. Getting a new plane always gives me a bit of a buzz, especially once cleaned up and put to use. We love photos, so feel free to share some pictures of your new tool.

As for value, not really beyond what you use it for. I bought a Canadian #4 a couple of months ago for a bargain (granted in rough condition), so not worth much in dollar terms, but I’ve got it set up as a smoother which has significant value to me in my workflow. If I were to sell it, I doubt it would cover the cost of a visit to the bakery for my family.

Being a 4 1/2 doesn’t add that much value I’d have thought. I would expect to pay between $50-$60 for a good example. I don’t believe the Canadian providence makes it any more desirable either. Then again I could be wrong, and we’re both sitting on gold mines, but I doubt it.

I guess you could look at historical eBay sold prices.

Lance

That’s not an easily answered question beyond “it depends”. How ”valuable” is a Holden Commodore?

It depends on the condition.
It depends on the era of manufacture.
It depends on your interpretation of “valuable”.

A SW era plane with undamaged rosewood, at least 90% japanning, no pitting or live rust and fettled with a flat base and an original razor sharp iron might be worth $100-$120, but typically they are missing japanning and have been visited buy the rust fairy, especially around the iron and cap iron.

A post-WW2 4-1/2 plane will struggle to get above $50 at auction unless it’s real pretty.

These are not particularly sought after. The best “user” 4-1/2’s are early English Stanleys which have heavier castings than the US & Canadian models, but SW models are more collectable.

What does SW stand for?

Lance

SW stands for Stanley Works, in this context it refers to planes made just after the merger of the Stanley Rule And Level Company and the Stanley Works. These tools carry the nickname “Sweetheart” due to the letters SW set into a heart shape as part of the logo. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...YMNpDyQqDMK0b3

Unless it's in mint (or close to it) condition, it's not "worth" much as a collectible. As a functioning plane, it's worth about the same as any other good (pre-WW2) Stanley.