Hi Ron,
It would be a really nice find if you had a pre-Stanley Bailey. Does the blade have any markings on it? How about the cap iron and brass adjusting nut?
Stanley and Sargent were head-to-head competitors when Sargent used the VBM logo, and Bailey had been bought-up by Stanley decades beforehand. Leonard Bailey, however, decided to go back into plane making.
So, for a time, Sargent did act as agent for Leonard Bailey - for his line "Victor" (per D. Heckel.) This was from 1877 until Mr.Bailey, under legal pressure, settled and Stanley took over the Victor brand name, too. That agency could only have lasted for a few brief years, ending about 30 years before "VBM" appeared. The history of Leonard Bailey's relationship with Stanley can be found at
Stanley Rule and Level Co by Phillip Whitby.
"Bailey" appeared on Stanley bench plane castings from 1902, according to the kind of internet dating sites I frequent.
For fun, try the Rexmill site
RexMill.com Hand Planes 101 The Resource which uses pictures to assist with dating. Or post some photos here and we can all have a go at it.
Lots of info - an incredible amount - can be found at Patrick Leach's site
Patrick's Stanley Blood & Gore Profit Warning
So, you could have a really old Leonard Bailey-made plane with a replacement lever cap or, far more likely absent more information, a Stanley-made Bailey with a replacement lever cap.
Cheers,
Rob