Thread: Harris-Scarfe tool catalogues

Originally Posted by Doggie

Picked a 1965 Harris-Scarfe tool catalogue up the other day. It was A3 size, had a "cut and paste" look about it but was very comprehensive and a real surprise. Anyone got any other years? Apparently they were big into catalogues earlier than McPherson's. We tend to think McPherson's was the only tool game in town but it appears there were many others, mostly State based over the last 150 years or so.

Doggie,
I have a reprint of a H-S (Adelaide) It is undated, BUT...some planes listed for sale from the US were discontinued in 1917 like the 340 Furring plane, and another that was not introduced until 1942 like the S4 (although the illustration is for a Liberty Bell plane, discontinued around 1918)...So, my guess is that they couldn't tell the future, but they could list old stock..???

Also a reprint of a Danks from 1912.

They are a great recourse for information on what was being sold and used at the time.

Regards,
Peter

I have 4 Dawn sash cramps (4') that I got from HS in 1968, I seen to recall the price was around $5.00 each. They're still going strong today.

Originally Posted by lightwood

Doggie,
I have a reprint of a H-S (Adelaide)
They are a great recourse for information on what was being sold and used at the time.

Regards,
Peter

You are absolutely right. These catalogues are certainly a window into the past of our narrow, but engrossing interest. It's only recently that I started paying any real attention to the number of them out there. We seem to be all a bit McPherson"s focussed, anyway I was. I'm facinated with what these tool vendors (not manufacturers) decided to sell to their largely rural or suburban mail-order customers. Between the wars seems to be the hay-day of these publications and most have now gone forever although a few survive in different guise. The internet will or has stopped it alltogether I guess. You have to think Blackwood's catalogue days are numbered when all you have to do is turn on the ipad to get ANYTHING.

Kind of cute though, to think you wrote a letter to order your stuff and they put it on a train for delivery to your nearest station somedays/weeks later and it actually got there! Even more astounding that in the 1800's and beyond you ordered your gear from a catalogue from LONDON and they put it on a ship and you got it months or even years later.

Cheers Dick

Originally Posted by Doggie

You are absolutely right. These catalogues are certainly a window into the past of our narrow, but engrossing interest. It's only recently that I started paying any real attention to the number of them out there. We seem to be all a bit McPherson"s focussed, anyway I was. I'm facinated with what these tool vendors (not manufacturers) decided to sell to their largely rural or suburban mail-order customers. Between the wars seems to be the hay-day of these publications and most have now gone forever although a few survive in different guise. The internet will or has stopped it alltogether I guess. You have to think Blackwood's catalogue days are numbered when all you have to do is turn on the ipad to get ANYTHING.

Kind of cute though, to think you wrote a letter to order your stuff and they put it on a train for delivery to your nearest station somedays/weeks later and it actually got there! Even more astounding that in the 1800's and beyond you ordered your gear from a catalogue from LONDON and they put it on a ship and you got it months or even years later.

Cheers Dick

Dick,
spell check changed my bad attempt a spelling resource...into recourse...damb...dam...damn this language!
P

I have my grandfather and father's tools, most of which would have come from Harris Scarfes, their basement was a wonderland when I was a kid in the early 60s.

Ian

have been in that Harris Scarfe shop running between Rundle Mall and Grenfel streets many times. Have seen a few HS catalogues up for sale, and I only own one and its undated, think it has a similar mix to what Peter stated - probably dates to late 30s or 40s.

Have been accumulating old catalogues for about 12 years now, should have started years before that, generally too expensive now for old and unusual ones. Think the second hand book seller Michael Treloar (in Adelaide) has a dated 1910 Harris Scarfe catalogue for sale at the moment (~ $300 by memory or I could be out by 100).

Cheers

Originally Posted by Zsteve

probably dates to late 30s or 40s.

Cheers

Any Titans listed??
Rgds Dick

naa just marples chisels of various types

Originally Posted by Zsteve

have been in that Harris Scarfe shop running between Rundle Mall and Grenfel streets many times. Have seen a few HS catalogues up for sale, and I only own one and its undated, think it has a similar mix to what Peter stated - probably dates to late 30s or 40s.

Have been accumulating old catalogues for about 12 years now, should have started years before that, generally too expensive now for old and unusual ones. Think the second hand book seller Michael Treloar (in Adelaide) has a dated 1910 Harris Scarfe catalogue for sale at the moment (~ $300 by memory or I could be out by 100).

Cheers

Zsteve I recently bought a HS catalogue (EVERYTHING for the engineer and craftsman) off eBay said to be 30s or 40s?, but it turned out to be earlier( late 20s early 30s?). One way I have found so far to roughly date undated early general tool catalogues is whether or not they have Alloy Spanners, particularly sockets and box ring spanners. According to McPhersons they didn't arrive in Australia till the 1937 cat. ? They aren't BTW in the 1936 Buck & Hickman catalogue. Snap-on don't mention alloy steels till 1926, but then they were never sold through the general suppliers and other manufacturers took a while to catch up. I agree with other comments about catalogues being a "window into the past etc. I'm glad that there are other catalogue collectors on this forum, maybe we could have a catalogue sub forum?!!
Graeme

Thanks Graeme,

No sockets or ring spanners in My HS cat. It does however mention 'super chrome vanadium" spanners - I assume you mean that kind of alloy? just open end spanners

My cat features on the front an image of someone about to strike an anvil - and with lots of red sparks coming off it.

just found in it some "crestoloy" adjustable spanners by Crescent, says it the company's latest thing.

Cheers

that was easy.

just found a link that mentions 'around 1930 Crescent introduced a line of alloy steel pliers and wrenches, which were sold under their "Crestoloy" brand, a registered trademark'

Crescent Tool Company