Sunday June 19th 2005
Did everyone see that Chaplin Plane make $8,600 on eBay recently? Wow! …. What a price for a plane. But wait a minute, can that be right? $8,600? What can make a plane so special as to be worth that kind of money.
Is it hand crafted and ornately decorated in precious metals? You Chaplin collectors know all about them but there are many old tool collectors, especially this side of the Atlantic (UK), who have never heard of Chaplins, so read on.
According to Peter McBride, a Chaplin collector who contacted me from Australia, “The Orril Chaplin's patent planes were made 1871 to 1891 by Iver Johnson, Worcester, Massachusetts, and sold first by Lovell Arms Co. in Boston Mass. and later by Tower and Lyon Hardware NY. They have a very elegant solution to the depth adjustment...... a worm and lever, and very graceful design of the sides and lever cap. Some Chaplin planes can command as much as $10,000.”
Well, it’s time to take a look and see what all the fuss is about.
Click here to find out what an $8,600 plane looks like.