$185.00 for a BSA Hatchet ? Come on......

H

HARDBALL

Joined
May 6, 2001
Messages
930
Hi all,

I recently visited a Flea Market/Antique shop here in Maine. I inquired about a Hatchet I saw in the glass case as I was unsure if the price I spied on the sales tag was correct. I don't recall WHO made the Hatchet but, I saw NO BSA engraving on the blade whatsoever. The handle did however have something or other BSA. The price......$185.00! I mean, come on! The woman said she would come down on the price. I (being a smart Ass) said something to the effect that "you would have to come waaaaaaay down on the price". I mumbled something about someone must be smoking Crack and I protested about the price being crazy. The woman said, she was told, that's what the Hatchet was worth. "Thank you, have a nice day". So, at another location, I found TWO BSA Hatchets in MUCH nicer condition than the $185.00 Hatchet and both were stamped/engraved with the BSA emblem. One was a PLUMB and the other a COLLINS ($35.00 & $45.00). I'm kinda strapped for cash with all the buying I've been doing lately so, I had to (for the time being) pass on both nice BSA Hatchets. That being said......how much should one/would one expect to pay for a nice example of a BSA Hatchet ?

Regards,
HARDBALL aka Tom
 
20 here for mine, almost NOS, just rusty. No chance your talking about that antique store in Scarborough, near the indoor go-kart race? I laughed myself sick seeing a similar "BSA" hatchet there, can't remember the price though.
 
Hi guys,

Op, well $65.00 for a NOS BSA Hatchet with sheath is a bit more reasonable. Op, question.....do you personally USE your BSA Hatchet or is it for "show" only ? Greetings Crazott from Tom in Sagadahoc County. To answer your question....why yes, yes indeed.....this lil' (Yellow) shop just happens to be in Scarborough on RT 1. I'm glad that you were able to laugh at that price (if same Hatchet) of $185.00

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
If it was a BSA marked Marbles hatchet it would be worth that. I'm not sure Marbles made one though. Regular condition Plumbs and Collins are common.
 
I picked up a nice condition plumb with no sheath for $10 or $15. Just recently I found a rusty one on a "free stuff" table at the end of a local driveway, just sitting there with a bunch of half used paint cans and some old junk tools and nick-nacs.
 
Hi Hal and Joe,

Hal, I don't recall who made this Hatchet, perhaps I should see if it was indeed Marbles as that would explain a lot. OK, good to know that PLUMB and COLLINS are common. The COLLINS BSA Hatchet I saw for $45.00 was in VERY nice condition as I recall and it's been on my mind! Still, forty five dollars to me these days is a lot of money. Joe, I like FREE! Well done.

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
I paid $30 (price + shipping) for a Bridgeport rubber handled BSA and $28 (price + shipping) for a "Genuine Plumb" BSA of the "bay" to replace a couple of mine that were lost in a storage facility burglary/fire to cover their tracks) a few years ago. When the cops asked how I could be so sure that there had been a burglary before the fire, which I had already declared to be arson, I replied because while ax/hatchet/knife handles may burn, the heads/blades would still be there, and that 300+ lbs of steel weights wouldn't have burned either).

Just looked and the 2 highest buy it now BSA hatchets are $80 (Keen Kutter) and $75 (Bridgeport wood handled I-Beam). There is also a Plumb BSA in a Combo sheath with a Western BSA (guessing L48A maybe - model of knife not identified) Knife starting at $75 - no bids.

So $185? No way, unless they threw in a some heavy-duty swag.
 
Hi Z,

Thanks for posting that information. Yea, that $185.00 price is just plain NUTZ! The other question I would like someone to answer is.....would you USE a nice vintage/older BSA Hatchet or would it be a "collectors" item/Safe Queen ?

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
I like to use the 2 I have. If it was super clean NOS I'd keep it safe in a collection or sell it and buy more users. I've noticed my axes and hatchets get really depressed if I don't swing them once in a while.
 
If I didn't have others to use, yeah, I'd use them. Probably take a little more care than I did "back in the old days".

I'm more of a "user collector" than "Safe Queen" collector when it comes to axes. Unless you hit a rock or steel bar, I've found it's pretty hard to hurt an old ax. My VN war and earlier knives are a different story. Some get used for day-to-day stuff. Others - no way.

Example - my 1950s Western knives and VN era MK2s get used all the time. My 1931 "patent applied for" Western - never.
 
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