Used Axe Prices in Context

J

John Frankl

Joined
Oct 16, 2001
Messages
1,917
I apologize if this has been done already. I couldn't find it in a search.

Of course, I always try to get used axes for a good price, but I also wonder about how high I should go to get an axe I really want.

The crux of the matter, to me, is how the prices for top quality American axes from the past compare to prices for Gransfors, Velvicut, and other top axes today. When I see the old catalogs, my sense is that Kelly Perfect, Collins Legitimus, and comparable others were pretty spendy at the time they were being sold/marketed.

Does anyone better with numbers than I am have an idea about how the old prices would translate into today's dollars?

Thanks.
 
In 1912, Keen Kutter axes were being sold for about $18 per dozen (see catalog info below). That's about $1.50 per axe, in 1912 dollars. Putting that into the US Govt CPI Inflation calculator (using 1913 as the year since that's the furthest it goes back in time), the result is that $1.50 in 1913 has the same buying power as $35.06 in 2012. Maybe that's the wholesale cost, in which case the retail price (with markup) should be less than $70(?) in 2012 dollars.

If anyone has old axe catalogs with pricing, they can figure this out themselves (and report back here, please) using this Inflation Calculator site:

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm


Steve Tall said:
These are some of the many axes shown in Keen Kutter's 1912 catalog.
(Note that the prices back then were around $18 per dozen axes.)

Keen%2BKutter%2BAxes%2B1912%2Bcatalog%2Bpage%2B2.jpg

...
The entire catalog is available at
http://www.roseantiquetools.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/kkno.776catalogpart118.9mb.pdf

Courtesy of Rose Antique Tools, which offers .pdf files of various catalogs, including Warren Axe and American Axe &Tool
http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id225.html
Click to expand...
 
In 1912, Sears & Roebuck sold "Fulton" axes, with handles, at the price of 80¢. Half of what the Keen Kutters costed per axe in the same year. That's $18.70 in 2012 dollars. And that would have been the retail price! So divide that in half for wholesale.

That's a pretty big price jump from the 'catalog grade' axe to an axe with the good pedigree and reputation of Keen Kutter behind it. Although, remember that those Fultons were probably made by some other American axe maker, rather than overseas.

http://archive.org/stream/catalogno12400sear#page/1054/mode/2up
 
bjp said:
I'm sure he'll be buy shortly with the most comprehensive search results ever, with a clear explanation/answer to this question......he rarely fails to amaze!
Click to expand...

Right on time too! If he was a member of a sports team he would be MVP. As an employee he would be employee of the month.
As a contributor to these forms I am not sure what to tag him with, but I do enjoy his input.
 
garry3 said:
Right on time too! If he was a member of a sports team he would be MVP. As an employee he would be employee of the month.
As a contributor to these forms I am not sure what to tag him with, but I do enjoy his input.
Click to expand...

I think "contributor" is perfect. Thanks for the kind words.
 
Thanks to Steve and All.

So I suppose we are paying a lot more, relatively, due to the fact that less axes are being made and they are much more of a niche market now.

One more reason to "recycle" :)
 
John Frankl said:
Thanks to Steve and All.

So I suppose we are paying a lot more, relatively, due to the fact that less axes are being made and they are much more of a niche market now.

One more reason to "recycle" :)
Click to expand...

boy, you got that right. I picked up a whole armload of nice, "vintage" double-bits a while back off of Ebay for about what one Gransfors (or Biber/Mueller, or Wetterlings) would cost me. there were some really, really good axes made right here in the USA back in the day, and most of them are still out there, waiting to be cleaned up and used.


-ben
 
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