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Brown & Sharpe No.24 Micrometer w Secondary Adjustment Knob from 1932

SalemRule

Cast Iron
Joined
Jul 26, 2018
This is an unusual Micrometer, for sure.

The small knob advances the "ZERO LINE" on the main barrel in .0001" increments, up to a full .001 .

I've read the Patent, and inspected the action, but it certainly seems to be a "Solution in search of a Problem".

At any rate the Patent stamped onto the Frame 1,629,406 granted to J.W. Parker in 1927, is just one of the endless minor "improvements" that everyone and their second cousin seemed to be fixated on for so many years.

But the "PATENT PENDING" 1,840,276, also granted to J.W. Parker in 1932, is what makes this model so curious.

Anyone have a Catalog Page that illustrates this ? I'll bet it was very expensive. And being introduced in the midst of the Great Depression would not have spurred sales.

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The #24 that I have is marked Patent Pending and Patent 1,654,843 (1/3/1928 date not marked). This seems to make no sense as the Patent is for a lock and this micrometer doesn't have a lock.

Steve
 
I have a #24 and the bench model version. Don’t remember how they are marked or which catalog they appeared in but they are pretty rare. The bench model is in the original wood box with label and since so few were made they typed the model number on the label instead of printing it. My guess anyway.

I think I did a thread on these.
 
This is an unusual Micrometer, for sure.


Anyone have a Catalog Page that illustrates this ? I'll bet it was very expensive. And being introduced in the midst of the Great Depression would not have spurred sales.

Here's a catalog with the B&S no. 24 in it.
Does $18 sound bad, if in today's dollars, it would amont to $356?
It would, especially if you were out of work.
Even if you were lucky enough to have a job during the depression, $18 was more than a week's salary.
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World Record ?

A No.24 RS just sold on eBay for $622.23 before S&H and Sales Tax.
 
A No.24 RS just sold on eBay for $622.23 before S&H and Sales Tax.
Is it crazy that somebody just spent nearly twice what it was worth in 1933?
Why would anyone do that? Would they do that just because this is rare?
I doubt that, because scarcity doesn't, by itself, determine value and demand.

The Brown & Sharpe 24 was scarce in 1933 because few could afford them, not because they didn't want them. Furthermore, there were cheaper, lower quality alternatives that could served their purposes nearly as well. Still some 24s were sold, with only a scant few that have survived. So again, why pay for scarcity, for a tool you aren't going to likely use? I don't really know, but here's a guess.
In this throw-away world, there is a degree of nostalgia for the old days when precision and quality was appreciated. What better way can there be to recall those days than to own something, even if you don't use it, by which that old precision was measured?
In its day, Brown & Sharpe was considered to be top tier when it came manufacturing micrometers. Unquestionably, their No. 24 micrometer was their best effort to date in producing an accurate measuring tool. It was their Cadillac tool because of its unique. patented separate tenths spindle, that was more costly to make and more difficult to assemble. It was desirable then, but priced out of the reach of most during its time. But today, it may not be just the scarcity and quality of this micrometer that makes it so desirable. It's may be the scarcity of the quality of the times we live in, that makes this item even more attractive. For the person who valued that and wanted to recall a time when people took more pride in what they made, $622 may have been well worth it.

Does anybody else have another guess why people are willing to spend so much for a piece of the past?

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Yes, it is simple. A Collector. Think of the prices of impressionist paintings, they are in the millions of dollars. Is the canvas, paint, image, etc. worth that price? No, but some will pay it. I am a collector, I do collect paintings, cheap ones! I think the most I have ever spent is $ 600 on one. But I also collect tools including Antique Machinists Tools (search on my posts and you'll find lots of them) and have spent in the 6 figures in the last 40 years on them. Do I "Need" them, NO. Do I want them, "YES". When people see my collection they get it. It is not about the money but the story a collection can tell. I was not the buyer of this because I have one. I also wouldn't sell the one I have for that price.

Some folks don't believe in a throw away world, we spend our time and money to preserve the things we like. If it wasn't for people like us there would be no need for an Antique section on the Practical Machinist.
 
Yes, it is simple. A Collector. Think of the prices of impressionist paintings, they are in the millions of dollars. Is the canvas, paint, image, etc. worth that price? No, but some will pay it. I am a collector, I do collect paintings, cheap ones! I think the most I have ever spent is $ 600 on one. But I also collect tools including Antique Machinists Tools (search on my posts and you'll find lots of them) and have spent in the 6 figures in the last 40 years on them. Do I "Need" them, NO. Do I want them, "YES". When people see my collection they get it. It is not about the money but the story a collection can tell. I was not the buyer of this because I have one. I also wouldn't sell the one I have for that price.

Some folks don't believe in a throw away world, we spend our time and money to preserve the things we like. If it wasn't for people like us there would be no need for an Antique section on the Practical Machinist.
So you wouldn't sell your B&S for $622? Is that because as a collector, you wouldn't want to part with yours for any price? Or do you think this Ebay buyer got a good deal when getting this for $622?

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Here is the thing, I have collected this stuff actively for 40 years, in that time I have maybe heard of a 1/2 dozen of these. In that same time I have seen lots of stacks of $100 bills. Which is more scarce, A few hundred bucks or a rare micrometer?

I'm am not saying I wouldn't sell at ANY price, there is always a price. As to if the buyer got a good deal, that is up to him or her. I was sort of taught to collect "On Average", that is some days you buy something at a cheap price, other days you pay way too much. But in the end you have the objects you desire and the total price averages out. It sort of boils down to do you want the object or the money and which do you perceive is harder to get? Some folks figure they can always just make more money and you can only buy something rare when it is for sale.
 
So you wouldn't sell your B&S for $622? Is that because as a collector, you wouldn't want to part with yours for any price? Or do you think this Ebay buyer got a good deal when getting this for $622?

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Once you sell something - ANYTHING - that means something to you, your collecting days may be over.

I have always sold duplicates, and items that are unimportant to me.

But once you place a price on an irreplaceable, it may be over.

I sold my No.24 for $240.70 on eBay Auction in Feb 2019.

I really don't miss it; I decided I was more interested in pre-1900 Mikes.

I DO wish I got more $$$ !!

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