basscaster Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Bought this in an estate sale from a lifetime car guy. I have only been able to find one reference to this online, and it is a pic or the same exact model in a museum in Canada. This one actually works, and has a Black and Decker attachment. I can't find any other info on it. Anyone know of possible value on it? I'm considering a trade or sale, based in the North Texas area. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 (edited) Neat find, probably garage art and almost no one will want it for balancing. There are a few crazy people like me who would enjoy the challenge of using it as intended. I just bought a complete and working 50’s Snap On balancer last month for 200 bucks, and I intend to use it tomorrow for the first time. Doesn’t look anywhere near as cool.......... Edited March 20, 2019 by edinmass (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basscaster Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 Yes, figured it would be a neat piece for a 40s era garage. It has a little bit of art deco flair to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfeil Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Just wondering. You bought the balancer so you know what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basscaster Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 I paid close to nothing for it, and I'm certainly not selling it for that amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfeil Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Why don't you look into some antique tool clubs and see what they say about it's worth. www.mwtca.org - - Midwest Tool Collectors Association www.craftsofnj.org - Collectors of Rare and Familiar Tools Society JOIN NOW! www.earlyamericanindustries.org - Early American Industry Association www.pasttools.org - Preserving Arts and Skills of the Trades www.patinatools.org - Potomac Antique Tools and Industries Association www.tooltimer.com/PNTC.htm - Pacific Northwest Tool Collectors ATTIC - Antique Tools and Trades In Connecticut - President: Phone: (203) 453-4281 https://sites.google.com/site/ohiotool/- Ohio Tool Collectors Association 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basscaster Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 excellent, thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 (edited) Good suggestion about the collectors groups. However many of these groups will be primarily focused on early hand tools. A good number of the people interested in vintage automotive tools will be the same group of people that are interested in vintage cars. So this forum is also a very good resource . As far as demand {price} is concerned I would suspect a good percentage of potential buyers would want it for its functional purpose as much as its aesthetics. Objects like this have a limited demand from people looking to set up a period garage display however many people just don't have the room for non functional "décor" objects like this. On the other hand if you include the people who can see a tool that might actually be used once or twice a year I think the group of potential buyers enlarges quite a bit. It's also a bulky, heavy object and as such is most likely limited to potential buyers in your local area. Most likely there are very few potential buyers that would consider paying for shipping on an object like this, so you may be at a disadvantage depending on where you live. Personally it's the sort of thing that if I saw it reasonably cheap at a local swap meet there is a good chance that I would try to swing a deal. But it would have to be a at a price that was say less than the cost of 10 or 15 balances at my local tire store. In that case the economics would possibly make sense. How much is a balance at your local shop ? I am also a person who has my own tire machine and who does the majority of my tire work myself. So a machine like yours would actually be useful to me. But as Ed says above $200.00 for a Snap On sounds like a top rung price to me. In my experience Snap On tools will almost always sell at a premium compared to other brands. Often as much as double. Greg in Canada Greg in Canada Edited March 20, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 I sold one of those bubble balancers at a swap meet last month that looked and worked like new. Even had the original manual. Got $50 .Could have been worth more but I had no bites at $100 the last two times I drug it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basscaster Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 yes, it is probably suitable as garage art, but I like the fact that it works. Would probably be unwieldy for actual use, when compared to other options. I have seen parts for it on sale, but still haven't found a full unit in working condition. The only one I found is in a museum that keeps examples of old machinery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 John Bean is today part of the Snap-on empire so in a roundabout way you do have a Snap-on balancer! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basscaster Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 Very cool. The spinner on this is also made by Black & Decker, which I think also is pretty cool. Apparently that's the way they were paired at the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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