I've been watching all the galloot email about Stanley items,
molding planes, backsaws, postdrills, prices, and what not for
about a month now, with nary a mention of my collecting passion:
Yankees. I just couldn't take it any longer. I mean, you can
plane your boards flat, saw them dovetails to fit, but at some
point you've got to drill some holes and drive some screws, right?
And you wouldn't buy store-bought hinges for that lovely pice
of work, so you need a way to hold the brass while you're cutting
it and filing it to shape. Well, North Brothers had all of these
covered, as well as ice tools for chipping the ice for your scotch, 
ice cream freezers, even candle holders (but just find one, even
Martin Donnely doesn't know about these, I'll bet...).

Now, speaking of Martin, there were a number of rare and unusual
Yankee items in his latest catalog, all commanding the usual high
prices, but I think in this case, high is relative. There aren't
too many Yankee collectors right now, but I think that will change,
and Martins prices are a good indication of relative rarity. A
couple of the items he put up for sale I have never seen for sale
before in 15 years of collecting just Yankee. So while I think
Martin's prices are on the high end, and I won't pay them, I also
think that they might be in the ballpark before long. I have
turned down other Yankee items in past years that I thought I would
see again at a lower price and I have been wrong in almost all
cases.

Anyway, to get to the point, I've compiled a list of all known
Yankee tools, extracted from a half-dozen catalogs and advertisements
spanning the period from 1895 to 1946, the year North Brothers
was purchased by Stanley. I even have some post-1946 items in the
list. Many items are exceedingly rare, but I will leave that to
you to determine - all my hard won knowledge is not completely free
for the asking. The list does not include non-tool items, and there
are undoubtedly gaps and items which are not properly numbered in
true Yankee fashion. So I am also soliciting your comments and
corrections, especially if you have access to any old North
Brothers catalogs.

The list is also going to become available on a website, currently
under development by another Yankee collector. If I had access to
a scanner, some catalogs would join the list.

I'll send the list in a follow-up email.

Dave Erickson