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Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
Intro
In 1871 John Grant received the first patent for an adjustable Die, and went to work with Wiley and Russell in Greenfield, Mass The Wells brothers (Frank and Frederic), worked there too, but soon after the Wells Brothers quit Wiley and Russell (or was fired, depending on who's telling the story), and started their own company making Taps and Dies under the brand name of Little Giant.
The story
A few years ago while I was buying some old door knobs, I happen to see 4 milk crates which were filled with old Taps and Dies. They were covered in dirt and oil and what looked like rust, I couldn't make out who the maker was and even if I could have, I didn't know who they were. Being the son of an old Tool and Die guy, I was intrigued by such a find and I offered to buy them and he said yes.
The crates were so heavy I didn't want to pick them up to load them in my truck. So I offered the seller an extra extra $20 to carry them out to my truck.
I hauled them home and then moved them into our house and put them under the desk in our dinning room. I had every intentions of hauling them out to my shop and start cleaning them up so that I could use them when I needed.
Three years later I offered them to my granddaughter to clean up and she could sell them to help raise money to pay for her car. When she didn't make her move to do it, I decided that now must be the time for me to get busy. The pictures that you are looking at is after 4 months of work.
As I started cleaning them up, I began noticing the makers mark. Most of them said, Wells Brothers and Company Patented Feb 5 1885, Littler Giant. Only the more I got done the more I found they were not all marked the same. Some where GTD, one by Willey and Russell and so on. One thing stayed the same, Greenfield Mass. So I started looking for information about the Wells Brothers and Willey and Russell and what a history bank of knowledge I ran into. More important than any one thing, was the fact that before these Dies, treads were made by hand and were never the same time after time. Basically, I have since discovered this collection of around 265 pieces has some of the very first Dies ever made and yet for the most part still look brand new.
Since I discovered exactly what these are and who made them, it has been amazing researching the history of these Dies. They set the standard for America's treads. I am going to provide just a little info, about what and where they came from, but I will be more than happy to tell you more.
Once you see them you'll see that almost all of them are still in the same condition they were the day they were made, and to think they are over 150 years old.
In 1871 John Grant received the first US Patent for an adjustable Die, and brought with him to Greenfield Mass. Where he went to work with Wiley and Russell in Greenfield, Mass. Two of the Wells brothers worked there too, but soon after the Wells Brothers quit Wiley and Russell (or were fired, depending on who's telling the story), and started their own company making Taps and Dies under the brand name of Little Giant. Then in 1885 they received their US Patent for their version of the adjustable Die.
This collection of Dies, include at least one of the very first adjustable Dies made by Willey & Russell and several other companies from this same time area, but the Loins share were made by the Wells Brothers under the Brand of Little Giant. Following the history of Dies in America, no other collection that I have seen is more complete in filling in the gaps during the industrial revolution. I have even found that more than one of these Dies carry the Wells Brother's original Type set, as per shown at the Wells Brothers Museum.
Thanks for looking and reading about this incredible find.
Then one day a couple of years ago while buying some old door knobs, I saw these 4 milk crates which were filled with old Taps and Dies. I offered to buy them and he said yes. They were to heavy for me to load in my truck, so I gave him an extra $20 to carry them out to my truck. I hauled them into our house and put them under the desk in our dinning room with the intentions of hauling them out to my shop and start cleaning them up. Three years later I offered them to my granddaughter to clean up and she could sell them and help pay for her car. When she didn't make her move to do it, suddenly I decided too. After starting to clean them up I noticed they were made by Wells Brothers, and a few others, I have since discovered this collection of around 265 pieces has some of the very first ones ever made and more. |
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Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
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Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
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