The Studley Tool Chest is the most famous example of 19th-Century tool storage currently known. But it's obviously not the only tool-holding masterpiece ever built; it's just dumb luck that the man who inherited it happened to loan it to the Smithsonian in the 1980s, enabling the world to learn about it.

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How many other craftspeople built pieces like this that we just never heard about? There might be cases like this scattered across the world—or worse, lost to the ravages of time. But another one has just popped up on the radar, and it's going for a whopping $150,000 at auction.

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Sadly, this one isn't attached to a particular maker and has no story behind it. Item No. 30-3632, up for auction by Louisiana's M.S. Rau Antiques, is described as a "Woodworker's Tool Compendium" and contains some 210 implements of far more general provenance than Studley's piano-making tools. The cabinet is estimated to date to the early 20th Century and contains tools from the prior century.

The flowery language of the auction description can't hide the fact that they clearly have no idea who built it, nor what type of cabinetry the original user worked on.

An undeniable craftsman's dream, this incredible compendium of woodworking tools comprises 210 antique and vintage specimens stored within a marvelous, custom-crafted wall cabinet.

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An incredible array of American and British makers are represented in this one-of-a-kind collection, including Stanley, Stormont, Disston, and Sorby Mortise. Everything from planes, chisels, and saws to auger bits, squares, and spokeshaves are in excellent condition. Each tool has a dedicated place within this multi-layered cabinet, meaning this cabinet was created specifically to house this fascinating collection.

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The compendium, by its sheer breadth and complexity, was acquired over the course of many years by a truly gifted woodworker who treasured their tools to such an extent that they created this amazing cabinet to house them. With the tools contained in this cabinet, a skilled cabinetmaker's only limitation is his or her own imagination.

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Desirable tools such as these, on their own, command premium prices on the market, and are highly prized by collectors of antique and vintage woodworking instruments. An extensive collection of this magnitude, housed in its specialized, hand-crafted cabinet, is simply never seen - making this compendium an immense rarity.

Here's the list of contents:



Stanley No.1 Plane

Stanley No.2 Plane

Stanley No.3 Plane

Stanley No.4 Plane

Stanley No.5 Plane

Stanley No.6 Plane

Stanley No.7 Plane

Stanley No.8 Plane

Stanley No.9 1/2 Block Plane

Stanley No.90 Bull Nose Plane

Set of 8 Stanley No.720 Chisels

Set of 5 Sorby Mortise Chisels

Set of 25 Stormont Archer Carving Chisels

Stanley No.71 Router Plane

Stanley No.198 Dual Marking Gauge

Stanley No.21 Combination Square

Stanley No.20 8-Inch Square

Stanley No.25 8-Inch Sliding Bevel

Stanley No.41 Push Drill with 8 Bits

Set of 4 Stanley No.70 Defiance Screwdrivers

Disston D-15 Rosewood Handled Hand Saw, 26 Inches

Disston No.68 Rip cut Dovetail Saw, 8 Inches

Disston No.68 Cross cut Dovetail Saw, 10 Inches

Stanley No.291-B 2-Ounce Hammer

Stanley 13-Ounce Claw Hammer

Miniature 4 1/2-Inch Vice

6-Inch Wing Dividers

7-Inch Wing Dividers

8-Inch Wing Dividers

Stanley No.31 Angle Divider

Preston 8-Inch Ebony and Brass Level

Stanley No.61 Rule (2 ft.)

Stanley No.1600 Pliers

Stanley Drill Brace

Set of 13 Stanley Russel Jennings Auger Bits

Set of 6 Stanley No.86 Flat Blade Screwdrivers

Preston Round Bottom SpokeShave

Preston Flat Bottom Spokeshave

Atkins No.50 Coping Saw

Set of 102 Triptych Woodturning Chisels

8-Inch Sharpening Stone in Burl Walnut Case

Pair of Bernard's Patent Nippers By Schollhorn

Pair of Eclipse No.33 Trammel Heads

Set of 3 Centre Punches

Set of 3 Pin Punches

Pair of Cigar Sharpening Stones

Miniature Calipers

Set of 3 Miniature Open-End Wrenches

Impressive—but is it worth $150,000?!?