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"Then there were others that aren't so good, but they survived. And you'll see new wrenches today that are made with the same principle as a wrench made in the 1800s."

Collectible wrenches fall into three primary categories: Implement wrenches, issued with a piece of farm equipment or machinery; adjustable wrenches; and cutout wrenches (those with the name of the manufacturer 'cut out' of the handle). Joe concentrates on the adjustable wrenches.

"At the end of the last century, everybody was looking to produce the perfect wrench," he said. "They wanted it to be a quick adjust, without too much trouble; wanted it to stay in position, and be light and not cumbersome. That was the goal."

Good old American ingenuity resulted in countless designs: screw-adjusted wrenches, screw-adjusted with a ball bearing at the end of the screw; spring loaded; sliding wedge adjust, wheel adjust, lever adjust, and worm with screw adjustment. On some, the wrench was adjusted by twisting its head; on others, a pin would be changed. Other designs were less clearly conceived. One wrench was adjusted by using another wrench to tighten the first one's jaw; another was adjusted using a separate screwdriver.

A wrench with a particularly rare design has found a home in Joe's collection: The leaf-adjust wrench has a U-shaped opening, with sliding "leaves" on one side of the "U." When all are in the 'back' position, the wrench fits a 1" nut. Slide one forward, it fits 15/16; slide two forward, 7/8, and so on. "It's made by the Indianapolis Wrench and Stamping Company, and patented in 1896," he said. "There's only one other one by that company that I know of."

The basic principles of wrench manufacture have not changed dramatically. But manufacturers in the 1800s had to contend with a raw material that was still evolving.

"Steel was still in the experimental stages," Joe said. "It had to be hard enough to withstand the strain, but if it was too hard, it was brittle and it would break."

Later came the addition of wooden handles on some wrenches, making them lighter and more comfortable to use. Steel handles were used for maximum strength. Brass (or 'non-sparking') wrenches were used in high-risk applications such as refineries and powder factories.

The sheer volume of wrenches available makes the hobby accessible to novice collectors. But rare pieces bring major money, Joe said. In recent years, prices for adjustable wrenches have risen more than prices for most other collectibles.

"And they're still going up," he said. "Wrenches are a good investment."


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