Cut Out for Collecting Wrenches

By Sara Jordan-Heintz With Submitted Photos.
Published on June 4, 2019
article image
vy Sara Jordan-Heintz
Janie and Olan Bentley

Olan Bentley of Washington Court House, Ohio, could be classified as a super collector. Antique farm equipment and related tools — especially cutout wrenches — are among his favorites.

“I liked the looks of them, so I started picking them up when I could,” he says. “But then it becomes an obsession. You’re always looking for the one you don’t have.”

Olan owns 65 cutout wrenches dating to the 1900s-1920s. What makes that variety stand out from run-of-the-mill wrenches is that the manufacturers’ names are cut through or around the metal, instead of merely being embossed or engraved. He says that many such wrenches produced in the early years of the last century came with early corn planters.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388