Auction FINISHED Anarchist box full of goodies

[matthewwh]

A bit of a disappointing figure, but at the end of the day it's a victimless situation.

The College still has a nice chunk of money that it didn't have before.
All of the contributors gave freely and in good spirit to support N.E.W.
The winner has a set of absolutely superb tools, got an extraordinary deal, and the the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting a very worthwhile cause.

I'm sure that the auctioneers (who were also donating their services) did everything correctly. If anything perhaps the chest was a victim of its own success - how many people woke up this morning with both the will and the wherewithall to intend spending over £5k on handtools before sundown?

The important thing is that thanks to the tireless work of Paul and Derek, British woodworkers now have the opportunity to work with some amazing craftsmen and at the same time directly help and support our college craft departments.

 

[G S Haydon]

I think you're right G, being honest I'd have no idea about how to auction this off with the best results so it is with 20/20 hindsight we can speculate. I hope to see this kit used for a while before being broken up. However it happens to nearly all tool kits in the end. Sadly it might happen to this one sooner than we would of thought. As Matthew said, there are some good vibes thanks to peoples contributions.

 

[AndyT]

The full story is now on the NEW blog http://www.newenglishworkshop.co.uk/2015/03/.

There was a reserve price, which was not reached, so now the whole chest of tools goes to the college to be used by the students. I'm sure they will be encouraged to treat them with respect.

With hindsight it's not surprising really that there aren't many well heeled woodworkers confident enough in their abilities to invest several thousand pounds on top end tools all in one go but full credit is due to the generous donors.

 

[Graham Orm]

That sounds like a better ending to the story Andy

 

[adrspach]

Good to hear that it will be used as originaly intended for making things rather than for gathering dust in a collection.

 

[Trafalgar]

The auction might have gone better had it been Jim Kingshott's tool chest - one of a bona fide master craftsman.

 

[bugbear]

The auction might have gone better had it been Jim Kingshott's tool chest - one of a bona fide master craftsman.

I thought his tools were stolen?

BugBear

 

[Trafalgar]

Very sorry to hear that, though I was trying to make a metaphorical point rather than a literal one.

Was Chris Schwarz' "anarchist" tool chest supposed to get the market's juices flowing? I rather doubt it. Had the tools been auctioned individually I bet a large amount of money would have been raised, rather than the reserve failing to be met.

 

[Graham Orm]

Very sorry to hear that, though I was trying to make a metaphorical point rather than a literal one.

Was Chris Schwarz' "anarchist" tool chest supposed to get the market's juices flowing? I rather doubt it. Had the tools been auctioned individually I bet a large amount of money would have been raised, rather than the reserve failing to be met.

I believe it was his grandson's tools that were stolen.....even worse (if it could be).

A quick Google finds:
http://www.nonesuchtools.com/ak.htm
http://www.nonesuchtools.com/kingshott.html

 

[G S Haydon]

Thanks for the update Andy. I'm sure the college will put them to good use.