World's Most Valuable Hammer

This newsletter is a rewrite from 8 years ago with a few added updates.

I have always been a fan of the Antiques Roadshow on PBS, often wondering if there were any hidden treasures in our home worth more than all the gold in Fort Knox. To my surprise, I discovered that we actually had one!

Family History

For me, my tools represent more than just my trade; they embody my family's history. One of my most cherished possessions is my grandfather’s hand planes. Although he wasn’t a furniture maker, he was incredibly handy. As a millwright, he worked in a machine shop, repairing various machines when they broke down. Before that, he took on all sorts of odd jobs as a handyman. It seems that being a blue-collar worker runs in our blood.

My grandfather passed away in 1988, and along with his hand planes, I inherited a few of his other tools, including some wrenches, sockets, and a chest of drawers. While rummaging through one of the drawers, I stumbled upon an old tack hammer. I had never found much use for a tack hammer, so I had set it aside for years. Recently, however, I decided to take a closer look at it.

The Strap Head

I discovered that it was a strap-head hammer, which is distinct because it lacks a center hole for a handle. Instead, the hammerhead appears to be split down the middle, with the handle sandwiched in between. The modern “adze head” hammer, as we know it today, was introduced around 1840. Although strap-head hammers continued to be made after that, the design with a handle passing completely through the head proved to be stronger, leading to the gradual phasing out of the strap-head style. This discovery piqued my curiosity: How old was this hammer? More importantly, why did my grandfather have a tack hammer?

This hammer belonged to my grandfather on my mother’s side. While I had a good relationship with my mother, there always seemed to be a distance between us. Recently, I decided to change that and work on building a better relationship. I thought that having lunch with her and discussing this hammer could serve as a great conversation starter.

I asked her if my grandfather ever did any upholstery work. She informed me that he never did. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how a jack-of-all-trades like him came to possess a specialty upholstery hammer instead of just a basic tack hammer. Perhaps he picked it up at a garage sale, much like I acquire some of my tools? My mother quickly corrected me, explaining that garage sales didn’t exist back then, and my grandfather would never have considered owning “someone else's” belongings. Through this conversation, I learned things about my grandfather that I had never known before.

In the following days, as I continued to clean the hammer, I discovered the name "C.S. Osborne" engraved on it. Curious if the company still existed, I found out that they do! Based in Harrison, NJ, C.S. Osborne is a tool manufacturing company that specializes in tools for upholsterers and has been in business since 1826. I reached out to them to see if they could help me determine the hammer's age.

_{The 1892 Catalog}

Maribel from C.S. Osborne informed me that the hammer was a saddler’s hammer and that it was older than any records they had. She provided me with a page from their 1892 catalog, but it didn’t include a clear model number for the strap-head hammer. The pictures featured either a socket-fitted style handle or an adze-eye head. However, on page 47, I could clearly see the strap-head hammer and the manner in which it was used. While they couldn’t confirm the exact date, it was possible that the hammer predated 1892. This was just the earliest catalog in which they found an image of it. I truly appreciated C.S. Osborne taking the time to look up the hammer. And despite my gratitude for their assistance, I was left wondering once again: why did my grandfather have this old, antique hammer?

Finding the Connection

One afternoon, when I arrived at my mother’s apartment for lunch, I found her busy with work. The kitchen table was covered with piles of papers, documents, and family tree records. Among these records, she discovered a listing for a man named Charles Taylor, who was my grandfather’s uncle. Charles lived from 1872 to 1940, was born in Carrollton, KY, and worked as a manager of a harness store. It struck me as strange that this paperwork detailed his occupation, especially since I had just learned that I owned a saddler’s hammer. It seemed clear that Charles Taylor was likely the original owner of this hammer. The timeline fit perfectly: born in 1872, he would have been around 20 years old in 1892, right at the age to begin full-time work. Perhaps he received the hammer as a gift from a retiring craftsman when he started at the harness store, or maybe he purchased it, knowing it would be essential for his career. Either way, it appeared that the hammer had originated with him.

The Real Reason

After hours of research, it seemed that the mystery of the hammer had mostly been solved. The time spent playing “detective” with my mother became a cherished memory for me. Our lunch visits provided an opportunity to bond and find common ground, especially since our relationship had felt distant in the past. During these visits, I learned more about my family’s history and, importantly, about my mother herself. I enjoyed our time together so much that I eventually decided to move back in with her.

That might sound extreme, moving in just for conversations, but let me explain. For the past year, my mother had been battling cancer. Each week, her health deteriorated, and every doctor had told us there was nothing more they could do. I moved in to care for her during this difficult time.

On April 11, 2017, while holding my mother’s hand in her home, she took her last breath and passed away. Nothing on this earth can replace the time we shared or the conversations we had. Oddly enough, the hammer often became a topic of discussion between us. To me, this hammer is unique—not only for its unusual appearance but also for its connection to my family history. However, what makes it the most valuable hammer in the world is that it helped mend a fractured relationship. I will miss you, Mom.

Love always,

Your son.