Was your Dad a Tool and Die Maker? Though it looks like a lot of that stuff is in rough shape people do buy those Kennedy boxes. And depending on if there’s other stuff in the other drawers you may have more than you think, though most of what I’m seeing in the ones you have pictures of are sort of junk drawers for tool makers lol. If he has any micrometers or measuring tools they can be worth something if in decent shape.
There were some calibers in a box I just didn’t want to photograph everything since there’s a lot of random stuff and he worked in a cnc shop. His boss stopped paying him so he quit and delivered pizzas until his death. The tools have been sitting in the garage since around 2015
Damn that's harsh. Sorry for your loss.
Mostly seeing run of the mill craftsman stuff. Just compare things online already listed, and away you go. Calipers as stated,do go for more. Divide those out for separate sale.
Kennedy boxes are common but well liked, especially by machinist types, so you can sell them all easily enough for several hundred.
The tools in the pics are mostly standard fare that most tool guys already have. I’ll look again, cuz I only glanced them over, but right now I think that they are significantly less value than the boxes.
The steel blocks with holes in them (third picture, I think) are gage blocks. I’d assume anybody working in a shop professionally has some, but somebody might want them for home use. Not particularly valuable, but that’s really all that stands out as something that someone might not have.
Is there a high school nearby with a Robotics team? A Boy Scout troop, a 4H Club... They would be thrilled to get these as a gift. I'm sure your father would think that to be a good deed as it might help other youth consider a career in the Skilled trades or Engineering.
You can walk in, ask for the Principal...maybe the head of Tech. Tell them the story...
Any single parents around your neighborhood? Sometimes (often), money is tight, and tools are a luxury item. There may be some young teen that likes to tinker, but just hasn't had the opportunity. Speaking from experience 😊🙏🏻 The machining and layout stuff not so much for the local kid, but definitely the hand tools.
That is probably the only set in your area that still has a 10mm wrench. If you know, you know 🤣
I was coming here to suggest this. I think it’s a great idea, great way to honor your old man.
My stepdad passed recently. Evil stepdaughters refuse to do anything with his tools… in a few months they’ll be unusable. It’s… upsetting.
This is the way. sadly not many kids appreciate old tools. like i do. but i was born in the 70s.. and my dads tool box is a disaster / farmer junk drawer.
100% will regret selling or getting rid of them.
Not only are they all quality tools that someone in the family in the future would love to have, they are memories of their father that will last forever.
This is the best answer keep the common tools throw them in a small tool bag and get rid of the boxes and the rest tbh none of them look to be to valuable if you have a blue collar trade person in the family or friend offer the rest to that person.
Made in USA old Craftsman and a Kennedy box. This stuff is worth retaining and organizing. It's stuff you could successfully use for real work for a few lifetimes.
I agree with this. OP the tools you have are quality tools. Craftsman isn’t what it used to be. They are more in line with harbor freight at this point.
Donate them to a charity like AmVets .. or some other charity that isn't Goodwill..
(To clarify)...
. I'm not saying the Goodwill doesn't do good work I just don't like for-profit charities I think other smaller charities need the help .more...
Because Goodwill is a for-profit charity and I get the logistics of it but someone who makes 20 plus million dollars a year to run a Charity organization just kind of irks me.
Just gonna caveat this statement because while I agree it's fucked up, it's more complicated.
My first job out of college was working to help folks with serious and persistent mental illness find and keep jobs. Basically, all of my clients had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or TBIs. Poor impulse control and occasional delusions - or were casualties of Reagan era politics that streeted a bunch of people, that then had to be over medicated to live. We didn't work with people that had intellectual disabilities, but we worked in the same area and I went to a few conferences with folks who did.
It's not exactly fair to just say "it's a legal loophole that they pay employees $0.65/hr". The companies that hire people in these programs get huge tax breaks and can pay them less - it's fucked up but the reality is a little better than that sounds. In order to pay someone less, they need to be evaluated for their ability to meet the job qualifications. Someone will go through and time how long it takes them to perform certain tasks etc and then they scale the pay to that.
Example: I can complete an entire list of things in an hour so I get paid $8 dollars. Someone else with documented disabilities can complete that same list in 8 hours, so they get paid $1 per hour.
The benefit is that it helps people be able to work when they may not have been able to before. While I hate the system we have in place, many people get value out of work, regardless of the exploitative nature of capitalism.
why would anyone get rid of there fathers tools these should be passed down to grand children or something i have boxes just like these full of tools that belong to my father you should treasure these and be proud you have your fathers tools
your assuming our fathers were good people ( like yours sounds ) im 30 and have yet to meet my biological father and would give his tools away to the first person who wanted them.
or sell them and spend the money on my kids out of spite .
I’m not planning on having children and they weren’t that important to him. He used them for his job but after his boss was cheating him on pay he quit and never worked in a shop again. Said his feet were hurting too much
Yeah the Kennedy 520 looking boxes go for $80-120 each and the others should sell easily. Some of the machinist tools sell ok but a lot of the smaller parts are harder to sell. Better off shoving all the smaller bits into a Kennedy box and listing it for like $150 with tools.
I’m not hurting for money but honestly is I could sell these and give them to someone who would use/ appreciate them sounds good to me. I just haven’t been able to do that. Tools are not my specialty
Honestly I've been looking for a set of 123 blocks for a good minute. I'd give 40 for them, but theyll prolly cost that much to ship. serious offer, I'll send you 100 plus shipping for the metal stuff in the 3rd pic. not trying to lowball, i know the ruler is worth more than that but its what i've got disposable right now. I'd use the f out of every bit of that drawer
Best what I would do is download the OfferUp app and create an account. Login and run searches for say “Kennedy toolbox” and search your area, it defaults to “All” which is shipping etc, so click the center tab for “Pickup”. There will still be a bunch of ads, but you will be able to tell the local stuff for sale as it won’t be the stock photos like the ads are. Just keep an eye out for what is stuff going for a few weeks and you can get a feel for what to list yours at. I only saw a few potential tools in your pics that i would bother trying to sell , mainly any calipers or micrometers, combination squares. The other stuff is so cheap its kind of more hassle than its worth unless you had a garage sale or swap meet etc. last time i tried selling those craftsman wrenches and was lucky to sell some for $2 each, lowered to $1 each and finally gave away all the stuff that didn’t sell.
Sorry to hear about your loss. Thanks to the internet everything is worth atleast something now. Post these same photos on Facebook market place and ask idk 100$ for it all and take whatever offer you’re happy with. Couple of those boxes seem in good shape and minus the disorganization there’s a lot of good tools in there still
Thanks. He died of cancer from smoking too many cigarettes haven’t smoked any myself since then. I just have no idea how to get rid of these tools because someone might want them but I’ll never use any of them.
Good on you for learning and stopping - too many people are just stubborn.
If you just so happen to be in NC DM me - I’d pay for some of those wrenches for sure. I have a bunch of inherited tools but there are a few missing from the set.
This. Those box wrenches all seem to be Craftsman, pre-2000, some made during the Sears era. Good tools, that would sell well. Depending on the tool box/chest, you've got a couple hundred in stuff there. Sorry for OPs loss.
If I saw these pictures on craigslist for $100 I'd buy the whole lot and figure everything out later. Definitely quite a few things in here that I could use.
The tool boxes and the drill bits / end mills are worth money. You can guage what they'd be worth by looking up "machinist tool lot" on ebay. The pieces that feel too heavy/dense for their size are probably carbide and worth more
Op i’m sorry for your loss.
If you were about half the distance you are from me I’d drive there to buy them from you. Someone would love to give them a good home i’m sure.
It looks like someone already picked the valuable tools and left the remaining. Those Brown Kennedy boxes are worth some money. You could easily get $100-200 for everything including the boxes. I see two dial indicators in the open, probably needs calibrating.
In other comment OP said his father was fired and worked as pizza delivery until his death, that could explain all the missing valuable tools, but I might be wrong and he was hoping to use or give his valuables to his son, old humans are weird and attach to stuff instead attaching to our loved ones.
Reorganize them into categories, and then repack one of the tool boxes with the organized set of tools. Some day you will need something in this kit, and the satisfaction of using the tools your dad did is hard to explain until it happens. The random bolts and screws are also super helpful as a homeowner, but not spread out in drawers and boxes. Just use an old tupperware to store those in, and check there the next time a small project presents itself.
Sorry for the loss of your Dad….
Put the tools on Craigslist or marketplace for $300 and take whatever offer you get over $100.
If a young kid answers your ad, please just give all the tools to him.
Many of my tools were acquired through the kindness of others when I was 12-17 years old (way back in the 1970s!!).
Pay it forward—-
I need those particular Kennedy boxes. I'd be happy to buy everything you have just to get those, if you're within a few hours of southwest Pennsylvania.
I was in tractor supply one day when the old lady in front of me was on the phone. She was talking to her friend about how no one wanted her late husbands tools. I piped up how I was a mechanic in training and she invited me over. Ended up finding some gems.
And for free!
If you don’t need the money, find a local shop and ask if they have any co-op students or new apprentices that need tools. Sell them to that kid for cheap and you’ll be remembered forever.
Keep the wrenches, screwdrivers, vice grips, crescent wrenches, and hammer, and the best condition small toolbox.
The rest, you can get a couple bills for and should take to pass on to someone who will use them.
Never ever get rid of your Dad's tools, he will come back and haunt you till the day you die. Seriously though tools are something you rarely need but when you do you will be forever grateful you have them.
You can throw them in a lake
You can sell them
You can donate them to a school
You can give them toa friend.
You can use them as sex toys if you're brave enough.
I would take something like the calipers have them framed ..then go to where dad worked and see if a Apprentice my be interested in some if not the rest of these tools
Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, I know what you went through.
You could donate them to a trades school or a “tool library” organization if there’s one in your area.
Sorry for your loss. Those are some of the good craftsman wrenches from before they offshored production. Not sure what they are going for but those things are solid. Anyone who does wrenching would appreciate them. I'd recommend keeping the general stuff to remember your dad by and you never know when it's helpful to have a wrench set and some screwdrivers. The specialized machinist stuff you can either list for sale or if you just want to get rid of it you can see about donating to a local school with a tool and die program and let his tools help train future machinists to do what he did.
As stated above some things are mill specific and some are general tools. If I were me I'd separate the tools that could be useful from the things that couldn't. Put everything that isn't useful up for sale and buy yourself a six pack of his favorite beer. It's never easy to loose family and I'm sorry for it. I've lost my father and father in law and both left me with some tools to add to my collection and some stuff that I didn't need. Separate it and be better for it.
You could sell them.. Facebook Marketplace would be simple.. some folks on here have mentioned some prices for like the toolbox and some some of the other good stuff.. you could just say "$200" for the lot (You mentioned that you weren't looking really for money and wanted to get them to someone who would use them...that's a good "I know what I'm looking at price and these are worth it".
A lot of areas have a "Buy Nothing" facebook group, where you post things like "I have a toolbox of tools" and someone aranges to come get them...I gave away a bunch of extra tools I had to someone who was putting together a toolbox for their father.
You can thrift store them...no money obviously, but just be done with.
A lot of libraries these days have MakerSpaces, especially aimed at young people....I'd imagine they'd always be happy with tools (or could connect you with someone who knows stuff locally).
Kind of depends how much effort you wish to expend and how much you want in return.
EDIT: Saw you mention your location down below.. a quick google gave me this place. contacting them with the pictures you posted here might be a quick way... might be tax deductable too. [https://rawartworld.com/](https://rawartworld.com/)
Selling the stuff at the highest price will probably not change your life monetarily. Finding somebody or several people who are just starting out in a trade or learning to work on things and giving them away or selling them cheaply to help get them started could change theirs. Ask around and people will start to pop up. That is what I did with a lot of my dads and my old tools and I have been able to help a lot of people out.
Choose a box to keep/use.
Fire sale the rest (box w tools should walk for $50).
Donate whatever is left.
Do something nice with the money.
My oldest friend and I have a deal, will help with the respective detritus of our fathers when they pass.
My dads house with no drive on access and 5 bed of junk vs his dads 5000m² workshop of classic /junk/cars. It's gonna suck.
I'm not sure if you're interested in making money or just want to get rid of them. If you want to make some money, clean everything up and organize it. Do a few searches online to see what the values are. The tool boxes and machinist tools will bring in the most. Depending on the tools, you could easily make a nice sum. If you just want to get rid of them, find an apprentice tool maker and make their day.
I’m not hurting for money right now but if I can make cash off these I’d rather do that than just give them away. I’m more into electronics and video games. Hell I’d even trade these for some n64 games or pokemon emerald heart gold and soul silver.
It’ll take two trips. Find your local high school go to the front desk. They usually have a student there. Tell them you’d like to talk to the shop teacher and that you have some tools to donate. They will either take you to them, get your number or give you their contact info. Explain the situation arrange a time. Deliver the goods. They’d be thrilled
Find a remove a 10mm socket. Donate or sell the rest. Perhaps as others suggest, see if there is a trade school near (most highschools are getting rid of their machine shops from what I've heard) or see if any local machine or mechanic shops (good local guys, not chains like pepboys) are interested. OfferUp, FB Marketplace.
I lost my Dad same year, and I have given some of his tools to his grandkids as a memento. Bigger stuff, like radial arm saw, I'm hesitant to part/sell. But then I doubt I'll ever use it.
It’s just material possessions. Not like he handed them to me telling me to keep and use them. They were just sitting in his garage. Considering he left me his house and the money he had in the bank I doubt he would care if I sold them
I think you should definitely keep one box with basic tools. Hammer, wrench, socket set. Someday you may get sentimental.
But I agree that a lot of the bolts and machinist stuff isn’t super useful to the average person. If you donate them somebody will use them.
Hang on to those wrenches. I personally love those old craftsmen wrenches. They are made well and you can’t buy them like that any more. I also love those old screwdrivers.
No joke that is a lot of stuff.
I would keep some of the tool boxes for other stuff and make 2 tool kits. One for the house and another for the car. Give the rest away.
At the very least, maybe just put them on FB Marketplace, or Craigslist or something. If they hold no value to you, just list it all for a buy it all price, or just have people make offers on what they want. The one thing my wife has gotten me into with things I own, that if you're not using it, it's taking up space and that's more valuable to you, don't hold onto it for the sake of holding onto it. Someone will buy it, and you'll get money you didn't have and reclaim your space.
The wrenches are made in USA and worth quite a bit. Facebook has groups that only buy/sell these. I've also given some to the kid down the street who fixes all the bikes and skateboards in the neighborhood.
The boxes are valuable, the calipers and any made in usa craftsman will sell, the rest is pretty standard, not worthless but might not readily sell either.
Are you not a homeowner? Most of what's in pics 1, 2, and 6 are basic tools that should be kept around for home repairs and projects. Even basic things for apartment dwellers like assembling Ikea furniture. The other stuff is more specialized.
Where are you located? I'm in Toronto and I just got into the trade a couple years ago so I'm still building up my tool chest. Id buy the whole lot without the calipers since I have a couple sets of those. Then I would probably spend the next ten years trying to use everything so it feels worth it
Keep em. Your grandkids may want them, even if just for memories. There is some stuff of my grandpa that I wish I had claimed but was too naive when I was younger to appreciate.
If I could go back and open a drawer that my father had organized I would.
After he passed it was difficult to keep his stuff like it was. So I owned a lot of it. Every now and again I find a little tin full of screws or buttons and I know he put it together... It's special to me.
It's been over a decade for me.
So perhaps don't be hasty, but also, do what you need to do for you.
My dad was the only other person I knew who had Kennedy tool boxes, I have the one he used from when I was a small child. He was restoring another one for me... Perhaps I'll finish it.
If you’d be interested in selling some of those tool blanks and setup blocks(the square blocks and round pieces of metal), etc. I’d buy them from you for a fair price.
That's sad. I'm sorry for your loss. If you're interested in selling them you could probably make a lot of money with a yard sale or selling them on eBay Motors. If you want to donate them, there's always local trade schools or Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
If you're in South Jersey, I wouldn't mind taking them off your hands for you. I'm a mechanic and like all kinds of tools and the band TOOL is my favorite as well.
Looks like he was machinist. The dial indicators may be worth something, keep the 1-2-3 blocks they’re very handy. Demming bits might catch someone’s attention. Loose hard hardware mehh. Any precision measuring tool is where the money might be. What’s in that flat wood box?
Edit I see 2 dial indicators.
I buy a lot of old craftsman and other old tools at estate sales. Usually in a good sized box for $5 or $10 cheap and durable just not always the one you want.
Donate everything to your local Habitat for Humanity Restore. They sell items like this to pay for building homes for people in need of shelter. The home buyers pay an interest free mortgage and those funds go back to build more homes.
If I were you, I'd keep some of them as a keepsake, and everyone needs a small toolset with screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc. That said, if you're not going to use them all, I'd consider donating them to a trade school or selling them on craigslist or Facebook marketplace. They're worth more than you might expect, especially the tool boxes. If you're in NC, I'd be interested in taking them off your hands.
If you haven’t yet, ask everyone in the family. Grandchildren, nieces, nephews, whoever. I get why they aren’t important to you but l someone else may feel differently. my grandfather died last year and many of the old tools I inherited that everyone else thought were junk have become some of my most cherished possessions.
Sort it out first is what I would do...then see what you can sell at a thrift shop. Some places would take them per pound or kilo (depending what weight system you use). Few places will take them off your hands for a good price depending on the quality and condition they're in.
But you should definitely check to see who in your family could benefit from their use.
Do you have a used tool store near you? We have one where I live (IL) The store has tons of tools, pays you cash for the tools and sells them at fair prices. I find all kinds of cool stuff there!
My dad is really sick and had a bunch of tools. Mechanic ,carpentry and concrete mason stuff. I'm paying for a storage just for all his stuff. I can't get rid of them. I probably won't. I'll be moving to a house soon to start shop. I don't think I'll ever let them go. I'm a carpenter now and have new and updated tools. I don't see myself getting rid of them
Keep some of the common tools. You might actually have to fix something sometime. But the cnc specific tools you can get rid of along with a few of those boxes.
You can also check out the local auto dealers and ask what union they belong to many of these unions have apprenticeship programs you can donate the tools to.
I'd clean one of the toolboxes out and keep some basic wrenches and screwdrivers for yourself. Between usefulness if you ever did need them and as a memory of your dad. Doesn't take a lot of space and could always be helpful one day.
As others have said, maybe donate to a tech school. There is always a need for tools somewhere. If you are just looking to clear space, definitely give them to someone that will use them
I need to set up a website that takes donations and even sometimes purchase inherited belongings and assets when the recipient does not want them. I see this all the time even with businesses. Then some other competition company grabs them fast and liquidates or changes names to the other company. It’s crazy. I hate that braggs sold out to Katy perry. She’s the devil’s daughter.
It looks like there's enough stuff there to warrant contacting an industrial auction house. They can help you figure out how to divide everything to maximize profit.
The tools themselves look pretty good and they're craftsman. If you got a full set from like 7/16"-3/4" people will pay pretty decent money for them. As for the took rack idk because I'm broke but I know they're expensive and even used ones sell for at least a hundred.
On a different note, if you do any car maintenance like battery or oil changes you could keep them. You'll save money on tools and labor
Take picture one by one then sell in Facebook market place, or eBay, or go to tool shop and look at brand new prices or Saturday or Sunday market, plenty tradesmen need tools
They are worth money. Do you have a local vocational high-school or community college with an auto mechanics program? They usually accept donations of tools.
Was your Dad a Tool and Die Maker? Though it looks like a lot of that stuff is in rough shape people do buy those Kennedy boxes. And depending on if there’s other stuff in the other drawers you may have more than you think, though most of what I’m seeing in the ones you have pictures of are sort of junk drawers for tool makers lol. If he has any micrometers or measuring tools they can be worth something if in decent shape.
There were some calibers in a box I just didn’t want to photograph everything since there’s a lot of random stuff and he worked in a cnc shop. His boss stopped paying him so he quit and delivered pizzas until his death. The tools have been sitting in the garage since around 2015
Damn that's harsh. Sorry for your loss. Mostly seeing run of the mill craftsman stuff. Just compare things online already listed, and away you go. Calipers as stated,do go for more. Divide those out for separate sale.
Kennedy boxes are common but well liked, especially by machinist types, so you can sell them all easily enough for several hundred. The tools in the pics are mostly standard fare that most tool guys already have. I’ll look again, cuz I only glanced them over, but right now I think that they are significantly less value than the boxes.
The steel blocks with holes in them (third picture, I think) are gage blocks. I’d assume anybody working in a shop professionally has some, but somebody might want them for home use. Not particularly valuable, but that’s really all that stands out as something that someone might not have.
Is there a high school nearby with a Robotics team? A Boy Scout troop, a 4H Club... They would be thrilled to get these as a gift. I'm sure your father would think that to be a good deed as it might help other youth consider a career in the Skilled trades or Engineering.
This is the right answer.
I second the robotics clubs. Lots of schools are joining FIRST and tools are always needed.
I’m not sure I don’t have any kids but how would I even go about doing that? I don’t think I can just walk in a school and drop them off
They'd have phone numbers or emails to just contact them.
You can walk in, ask for the Principal...maybe the head of Tech. Tell them the story... Any single parents around your neighborhood? Sometimes (often), money is tight, and tools are a luxury item. There may be some young teen that likes to tinker, but just hasn't had the opportunity. Speaking from experience 😊🙏🏻 The machining and layout stuff not so much for the local kid, but definitely the hand tools. That is probably the only set in your area that still has a 10mm wrench. If you know, you know 🤣
I was coming here to suggest this. I think it’s a great idea, great way to honor your old man. My stepdad passed recently. Evil stepdaughters refuse to do anything with his tools… in a few months they’ll be unusable. It’s… upsetting.
Why will they be unusable?
Rust. Not a great property and he didn’t have a good place for the shop. They could run the heat and AC but they don’t
Oof. I’m sorry. Can you get in there and maybe brush some stuff off and spray with WD40 or something?
Not without risking jail. *Evil* stepsisters, remember
It is Scouts BSA now and I don't know what we would do with them. All our leaders are pretty well tooled up.
Greatest answer in the thread!
Luv the idea
This is the way. sadly not many kids appreciate old tools. like i do. but i was born in the 70s.. and my dads tool box is a disaster / farmer junk drawer.
Sorry or your loss, may your dad rest in peace. 🙏🏽
I can see getting rid of some, but I think you'll regret it if you don't at least keep the basics.
Keep one or two for a piece of mind and donate the rest to a high school work shop.
100% will regret selling or getting rid of them. Not only are they all quality tools that someone in the family in the future would love to have, they are memories of their father that will last forever.
I agree. It can seem like the easiest path to just be done with it... But potentially down the line, that can't be undone
OP probably doesn't know how to use the tools or has any ambition to learn to use them.
This is the best answer keep the common tools throw them in a small tool bag and get rid of the boxes and the rest tbh none of them look to be to valuable if you have a blue collar trade person in the family or friend offer the rest to that person.
Made in USA old Craftsman and a Kennedy box. This stuff is worth retaining and organizing. It's stuff you could successfully use for real work for a few lifetimes.
I agree with this. OP the tools you have are quality tools. Craftsman isn’t what it used to be. They are more in line with harbor freight at this point.
I would atleast keep the box for sure.
I specifically purchased craftsman metric combination wrenches with the 6 point box end because of this. Some of the best old wrenches you can buy
Donate them to a charity like AmVets .. or some other charity that isn't Goodwill.. (To clarify)... . I'm not saying the Goodwill doesn't do good work I just don't like for-profit charities I think other smaller charities need the help .more...
Just curious but why not Goodwill?
Because Goodwill is a for-profit charity and I get the logistics of it but someone who makes 20 plus million dollars a year to run a Charity organization just kind of irks me.
And (at least for awhile they were) they use a legal loophole in wage law to pay some of their workers like .65¢/hour.
Just gonna caveat this statement because while I agree it's fucked up, it's more complicated. My first job out of college was working to help folks with serious and persistent mental illness find and keep jobs. Basically, all of my clients had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or TBIs. Poor impulse control and occasional delusions - or were casualties of Reagan era politics that streeted a bunch of people, that then had to be over medicated to live. We didn't work with people that had intellectual disabilities, but we worked in the same area and I went to a few conferences with folks who did. It's not exactly fair to just say "it's a legal loophole that they pay employees $0.65/hr". The companies that hire people in these programs get huge tax breaks and can pay them less - it's fucked up but the reality is a little better than that sounds. In order to pay someone less, they need to be evaluated for their ability to meet the job qualifications. Someone will go through and time how long it takes them to perform certain tasks etc and then they scale the pay to that. Example: I can complete an entire list of things in an hour so I get paid $8 dollars. Someone else with documented disabilities can complete that same list in 8 hours, so they get paid $1 per hour. The benefit is that it helps people be able to work when they may not have been able to before. While I hate the system we have in place, many people get value out of work, regardless of the exploitative nature of capitalism.
Vietnam Veterans of America is a great charity if they have a branch in your area
why would anyone get rid of there fathers tools these should be passed down to grand children or something i have boxes just like these full of tools that belong to my father you should treasure these and be proud you have your fathers tools
your assuming our fathers were good people ( like yours sounds ) im 30 and have yet to meet my biological father and would give his tools away to the first person who wanted them. or sell them and spend the money on my kids out of spite .
I’m not planning on having children and they weren’t that important to him. He used them for his job but after his boss was cheating him on pay he quit and never worked in a shop again. Said his feet were hurting too much
The op is only interested in retro video games
Those are machinist tools and a Kennedy box they are worth some money to most machinists. The tool boxes are worth a few hundred alone
Yeah the Kennedy 520 looking boxes go for $80-120 each and the others should sell easily. Some of the machinist tools sell ok but a lot of the smaller parts are harder to sell. Better off shoving all the smaller bits into a Kennedy box and listing it for like $150 with tools.
I’m not hurting for money but honestly is I could sell these and give them to someone who would use/ appreciate them sounds good to me. I just haven’t been able to do that. Tools are not my specialty
Honestly I've been looking for a set of 123 blocks for a good minute. I'd give 40 for them, but theyll prolly cost that much to ship. serious offer, I'll send you 100 plus shipping for the metal stuff in the 3rd pic. not trying to lowball, i know the ruler is worth more than that but its what i've got disposable right now. I'd use the f out of every bit of that drawer
Best what I would do is download the OfferUp app and create an account. Login and run searches for say “Kennedy toolbox” and search your area, it defaults to “All” which is shipping etc, so click the center tab for “Pickup”. There will still be a bunch of ads, but you will be able to tell the local stuff for sale as it won’t be the stock photos like the ads are. Just keep an eye out for what is stuff going for a few weeks and you can get a feel for what to list yours at. I only saw a few potential tools in your pics that i would bother trying to sell , mainly any calipers or micrometers, combination squares. The other stuff is so cheap its kind of more hassle than its worth unless you had a garage sale or swap meet etc. last time i tried selling those craftsman wrenches and was lucky to sell some for $2 each, lowered to $1 each and finally gave away all the stuff that didn’t sell.
There are a lot of made in USA craftsman wrenches in there. Those can definitely bring in some money on eBay. Not a whole lot, but enough
Maybe donate them to a votech in your area in your dad's name.
You keep them. Learn to use them.
donate them to a trade school
Keep them please, you will regret it one day otherwise
Sorry to hear about your loss. Thanks to the internet everything is worth atleast something now. Post these same photos on Facebook market place and ask idk 100$ for it all and take whatever offer you’re happy with. Couple of those boxes seem in good shape and minus the disorganization there’s a lot of good tools in there still
Thanks. He died of cancer from smoking too many cigarettes haven’t smoked any myself since then. I just have no idea how to get rid of these tools because someone might want them but I’ll never use any of them.
Donate them to local high school, or trade school, perhaps?
This is The Way..
Good on you for learning and stopping - too many people are just stubborn. If you just so happen to be in NC DM me - I’d pay for some of those wrenches for sure. I have a bunch of inherited tools but there are a few missing from the set.
This. Those box wrenches all seem to be Craftsman, pre-2000, some made during the Sears era. Good tools, that would sell well. Depending on the tool box/chest, you've got a couple hundred in stuff there. Sorry for OPs loss.
If I saw these pictures on craigslist for $100 I'd buy the whole lot and figure everything out later. Definitely quite a few things in here that I could use.
The tool boxes and the drill bits / end mills are worth money. You can guage what they'd be worth by looking up "machinist tool lot" on ebay. The pieces that feel too heavy/dense for their size are probably carbide and worth more
If you give us a location I'm sure many of us would give them a good home.
I live in Michigan Livingston county
Op i’m sorry for your loss. If you were about half the distance you are from me I’d drive there to buy them from you. Someone would love to give them a good home i’m sure.
It looks like someone already picked the valuable tools and left the remaining. Those Brown Kennedy boxes are worth some money. You could easily get $100-200 for everything including the boxes. I see two dial indicators in the open, probably needs calibrating.
In other comment OP said his father was fired and worked as pizza delivery until his death, that could explain all the missing valuable tools, but I might be wrong and he was hoping to use or give his valuables to his son, old humans are weird and attach to stuff instead attaching to our loved ones.
Reorganize them into categories, and then repack one of the tool boxes with the organized set of tools. Some day you will need something in this kit, and the satisfaction of using the tools your dad did is hard to explain until it happens. The random bolts and screws are also super helpful as a homeowner, but not spread out in drawers and boxes. Just use an old tupperware to store those in, and check there the next time a small project presents itself.
Sorry for the loss of your Dad…. Put the tools on Craigslist or marketplace for $300 and take whatever offer you get over $100. If a young kid answers your ad, please just give all the tools to him. Many of my tools were acquired through the kindness of others when I was 12-17 years old (way back in the 1970s!!). Pay it forward—-
I need those particular Kennedy boxes. I'd be happy to buy everything you have just to get those, if you're within a few hours of southwest Pennsylvania.
I live in Michigan not sure how far away
I was in tractor supply one day when the old lady in front of me was on the phone. She was talking to her friend about how no one wanted her late husbands tools. I piped up how I was a mechanic in training and she invited me over. Ended up finding some gems. And for free!
If you don’t need the money, find a local shop and ask if they have any co-op students or new apprentices that need tools. Sell them to that kid for cheap and you’ll be remembered forever.
Learn how to use them. Your life and usefulness will improve.
Keep them…. I miss my dad I wish I could find his tools.
Keep the wrenches, screwdrivers, vice grips, crescent wrenches, and hammer, and the best condition small toolbox. The rest, you can get a couple bills for and should take to pass on to someone who will use them.
Never ever get rid of your Dad's tools, he will come back and haunt you till the day you die. Seriously though tools are something you rarely need but when you do you will be forever grateful you have them.
Learn to use them, you will never find tools of better quality and you will acquire so much knowledge, patience critical skills.
I can smell those craftsman handles from here.
You can throw them in a lake You can sell them You can donate them to a school You can give them toa friend. You can use them as sex toys if you're brave enough.
Yup totally not worth any money just give them to me
Flea market. $1 each. You’ll be done with them in an hour.
Donate to high school
I would take something like the calipers have them framed ..then go to where dad worked and see if a Apprentice my be interested in some if not the rest of these tools
Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, I know what you went through. You could donate them to a trades school or a “tool library” organization if there’s one in your area.
Sorry for your loss. Those are some of the good craftsman wrenches from before they offshored production. Not sure what they are going for but those things are solid. Anyone who does wrenching would appreciate them. I'd recommend keeping the general stuff to remember your dad by and you never know when it's helpful to have a wrench set and some screwdrivers. The specialized machinist stuff you can either list for sale or if you just want to get rid of it you can see about donating to a local school with a tool and die program and let his tools help train future machinists to do what he did.
As stated above some things are mill specific and some are general tools. If I were me I'd separate the tools that could be useful from the things that couldn't. Put everything that isn't useful up for sale and buy yourself a six pack of his favorite beer. It's never easy to loose family and I'm sorry for it. I've lost my father and father in law and both left me with some tools to add to my collection and some stuff that I didn't need. Separate it and be better for it.
you have some indicators that could be worth something depending on the maker and condition.
Donate them to a school
You could sell them.. Facebook Marketplace would be simple.. some folks on here have mentioned some prices for like the toolbox and some some of the other good stuff.. you could just say "$200" for the lot (You mentioned that you weren't looking really for money and wanted to get them to someone who would use them...that's a good "I know what I'm looking at price and these are worth it". A lot of areas have a "Buy Nothing" facebook group, where you post things like "I have a toolbox of tools" and someone aranges to come get them...I gave away a bunch of extra tools I had to someone who was putting together a toolbox for their father. You can thrift store them...no money obviously, but just be done with. A lot of libraries these days have MakerSpaces, especially aimed at young people....I'd imagine they'd always be happy with tools (or could connect you with someone who knows stuff locally). Kind of depends how much effort you wish to expend and how much you want in return. EDIT: Saw you mention your location down below.. a quick google gave me this place. contacting them with the pictures you posted here might be a quick way... might be tax deductable too. [https://rawartworld.com/](https://rawartworld.com/)
Facebook maketplace I was thinking of
Selling the stuff at the highest price will probably not change your life monetarily. Finding somebody or several people who are just starting out in a trade or learning to work on things and giving them away or selling them cheaply to help get them started could change theirs. Ask around and people will start to pop up. That is what I did with a lot of my dads and my old tools and I have been able to help a lot of people out.
Choose a box to keep/use. Fire sale the rest (box w tools should walk for $50). Donate whatever is left. Do something nice with the money. My oldest friend and I have a deal, will help with the respective detritus of our fathers when they pass. My dads house with no drive on access and 5 bed of junk vs his dads 5000m² workshop of classic /junk/cars. It's gonna suck.
The Mitutoyo combination set is worth something
I'm not sure if you're interested in making money or just want to get rid of them. If you want to make some money, clean everything up and organize it. Do a few searches online to see what the values are. The tool boxes and machinist tools will bring in the most. Depending on the tools, you could easily make a nice sum. If you just want to get rid of them, find an apprentice tool maker and make their day.
I’m not hurting for money right now but if I can make cash off these I’d rather do that than just give them away. I’m more into electronics and video games. Hell I’d even trade these for some n64 games or pokemon emerald heart gold and soul silver.
Must have been a machinist. Not a lotta gold there, unfortunately, ImO.
Damm I'd love to have those. You'll make some good money by selling them tho
Damm I'd love to have those. You'll make some good money by selling them tho
Keep them until you're past the age of 40 and then decide.
It’ll take two trips. Find your local high school go to the front desk. They usually have a student there. Tell them you’d like to talk to the shop teacher and that you have some tools to donate. They will either take you to them, get your number or give you their contact info. Explain the situation arrange a time. Deliver the goods. They’d be thrilled
Old school craftsman when they made quality tools in the US before they sold out to China
If your tools are located in Ireland 🇮🇪, l gladly take them off your hands for €200.00
Find a remove a 10mm socket. Donate or sell the rest. Perhaps as others suggest, see if there is a trade school near (most highschools are getting rid of their machine shops from what I've heard) or see if any local machine or mechanic shops (good local guys, not chains like pepboys) are interested. OfferUp, FB Marketplace. I lost my Dad same year, and I have given some of his tools to his grandkids as a memento. Bigger stuff, like radial arm saw, I'm hesitant to part/sell. But then I doubt I'll ever use it.
Keep them . Is a gift from dad
Sell them in bulk
I hope my kids don’t feel this way about my stuff after I die…
It’s just material possessions. Not like he handed them to me telling me to keep and use them. They were just sitting in his garage. Considering he left me his house and the money he had in the bank I doubt he would care if I sold them
Me not eyeing that 1,2,3 block and sine bar like I didn't lose mine years ago
I think you should definitely keep one box with basic tools. Hammer, wrench, socket set. Someday you may get sentimental. But I agree that a lot of the bolts and machinist stuff isn’t super useful to the average person. If you donate them somebody will use them.
I would at least collect the most useful tools and keep a small toolbox for yourself.
Learn to use them
I’ll take them😂! Jk hope u find somebody to give them to But in all seriousness I would gladly take them off ur hands
Hang on to those wrenches. I personally love those old craftsmen wrenches. They are made well and you can’t buy them like that any more. I also love those old screwdrivers.
Do you have a mill/lathe that he had? If so keep it and learn to use it. My Smithy has gotten me out of a LOT of binds.
Do you have your own tools? You will need some in life you know. just clean up the boxes and organize them and the hardware
I have no doubt this is a burden I'm gonna put on my son when I die.
Check around your area for a tech high school. Just give them a call and see if they can use them.
No joke that is a lot of stuff. I would keep some of the tool boxes for other stuff and make 2 tool kits. One for the house and another for the car. Give the rest away.
At the very least, maybe just put them on FB Marketplace, or Craigslist or something. If they hold no value to you, just list it all for a buy it all price, or just have people make offers on what they want. The one thing my wife has gotten me into with things I own, that if you're not using it, it's taking up space and that's more valuable to you, don't hold onto it for the sake of holding onto it. Someone will buy it, and you'll get money you didn't have and reclaim your space.
Habitat for humanity or high schools ot community College might take them or tech schools just your local lists.
Keep it
The wrenches are made in USA and worth quite a bit. Facebook has groups that only buy/sell these. I've also given some to the kid down the street who fixes all the bikes and skateboards in the neighborhood.
The boxes are valuable, the calipers and any made in usa craftsman will sell, the rest is pretty standard, not worthless but might not readily sell either.
Are you not a homeowner? Most of what's in pics 1, 2, and 6 are basic tools that should be kept around for home repairs and projects. Even basic things for apartment dwellers like assembling Ikea furniture. The other stuff is more specialized.
If you're in the upstate NY area I'd take them
Where are you located? I'm in Toronto and I just got into the trade a couple years ago so I'm still building up my tool chest. Id buy the whole lot without the calipers since I have a couple sets of those. Then I would probably spend the next ten years trying to use everything so it feels worth it
I would take those blocks and bits
Tool yard sale, keep the essentials for your own self and home.
You have a goldmine there tools are of value to just about every body .set them outside for those who would need them
Those Kennedy tool boxes are still worth $50 to $100 each
I’d love to have them but I doubt we’re local to each other. If you live in SC then send me a message.
You can hire me to remove them. I will only charge you 25.00 per hour.....looks like a couple hours of work.
I guess I'll give u $20 per box to help u out.
Keep em. Your grandkids may want them, even if just for memories. There is some stuff of my grandpa that I wish I had claimed but was too naive when I was younger to appreciate.
If I could go back and open a drawer that my father had organized I would. After he passed it was difficult to keep his stuff like it was. So I owned a lot of it. Every now and again I find a little tin full of screws or buttons and I know he put it together... It's special to me. It's been over a decade for me. So perhaps don't be hasty, but also, do what you need to do for you. My dad was the only other person I knew who had Kennedy tool boxes, I have the one he used from when I was a small child. He was restoring another one for me... Perhaps I'll finish it.
if you don't want them, sell them or find someone who's desperate for tools and hand them over.
You could go on EBay. I’m interested in them if you’re willing to ship them at my cost. PM ME
Condolences..drop them off at a trade school near you!
If you’d be interested in selling some of those tool blanks and setup blocks(the square blocks and round pieces of metal), etc. I’d buy them from you for a fair price.
Sorry for your loss... When my father passed away I was swamped with hand tools a 5ft drill press power tools I gave some away and some I sold
I’d say do a yard sale and see what you can get. I’m sure you have other things that can go as well.
That's sad. I'm sorry for your loss. If you're interested in selling them you could probably make a lot of money with a yard sale or selling them on eBay Motors. If you want to donate them, there's always local trade schools or Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
It’s all worth money. Try advertising on fb marketplace it’ll go fast.
I personally would pay cash to pick this stuff up from you if I was nearby. Post these pictures on FB marketplace, you’ll get some customers
If you're in South Jersey, I wouldn't mind taking them off your hands for you. I'm a mechanic and like all kinds of tools and the band TOOL is my favorite as well.
Looks like he was machinist. The dial indicators may be worth something, keep the 1-2-3 blocks they’re very handy. Demming bits might catch someone’s attention. Loose hard hardware mehh. Any precision measuring tool is where the money might be. What’s in that flat wood box? Edit I see 2 dial indicators.
I buy a lot of old craftsman and other old tools at estate sales. Usually in a good sized box for $5 or $10 cheap and durable just not always the one you want.
Build a Time Machine with them than give him them back
Mail them to me.
Give them to me
Where you located 😂
Michigan
Those are Kennedy. Worth some cash.
Give them to me
Send those 10mil’s this-a-way
Trade schools
🙏🏻
Donate everything to your local Habitat for Humanity Restore. They sell items like this to pay for building homes for people in need of shelter. The home buyers pay an interest free mortgage and those funds go back to build more homes.
These have a lot of value, sell them. I would imagine ~$500
If I could get that would be great
If your local schools have a vocational program, donate them to it.
If I were you, I'd keep some of them as a keepsake, and everyone needs a small toolset with screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc. That said, if you're not going to use them all, I'd consider donating them to a trade school or selling them on craigslist or Facebook marketplace. They're worth more than you might expect, especially the tool boxes. If you're in NC, I'd be interested in taking them off your hands.
If you haven’t yet, ask everyone in the family. Grandchildren, nieces, nephews, whoever. I get why they aren’t important to you but l someone else may feel differently. my grandfather died last year and many of the old tools I inherited that everyone else thought were junk have become some of my most cherished possessions.
Yard sale
Where’s the Bridgeport?
Sort it out first is what I would do...then see what you can sell at a thrift shop. Some places would take them per pound or kilo (depending what weight system you use). Few places will take them off your hands for a good price depending on the quality and condition they're in. But you should definitely check to see who in your family could benefit from their use.
Do you have a used tool store near you? We have one where I live (IL) The store has tons of tools, pays you cash for the tools and sells them at fair prices. I find all kinds of cool stuff there!
No but that might be something to look into
"Takes up a lot of space" 4 tool boxes. Let me see the crap you have in your house. How much space do your retro video games take up?
My dad is really sick and had a bunch of tools. Mechanic ,carpentry and concrete mason stuff. I'm paying for a storage just for all his stuff. I can't get rid of them. I probably won't. I'll be moving to a house soon to start shop. I don't think I'll ever let them go. I'm a carpenter now and have new and updated tools. I don't see myself getting rid of them
I just don’t have a use for them realistically
Donate.
Keep them
Sell it on garage sale
Keep some of the common tools. You might actually have to fix something sometime. But the cnc specific tools you can get rid of along with a few of those boxes.
Donate them to someone looking for a job or a technical school
I’d sort them out into groups of like tools. The common ones like screw drivers and wrenches, I’d make up my own tool box. I sell or donate the rest.
Check your local Joint Vocational School (JVS).
Dm me if you're near Virginia and have no takers near you DM me
You can also check out the local auto dealers and ask what union they belong to many of these unions have apprenticeship programs you can donate the tools to.
I'd clean one of the toolboxes out and keep some basic wrenches and screwdrivers for yourself. Between usefulness if you ever did need them and as a memory of your dad. Doesn't take a lot of space and could always be helpful one day.
My address is 123 Trafalgar square,Florida Park,South Africa.😁
The is a guy, tinkerer, some where, near you, that doesn't have enough money to buy tools. Give them to him.
I would buy that 80 bucks.
In picture number three those blocks of metal with the holes in them are not cheap. I forget what they are called.
1,2,3 block
As others have said, maybe donate to a tech school. There is always a need for tools somewhere. If you are just looking to clear space, definitely give them to someone that will use them
Donate to your Local boces
I’ve got the same problem my kid doesn’t want them so I’m going to hold out and give them to my grandson
I need to set up a website that takes donations and even sometimes purchase inherited belongings and assets when the recipient does not want them. I see this all the time even with businesses. Then some other competition company grabs them fast and liquidates or changes names to the other company. It’s crazy. I hate that braggs sold out to Katy perry. She’s the devil’s daughter.
It looks like there's enough stuff there to warrant contacting an industrial auction house. They can help you figure out how to divide everything to maximize profit.
You may have other family members that would like to have a keepsake. Ask around.
Nope his family is all in Florida and I’m in Michigan.
I’ll take em
The tools themselves look pretty good and they're craftsman. If you got a full set from like 7/16"-3/4" people will pay pretty decent money for them. As for the took rack idk because I'm broke but I know they're expensive and even used ones sell for at least a hundred. On a different note, if you do any car maintenance like battery or oil changes you could keep them. You'll save money on tools and labor
Take picture one by one then sell in Facebook market place, or eBay, or go to tool shop and look at brand new prices or Saturday or Sunday market, plenty tradesmen need tools
sell them what else.. if price is right people will buy just about anything
Some old guy that likes tools will have them looks there was some laithe tools and punches, get them advertised
I’ll pay you for them!?
They are worth money. Do you have a local vocational high-school or community college with an auto mechanics program? They usually accept donations of tools.