A collection of antique quick-adjust wrenches from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
A.G. Coes & Co wrench, made in Worcester MA. This company was formed in 1869 when brothers Aury and Loring Coes went separate ways from their combined company first formed in 1841 to build and sell Loring's first wtemch design in this basic style, with a number of wrenches and patents of this form being issued to the brothers. Based on the stamping and the lifespan of the A.G. Coes & Co, this wrench is from between 1869 and about 1890.
Billings and Spencer Model B or Model D bicycle wrench, depending on what ad or marking you care to believe. Patented 1879, this version was first made around 1894, but based on the logo I think this wrench is from 1915-1926.
Baxter Diagonal Adjustable Wrench, US Patent #14,221, issues February 12, 1856. This particular example is from the original manufacturer John Charlton of Newark NJ and was produced between 1856-69.
Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company of Duluth MN double ended 6-8 inch adjustable wrench. These were usually priced less than a 6 and 8 inch pair, and fairly common in catalogs up through the '50s, though given how hard they are to find must not have ever sold well. This one is likely from WWII era manufacturing given the mark and finish.
This wrench was manufactured by the Lever Wrench Co of Duluth MN, patented in 1915 by Alton Heimback. Likely made prior to 1922, as Heimbach patented a similar but improved and non-indexed version of this design in 1921.
Overman Wheel Company of Chicopee Falls MA Victor bicycle wrench. Overman were the very first American makers of safety bicycles, and an early proponent of interchangeable parts. Their Victor bikes were top of the market and priced at approximately $100 dollars - about $2500 today. This wrench was patented in 1891, and the company out of business by 1900.
Barcalo Manufacturing Company of Buffalo NY 6" curved handle adjustable wrench.
Cochran Speednut Wrench with automatic adjusting mechanism. Patented May 2, 1916.
Boos Tool Corporation adjustable wrench, patented 1941. There are a few lengths available, but otherwise this appears to be the only design made by Boos, and perhaps a short lived almost novelty monkey wrench design. Seems loosely based on earlier twist handle adjustables, and likely suffers the same fate of bending and jamming the adjustment mechanism if over torqued.
Baxter Adjustable S-Wrench, patented 1868. An early adjustable design, double sided as wrenches were expensive and this could fit more things better than a single large wrench, and was less expensive than two. No telling which maker produced this wrench or when, but likely pre-1900.
Gendron Iron Wheel Company was a wire spoked wheel manufacturer founded in 1872 in Toledo OH that branched into bicycles, wheelchairs, wheeled toys and this adjustable bicycle wrench. Patented in 1892, the wrench adjusts by turning the handle. There is a second version of this wrench with a spoke nipple wrench opposite the main jaws. Gendron Inc is in business today making wheeled medical equipment.
Girard Wrench, patented in 1875, the factory in Girard, Pennsylvania burned to the ground in 1888. At their prime, they reported to make 3000 wrenches per day, with approximately 85 employees.
Fairmount Tool and Forging Company adjustable bicycle wrench. Made in Cleveland, best guess is 1920s or '30s based on the design.
King Dick is a prominent English wrench maker founded in 1856, and producing tools through to the present day. This small adjustable wrench is likely from the 1930s or so, and is clearly based on the 1879 Billings and Spencer bicycle wrench patent, and strongly resembles the Billings Model A.
Universal Wrench Co of Detroit-Windsor 8 inch quick adjust wrench. Patented 1919.
Dudly Tool Co of Menominee MI spoke wrench, first patented in May 1894 by Albert Dudly. This is the larger version of the wrench, presumably meant for the wider spoke spacing of an ordinary bicycle. The Dudly Tool Co was an early cyclecar manufacturer making about 100 wooden framed Dudly Bugs from 1913-1915, even experimenting with an electric model prior to the company's demise in approximately 1917.