Hello all, Because I live in Scotland, I have always wanted to own a Mathieson saw. (My other offering of some posts ago was a Mathieson/S and J hybrid). As a maker of joiner's tools his name is iconic. The problem has been that they have always fetched premium prices that I have not been prepared to pay. Until this one came up. And I suspect that the only reason that I got this one for what I consider a reasonable price is because the blade is, or has been so corroded. The handle is O.K. but not perfect, but the attraction for me about this saw is the stamp on the back. It is so crisp and clean it could almost have been put on yesterday. ( I am presuming that it hasn't). It also has the additional stamp "Technical Saw" and which is a different take on marketing from the "usual" description of the steel that it is made from, or from the notion of it being "warranted" - whatever that meant in real life! It looks to me quite a late-ish saw, perhaps end of the 19th/ start of the 20th century. The blade is 10 inches long and with a small waver or two. Perhaps another reason that so few wanted it? Fred I have just realised that the stamp is Mathieson only and not Mathieson and Son. Does this have any significance for getting a better date?
Crescent Hi Fred, I think the Crescent symbol was used in the end of the 19th century 1875 ish. The lack of "& sons" I don't think is significant. Cheers Al
Hi Al, Thanks for the reply. I have been chewing over the lack of "and Son" for some time. 1875+ certainly fits in with the general dating period that the saw looks to be. It could not be pre "Son" as that would make it far too early at 1854. After a bit of searching I found this potted history on the WK Fine Tools website. http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUK/MathiesonA/history/MathiesonA-hist-02.asp I then thought that it could be post "Son" and that they might have re-adopted the "Mathieson" only name after the Son left the business (in one way or another). This may fit in with a date around the turn of the century as the son was registered as aged 15 in 1841. So if still alive he would have been 74 in 1900. Speculation I know, but possible. Fred
Agree with Al that probably minor differences in marks aren't all that significant. The style of the lettering of the "Technical Saw" and the handle look to me rather later than 1875 - ?1920 - which is the date I have on several other saws with this wording. They were supplied to large local authorities like London and Manchester for schools. There are other examples, including hand saws, by S&J, and Thomas Flinn.
What do people think of this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ANTIQUE-...?pt=AU_ToolsHardwareLocks&hash=item3a76d268ea Tim
My impression is that this is of the 1870-1890 period, maybe the earlier end of that - the mark is struck and the nose of the handle is quite slim. It's certainly been used quite a bit! My understanding is that Mathieson never made saws themselves, but there is no documentary evidence of where they went to for supplies. True Glasgow saw makers were very sparse, and I'd guess that they would have gone to one of the Sheffield majors - S&J, one of the Tyzacks, Groves (very similar appearance, and Groves had a Glasgow agency in the 1850s) or Taylor Bros. IMO only just worth $20, and then only if Tim fancies spending quite a time finding replacement screws and working it up to a functional tool again - unless he's a Mathieson freak....
I might be odd, but not that odd... Of course it is $20 plus almost that again in postage - there was no way I thought it would be worth that in that condition. I'm still getting used to understanding that dating of saws. I guessed it was 19th century. I doubt it will sell at the price he wants. Regards and thanks for the information - it all goes into tool memory. Tim