A snapshot of recent eBay sold prices for Stanley Bailey and Bedrock hand planes — the Type Study, the sweetheart era, the Stanley 4, 4½, 5, 5½, 7, 8, and the Bedrock 604-608 line that commands 2-4x Bailey prices. The split between user-grade and collector-grade is the entire reseller game.
Snapshot estimated from recent eBay sold-listings data. Numbers refresh every Sunday. For an exact current price on a specific piece, scan it.
Vintage Stanley planes sit at the intersection of two buyer bases — working woodworkers who want a usable tool, and collectors chasing specific Type Study examples in original condition. The same Bailey 4 can be a $30 user-grade flip at a flea market or a $400 Type 1 collector piece if the right buyer sees the right details. Bedrocks command 2-4x Bailey prices in equivalent condition, the sweetheart era is the peak production tier, and the spread between user-grade and pristine collector pieces is the entire reseller game.
User-grade Bailey planes — common Bailey 4, 5, and 7 sizes from post-sweetheart production, missing the original decal, with some surface rust and pitting — trade $30-$80. Collector-grade Bailey planes — sweetheart-era Types 11, 12, or 13 with original japanning intact, original decal on the lever cap, and original wooden tote and knob — trade $90-$250. Bedrock and sweetheart-era pristine examples — Bedrock 604, 605, 607, 608 in clean condition with original japanning, decals, and unmolested wood — trade $300-$1,200+. The 604½ and 605½ (the half-size variants in Bedrock) are particularly sought-after and routinely clear $600+.
Collectors classify Stanley Bailey planes by manufacturing changes over time. Frog design, lateral lever, blade markings, lever cap shape, and tote and knob geometry all shifted across decades, and the combination of features pinpoints any plane to a specific production window. Type 1 (1867-1869) is the rarest and most valuable, commanding $2,000-$5,000+ for clean examples. Types 9 through 13 (1902-1929) are the "golden age" — these are the planes most sought after by both users and collectors, with the sweetheart-era Types 11-13 commanding the strongest prices. The Patrick Leach Type Study is the working reference for identification and any serious buyer will check it before bidding.
Bailey is the standard line, named for Leonard Bailey's 1869 frog design. Bedrock is the premium line introduced in 1898 with a redesigned frog that contacts the body across its entire base rather than the partial contact of a Bailey. The Bedrock design theoretically reduces chatter and produces a cleaner cut — in practice the working difference is modest, but the collector premium is substantial. A clean Bailey 4 runs $40-$90; the equivalent Bedrock 604 runs $150-$350. Bedrock 605s, 607s, and 608s in pristine sweetheart-era condition routinely clear $400-$800. The Bedrock numbering parallels the Bailey numbering exactly — Bedrock 604 corresponds to Bailey 4, 605 to Bailey 5, and so on.
The Stanley sweetheart logo era runs from 1919 to roughly 1936, named for the heart-shaped "S.W." (Stanley Works) logo cast into the iron and stamped on the blade. The sweetheart era is the peak quality of Stanley plane production — fine-grained cast iron, precise machining, durable japanning, and tight tolerances. Sweetheart-era planes are the workhorses of the collector market. A sweetheart Bailey 5 in clean condition runs $80-$160; the same plane post-1936 (rectangular Stanley stamp era) runs $40-$90. The sweetheart-marked blade alone, separated from the plane, can add $20-$40 to a listing.
For user-grade planes: restore freely. A $40 Bailey 4 with surface rust is one of the best learning projects in woodworking — clean the rust with electrolysis or evapo-rust, flatten the sole on sandpaper-on-glass, sharpen the iron, and you have a working hand plane that will last decades. For collector-grade planes: clean and conserve, never aggressively restore. Stripping the original japanning, replacing wooden parts, sandblasting, or re-painting destroys collector value and nets a worse outcome than leaving the plane untouched. The market prices original patina, original decals, and original tote-and-knob wood. Sell what you find, restore only what wouldn't grade collector regardless.
Hunting Stanley planes in person? Find garage sales near you on MapMySales — vintage hand tools turn up regularly at estate sales of mid-century craftsmen and woodworkers, and the right Saturday route remains the lowest-cost-per-find way to source raw inventory before it hits the resale market.
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Collectors classify Stanley Bailey planes by manufacturing changes over time — frog design, lateral lever, blade markings, lever cap, and tote and knob shape all shifted over decades, and the combination of these features pinpoints a plane to a specific production window. Type 1 (1867-1869) is the rarest and most valuable, commanding $2,000-$5,000+ for clean examples. Types 9 through 13 (1902-1929) are widely considered the "golden age" of Stanley plane production — these are the planes most sought after by both users and collectors, with the sweetheart-era variants of Types 11-13 commanding the strongest prices. Type studies are published in standard collector references and the Patrick Leach guide is the working bible for identification.
Bailey is Stanley's standard hand plane line, named for Leonard Bailey's original 1869 frog design. Bedrock is Stanley's premium line, introduced in 1898 with a redesigned frog that contacts the body across its entire base rather than the partial contact of a Bailey. The Bedrock design theoretically reduces chatter and produces a cleaner cut, though in practice the difference is modest. What matters for resale is that Bedrocks command 2-4x Bailey prices in equivalent condition and era. A clean Bailey 4 runs $40-$90; the equivalent Bedrock 604 runs $150-$350. Bedrock 605s, 607s, and 608s in pristine sweetheart-era condition routinely clear $400-$800.
The Stanley sweetheart logo era runs from 1919 to roughly 1936, named for the distinctive heart-shaped "S.W." (Stanley Works) logo cast into the iron and stamped on the blade. The sweetheart era represents the peak quality of Stanley plane production — the cast iron is fine-grained, the machining is precise, the japanning (the black enamel coating) is durable, and the construction tolerances are tight. Sweetheart-era planes are the workhorses of the collector market. A sweetheart Bailey 5 in clean condition runs $80-$160; the same plane post-1936 (the rectangular "Stanley" stamp era) runs $40-$90.
Restoring a $40 user-grade Bailey 4 is one of the best learning projects in woodworking — clean the rust, flatten the sole, sharpen the iron, and you have a working hand plane that will last decades. Restoring a $400 Bedrock 605 is a different decision entirely: aggressive restoration (electrolysis, sandblasting, re-japanning, replacement parts) can destroy collector value and net you a worse outcome than leaving the plane untouched. The collector market prices original japanning, original decals, original totes and knobs, and patina. For users: restore freely. For collectors: clean and conserve, never aggressively restore.