12 Old Measuring Tools That Collectors Pay Big Money For

Old measuring tools come into the saleroom in carrier bags, and the ones bidders fight over rarely look like much. I'm Richard Coleman, and I spent thirty-eight years taking house clearances and country sales to auction. The things that surprised the room were almost never the ones on the mantelpiece — they came out of the shed, the garage, the back of a bench drawer, usually under something else. 💬 Got something you can't identify? Describe it in the comments — the interesting ones turn into episodes. Subscribe to Richard Coleman before the next load goes to the tip. 🔨📻 👉    / @richardcolemantools   Richard Coleman — Creative Process Disclosure About the figures: Every price given is drawn from realised auction results and dealer records — what an item actually sold for, not an asking price. Values in these categories swing hard on condition, maker's marks, completeness, originality, and provenance, and two items that look identical can be separated by a factor of fifty. Nothing in these videos is a valuation of your property, and no episode should be treated as an appraisal. Before selling anything you believe may be significant, have it examined by a specialist in that field. What we don't do: We don't value viewers' items on request, authenticate from photographs, or recommend specific buyers, dealers, or sale platforms. We have no financial relationship with any auction house or dealer mentioned. Research: Each episode is written from realised-price records, auction catalogues, maker and trademark registers, trade directories, and period advertising, combined with thirty-eight years of saleroom experience. Scripts are original to this channel, and every item is placed by maker, period, and market rather than presented as a bare number. Production: Period photography and reference imagery are licensed and restored here — damage repair, stabilisation, colour grading — and cut with original graphics that show the marks, details, and construction features that separate a valuable example from a common one. Episodes are structured and paced for documentary viewing. Narration: Every episode is written and produced in-house and delivered by a human narrator. No synthetic, cloned, or AI-generated voices are used on this channel. Copyright & Licensing: © 2026 Richard Coleman. All rights reserved. The script, research synthesis, narrative structure, and edit of each video are original works and are protected. Re-uploading, mirroring, clipping for redistribution, or repurposing any portion without written permission is prohibited.