What a collection!
A lot I bought, seems like they were trying to boost the original size a bit as they started to realize the dwindling market for 6 7/8 to 7. About 5 of mine are not raw wood they have had some sort of renovation in comparison to my other blocks.
John upon closer inspection one seems to have a very thin piece of leather tacked on to it, it is very old marked a 51. Price was very reasonable on the one's I got.
John: You posted a hatter's bow and just recently you were talking about it again. You know what planking is where they worked at the kettle....did you ever hear of a planking pin or hatter's pin? I have one in my collection. Here's a picture of it. View attachment 12682
John, I am from Long Island and did a lot of work in Danbury, CT, at The Scott-Fanton Museun.. They have a big hatting display. I indexed all of their collection in the 1990s. I put ads in the Danbury newspapers that I was looking for hatters tools. Just got a few tollickers. One lady answered from upstate NY and I got a lot from her. Also from Long Island I got tools from a man who owned Frank and Son/John Reinitz, Inc. They were originally in NY City. John Reinitz made silk top hats. I was lucky to get a lot of tools from him, including irons, tollickers, etc., plus blocks and flanges but I did not have too much luck in Danbury.