History

Dating

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Stanley 3 smoothing plane  

offered 1867 - 1984

ca 8" long with  a 1 3/4" cutter  

earlier model

A handy plane for small jobs. Parts are interchangeable with the 5 1/4 and the circular planes 20 & 113 (lever cap is a bit shorter than a 113 cap but it works ok)

IOB  in original box. If the box is as good as the plane it can easily double the price. I have found that a lot of dealers and collectors think the box automatically increases the value of the tool - regardless of condition. This might be true for the rarer models - for all others it's better to buy a good plane without box than an average plane in a box. Shipping boxed planes requires a bit of thought - unfortunately not a commodity you can take for granted. Never, ever put the plane in the box and wrap it all up! Always wrap the plane separately and pack every square millimetre of the empty space in the box with bubble wrap, paper etc. Even the slightest movement of the plane within its box can damage the precious Stanley box, regardless of the all the other packing you put around the outside.

Planes with a decal on the handle are SW vintage tools

SW stands for Stanley Works but is commonly known as Sweetheart because of the heart shape in the logo. The logo is found punched into cutters, usually  accompanied by a decal (sticker) on the handle or the plane body from around 1921 to 1935. SW vintage tools are widely regarded as the most collectable Stanley vintage tools. Decals: watch out for fakes, they are for sale on eBay.