Stanley Plane Value: Bailey Numbers, Types and Bedrocks

A Stanley hand plane is usually worth $25-165 as of October 2026. The common No. 4 smoother and No. 5 jack sell for about $25-60 rusty and as found, and dealer sales of cleaned, tuned examples run about $90-165. The planes worth real money are the small sizes, the Bedrocks and the combination planes: in dealer sales a No. 2 brings a median of about $295, a Bedrock 602 about $1,195 and a No. 1 about $1,495, and a complete No. 55 roughly $300-700.

Stanley made Bailey pattern bench planes in New Britain, Connecticut, from 1869 and sold millions of them, so most planes found in garages are common, useful tools that sell to woodworkers. The number cast at the toe tells you which plane you have, and a handful of small features, documented in the collectors' type study, tell you within a few years when it was made. Those two facts, plus how much original black japanning is left, set the price.

Quick answer

• No. 3, 4, 5 and 6: about $25-60 as found; cleaned dealer sales about $90-185, with the No. 4 at a median of $115.
• No. 7 and No. 8 jointers: about $175-325 in dealer sales.
• No. 2: about $285-380; No. 1: about $1,395-1,695 in dealer sales.
• Bedrock 604: about $255-360; Bedrock 602: about $925-1,295.
• Combination planes, complete with cutters: No. 45 roughly $150-400, No. 55 roughly $300-700, more when boxed. Sales vary widely.

How to identify and value a Stanley plane, step by step

1. Read the number at the toe. Bench planes have their size cast into the bed in front of the knob, such as "No 4" or just "4". Stanley's Bailey pattern runs from No. 1 (5 1/2 inches long) to No. 8 (24 inches). A "C" after the number means a corrugated sole, with grooves across the bottom.
2. Check for "BED ROCK" at the toe. Bedrock planes carry a 600-series number, 602 to 608, matching the Bailey sizes: a 604 is a No. 4 size Bedrock.
3. Measure the length. It confirms the number: No. 2 about 7 inches, No. 3 about 8, No. 4 about 9, No. 5 about 14, No. 6 about 18, No. 7 about 22, No. 8 about 24. The 1/2 sizes (4 1/2, 5 1/2) are wider and heavier versions.
4. Look behind the frog. With the plane upright, look at the bed between the frog and the rear handle. Patent dates cast here date the plane: "MAR-25-02" and "AUG-19-02" mean 1902 to 1907, "APR-19-10" means 1910 or later, and "MADE IN U.S.A." here means 1931 or later.
5. Check for a lateral adjuster. The lever behind the iron that tilts the blade side to side arrived in 1885. Without it, a No. 2 to No. 8 is from before 1885 and is worth more to collectors. The tiny No. 1 never had one, so its absence there means nothing.
6. Read the lever cap and the iron. The heart-shaped "SW" Sweetheart logo on the iron marks about 1919 to 1932. A kidney-shaped hole in the lever cap means 1933 or later. "STANLEY" in a notched rectangle on the lever cap marks 1925 on.
7. Look at the handles. Rosewood totes and knobs are standard on most years. Red-stained or black-painted hardwood points to the World War II years, 1942 to 1947.
8. Judge the japanning and parts. Collectors grade by the percentage of original black japanning left, and they check for cracked totes, chipped mouths, cracked cheeks and replaced irons or lever caps.

How do you date a Stanley plane with the type study?

The type study sorts Stanley Bailey bench planes into 20 types by small changes in castings and parts. The version published on Hyperkitten, a long-running antique tool dealer's site, is the one most sellers quote. The useful checkpoints:

Parts were swapped over a century of use, so judge the casting itself (patent dates, toe casting, frog receiver) first and the lever cap and iron second. A plane with all parts of the same type is a collector's plane; a mixed one is a user.

What are Stanley planes worth?

These are dealer sold prices for clean, complete planes, as compiled by Benchlot from dealers such as the Jim Bode value guide and Ted Dawson Antique Tools, except the combination planes, which are rougher ranges from scattered dealer and eBay sales. Planes bought as found at sales and on marketplaces sell well below them.

The as-found column is a rougher estimate. Marketplace asking prices on Benchlot run at roughly half of dealer sold prices (a median ask of about $65 for a No. 5 against $125 sold by dealers), which is about the gap between a rusty plane and one that has been cleaned, sharpened and checked.

What makes a Bedrock plane different, and is it worth more?

A Bedrock is Stanley's premium bench plane, made from 1898 to 1943 according to Patrick Leach's Blood and Gore reference. The frog sits flat on a fully machined seat in the bed, and it can be adjusted without removing the iron. That made it a better tool, and it costs more today. Early Bedrocks have rounded tops to the sides; later ones have flat-topped sides, which came in with the frog clamping screws of the 1910s, before 1925. The lever cap reads "STANLEY / R. & L. Co. / BED ROCK" on the earliest, then "STANLEY / BED ROCK" from about 1910, then "BED ROCK" alone, and "STANLEY" only from about 1925. The size number, 602 to 608, and BED ROCK are cast at the toe. Benchlot's dealer sales put the 604 at a median of $295, against $115 for a Bailey No. 4 of the same size, and the small 602 at $1,195.

Why are the No. 45 and No. 55 worth so much more when complete?

They are combination planes: one body that, with interchangeable cutters, cuts grooves, beads, dados, tongues and moldings. The No. 45 was made from 1884 to 1962, and the No. 55 from 1897 to 1962. Leach notes that the No. 55 originally shipped with 52 cutters, not 55, and that a complete set of the optional extra No. 45 cutters in their original boxes is worth more than the plane itself. Completeness is everything: missing fences, depth stops, spurs, the slitting cutter or the cutter boxes all take money off, and cracked or welded fence castings are common. A No. 55 with all four cutter boxes full and its wooden box sells at the top of its range; a body alone is a parts plane.

A worked example

Say you find a 9-inch Stanley plane in a garage, rusty, with "4" cast at the toe. Behind the frog the bed reads "APR-19-10" with other patent dates, the iron has a V logo, and the tote and knob are rosewood with one small chip. That points to Type 11, 1910 to 1918. About 70 percent of the japanning remains and the sole has light surface rust but no pitting. As found it is a $40-60 plane. Cleaned, sharpened and set up, a dealer would sell the same plane for about $100-125. If the toe had read BED ROCK 604, it would be worth roughly twice as much, and if it measured 5 1/2 inches with a "1" at the toe, it would be a four-figure plane.

How to sell a Stanley plane

A common No. 3, 4, 5 or 6 sells to a woodworker, not a collector, and it sells as found. Marketplace asking prices run at roughly half of dealer sold prices; the gap is the cleaning and sharpening a dealer does. Everything else goes singly: a No. 1, a No. 2, any Bedrock, a pre-1885 plane with no lateral adjuster, a corrugated small size, and a No. 45 or No. 55 with its cutters and boxes, which must never be split up.

Where to sell:

• A general marketplace for the common bench planes, priced from sold results for the same number and type.
• An antique tool dealer or a tool collectors' group such as the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association for the small sizes, the Bedrocks and complete combination planes.

Photograph the plane from the side with a ruler, the toe from above for the number and any BED ROCK casting, the bed behind the frog for the patent dates, the lever cap and both faces of the iron, the sole, and the tote and knob where cracks start. For a No. 45 or 55, lay out every part and cutter box. State the type and the percentage of japanning left.

Cast iron breaks in the post, so pad every side and double box anything larger than a No. 4.

Do not sandblast or repaint before selling. Declare a cracked tote, chipped mouth, cracked cheek or replaced iron, say whether the parts are all one type, and do not call a No. 4 rare.

Common mistakes

• Treating every old Stanley as rare. The No. 4 and No. 5 are the most common hand planes in America and are priced as tools.
• Sandblasting or repainting. Stripping the japanning takes a collector plane down to user value. Clean rust gently and leave the finish.
• Missing the Bedrock. Check the toe for BED ROCK before pricing any Stanley.
• Splitting a combination plane kit. Sell the No. 45 or No. 55 with every cutter, box and part together.
• Buying a No. 1 without checking. Leach warns that reproduction No. 1 planes exist and fool beginners. On an original, the threaded rod of the depth adjuster runs parallel to the sole; on reproductions it tilts up toward the tote.
• Confusing a Stanley Handyman or a later import with a Bailey. Post-1960s and budget lines sell for $10-30.

How WorthPic reads Stanley plane photos

WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From a photo of the plane from the side and from above, it reads the number at the toe, whether BED ROCK is cast there, the patent dates on the bed, the lever cap logo and hole shape, the logo on the iron and the tote wood, which together place the plane by model and type. It reads the remaining japanning, rust, chips and cracks, and on a combination plane it checks which parts and cutters are visible. It then gives an honest value range with a most likely figure, separately as found and cleaned when that matters. What it cannot know from a photo is whether the sole is flat, the frog seats properly or a crack hides under grime, and it cannot prove a No. 1 is not a reproduction. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.

What to photograph

• The plane from the side, full length, with a ruler.
• The toe from above, for the number and any BED ROCK casting.
• The bed behind the frog, for patent dates.
• The lever cap and both faces of the iron, for logos.
• The sole, for corrugations, flatness and pitting.
• The tote and knob, where cracks start.
• Every part and cutter box of a combination plane, laid out.

When to get it looked at in person

A common Bailey plane does not need an expert; the type table and a sold-price search will place it. A No. 1, a No. 2, any Bedrock, an early pre-lateral plane, a corrugated small size or a complete No. 55 is worth showing to an antique tool dealer or a tool collectors' group, such as the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, before it is sold, and the best of them sell well at specialist tool auctions. For the rest of the bench, see our guides to antique tools, anvils and grinding stones, and our antique furniture identification guide for the workbench itself. For the wider picture of how we value collectibles, from hand tools to kitchenware, the category page gathers all of those guides.

Sources

• Hyperkitten: Stanley Bailey bench plane type study: the 20 types with dates and the features that identify each one.
• Patrick Leach, Blood and Gore: Bed Rock planes: Bedrock production years, lever cap markings and side shapes.
• Patrick Leach, Blood and Gore: No. 45, No. 55 and No. 1: No. 45 and No. 55 years, cutter counts and cutter sets, No. 1 size, lateral adjuster date and reproductions.
• Benchlot: Stanley No. 1 sold prices: dealer sold prices for the No. 1, with linked pages for the No. 2 to No. 8 and the Bedrocks.
• AntiqBuyer: Stanley planes past sales archive: a dealer's sold prices for No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 to No. 8 planes by type and condition.