Flea Market Find
 

I figured I would leave the title generic so we could all use it...

I got called into work because our alarm got set off, luckily it was just the cleaning folks not up to speed on the new system....

As we were leaving Heather "the enabler" casually mentioned we were only 2 exits from the local swap meet and the kids were still home in bed.... Hehe She's great!

The last stall on the last turn before the last row sells old tools. He had this really cool "40 year old leather punch" for just $20... I grinned and said you betcha!. I will cherish the look on his face when he got up the guts to ask " so, you seem happy, is it something rare?" I said it is an 1800's time frame buttonhole cutter, in fact it looks like a professional one".

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It is.

R. Heinisch was the maker of the finest professional tailoring scissors ever made according to several sources. He even employeed one young man named Jacob Wiss.... Heinisch sold his business to the Wiss family in 1914.

I found references for modern tailors who still use mid 1800's set of 13-15" Heinisch shears.. "they are just better."

This buttonhole cutter is sharp and uses a 10 position bronze adjustable anvil. 6 with keyhole in the end each a different length, and 4 with the cut at the front without the keyhole punch each a different length.

The name was changed to Heinisch & Son after the civil war but i do not know if the "maker mark" reflected that change.

here is a picture of a complete one. I will make the back gauge myself.
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Very cool find Steve! That's the sort of thing I would have walked right by due to my lack of knowledge. Maybe I should hit our local swap meet to see if I can add to this thread....

There's a sort of local landmark here called "Yard Birds". I grew up about 60 miles south of here. When I was a kid Yard Birds was a giant department store with a huge sporting goods section and it was always a special treat to me when we got to go shopping there. The building is still here along with the giant bird outside but it's no longer a department store. Part of the building is a grocery store and the rest is an indoor swap meet with some smaller businesses inside around the perimeter. It's always a fun place to look around and it's been a few weeks since I've been inside.
Rodney

Another great find, Steve. You find some gems.

I went to an antique show this weekend and looked in every booth that had tools.... but didn't find a treadle plier. I was hoping.... but no luck. Guess I keep looking.

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Those are so cool! What a great find. Since this is a "generic thread," I have a little story for you. It's kind of the opposite of yours.

My grandmother and I always did sewing stuff together. Both she and my grandfather had worked in the garment district in LA most of their lives. Gramma had these huge shears that were used to cut men's trousers at the factory and she always told me that she wanted me to have them when she passed on. Well, sadly, one day she was gone and the shears ended up in the estate sale before I had a chance to get them.

Many years later, I was browsing in our local antique store in Solvang. There they were, the exact pair of shears that my Gramma had! I asked the owner where he picked them up and he said the Pasadena Rose Bowl. My Gramma lived in S. Pasadena! Of course, I bought them right away and I still have them today. ~ Cindy

I have a pair of Heinisch shears. They scare me.

Yours looks like it's in better shape.