Defined by Absence

The so-called "cut-out-letter" malleable iron wrenches are an interesting subset of the old wrench enthusiasm.

The JOHN DEERE TR590 is probably on most collectors' "gee it would be nice to have one" list, and serious collectors know the location of every "known example." Would-be owners start ticking off who might be amenable to selling theirs, and set aside cash assets to move quickly if a deal seems possible. A few months ago, a "previously unknown" one came to light and people went to considerable lengths to determine its authenticity.

Frank Schneidermeyer at 2008 MVWC Spring Meeting

Some of the more common "cut-out-letter" wrenches most likely came with garden seeders and cultivators. A couple have unknown origins.

The CUT-OUT-LETTER set on the mvwcnews FLICKR site will eventually show all known cut-out-letter wrenches. In the mean time, here are a couple of examples from PLANET JR.

PLANET JR // K48 (both sides)

(top) PLANET JR // 2 , (below) unmarked