The Brothers Coes and Their Legacy of Wrenches
by Herbert E. Page
This review of Herb Page's new book, "The Brothers COES and Their Legacy of
Wrenches" is copied from the March 2005 issue of the
"Missouri Valley Wrench Club Newsletter".
with the permission of Stan Schulz, Newsletter editor.
Herb Page is the pre-eminent student of COES wrenches and the family that produced them. He relates facts about the family's companies' histories that current family members didn't know. He includes a comprehensive list of patents produced, owned, and used by the COES companies in relation to their wrench production. A narrative chapter describes the design and production details, and distinguishing features of all wrenches known to have been produced by the COES companies from their inception through the end of production of COES wrenches in the mid-1960s and a bibliography of the Coes Brothers.
Herb shows pictures of the principals, maps and drawings showing where the factories were located and what they looked like. He has pictures of rare items like patent models, "only known examples" of several wrenches, and advertising materials issued by the companies. Several pictures are in color. Herb has included a supplement with price ranges for the wrenches shown in the chapter "The Genealogy of COES Wrenches."
I find some new tidbit every time I open The Brothers COES and Their Legacy of Wrenches. Anyone who has seen Herb's collection or handled wrenches he has repaired knows how Herb attends to details and tries for perfection. The same characteristics shine through in this book. The book combines family history, industrial history, and patent and advertising history to help us understand and appreciate all the details that appear on the tools. Herb drew on a wide range of resources to compile and publish The Brothers Coes and Their Legacy of Wrenches. I predict that once you see a copy, you'll decide you need one for yourself. -- Stan Schulz, Editor, MVWC Newsletter.
Herb Page is the pre-eminent student of COES wrenches and the family that produced them. He relates facts about the family's companies' histories that current family members didn't know. He includes a comprehensive list of patents produced, owned, and used by the COES companies in relation to their wrench production. A narrative chapter describes the design and production details, and distinguishing features of all wrenches known to have been produced by the COES companies from their inception through the end of production of COES wrenches in the mid-1960s and a bibliography of the Coes Brothers.
Herb shows pictures of the principals, maps and drawings showing where the factories were located and what they looked like. He has pictures of rare items like patent models, "only known examples" of several wrenches, and advertising materials issued by the companies. Several pictures are in color. Herb has included a supplement with price ranges for the wrenches shown in the chapter "The Genealogy of COES Wrenches."
I find some new tidbit every time I open The Brothers COES and Their Legacy of Wrenches. Anyone who has seen Herb's collection or handled wrenches he has repaired knows how Herb attends to details and tries for perfection. The same characteristics shine through in this book. The book combines family history, industrial history, and patent and advertising history to help us understand and appreciate all the details that appear on the tools. Herb drew on a wide range of resources to compile and publish The Brothers Coes and Their Legacy of Wrenches. I predict that once you see a copy, you'll decide you need one for yourself. -- Stan Schulz, Editor, MVWC Newsletter.
Spiral bound, 8 1/2 by 11 inches, 86 pages with a price guide supplement
