Stanley No. 9-1/2 Block Plane

How to identify it

• 6 inch body, 1-5/8 inch iron, and an eccentric lever at the front that slides the toe piece to open or close the mouth.
• Standard 20 degree bed. The low-angle equivalent is the 60-1/2, which is visibly shallower at the front.
• The knuckle-joint-cap version of this plane is the No. 18.

Photograph needed: Stanley No. 9-1/2 Block Plane - overall view, plus a close-up of the toe and bed markings

Buying and using

Made for well over a century, so the range in quality is enormous. A pre-war example with a crisp mouth adjuster is a fine tool; a late one is often loose and pitted.

The same size from other makers

These do the same job at the same size. Parts do not interchange between makers, but the shaving does not know the difference - and where one maker commands a collector premium, another usually does not.

Every size, every maker

What it is worth

• user / incomplete $15–$30
• complete, honest wear $35–$70
• excellent, pre-war $80–$160

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 200 sales. manually filtered sold listings Confidence: medium.

These are researched estimates for a private sale in average light, not an appraisal. Condition, completeness and type move a price further than any of these bands do.

Sources

• reference-site
  Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach
• book
  Stanley Tools: Guide to Identity and Value — John Walter