The hobbyist’s careful tool may be worth more in use than a stranger understands in price.

Some value is only legible from inside the practice. A plane, a rod, or a machine kept sharp and set up exactly right will fetch very little, and it does something no replacement can do straight away, because part of its worth is the years of adjustment inside it. Price captures the object and not the relationship. To a stranger clearing a shed, it is an old tool.

If you are helping someone sort belongings, ask what things are for before deciding what they are worth. If they are yours, note down what matters about the few that would be misread.