Rachel, We work with the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association quite extensively and they may be a great resource for you (www.mwtca.org <http://www.mwtca.org/> ). There is also the Early American Industries Association (http://www.eaiainfo.org/). I also ran across the website for the Museum of Garden History (UK) when I was doing research on garden shears. I've never contacted them, but they might be a good place to start (http://www.compulink.co.uk/~museumgh/)? Good luck! Gretchen M. Goodell Assistant Curator George Washington's Mount Vernon P.O. Box 110 Mount Vernon, VA 22121 Phone: 703-799-5208 Fax: 703-799-8698 ________________________________ From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rachel Roberts Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 12:44 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Farm tools? Good morning! We recently received a donation of what look to my untrained eyes like ordinary shears that have been left outside for a number of years. A local resident found the shears in the bed of a creek, and he (and we) would like to know more about them, such as their approximate age. I have more experience with paper items that with farm or gardening tools, and I'm not sure how to find out the information, other than calling all of the farm-based museums in the area. Can anyone out there point me in the right direction? I'll be happy to share a picture of the shears with interested parties. Best regards, Rachel Roberts Dallas Historical Society [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> 214.421.4500 ext. 110 P. O. Box 150038 Dallas, TX 75315-0038 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).