Sorby · Bevel edge
Three different Sheffield firms put Sorby on a chisel, and that's the first thing to sort out when you see one listed. John Sorby & Sons of Spital Hill marked its tools I & H SORBY from 1827, beside a hanging-sheep mark. Lockwood Brothers bought the firm in 1844, and in 1932 the mark went to Turner, Naylor & Co., by then owned by Marples. The I. SORBY mark, with Mr Punch added in 1859, came from a separate line of edge-tool makers that Marples bought in 1909. Robert Sorby & Sons, registered in 1828, ran the Kangaroo Works, branded its tools with a kangaroo and still makes chisels in Sheffield. Registered isn't a trademark of any of them. It's an old trade name for a heavy, hooped firmer built to be struck, so a Sorby Registered bevel edge listing usually just means a Sorby bevel-edge chisel described loosely.
Identify and date it
Read the maker's stamp first. I & H SORBY, sometimes with a hanging sheep, is John Sorby & Sons; I. SORBY with a Punch figure is the Turner, Naylor line; a kangaroo or the Robert Sorby name is Robert Sorby. Modern Robert Sorby bench chisels have boxwood, rosewood or ash handles and a small indentation the company calls its hallmark, left by a hardness test.
If you’ll use it
Robert Sorby still makes boxwood-handled bevel-edge chisels with a bolster, ferrule and leather washer, so a used modern one is a straightforward user buy.
Old bevel-edge chisels have usually been honed back a long way, and the narrow side lands chip. Wooden handles split at the ferrule or the top if they've been hammered.
Buying guide
Most of the 13 or so Sorby bevel-edge chisels listed ask $35–50 delivered, and for a user we'd buy a clearly stamped Robert Sorby in that band, like the 3/4-inch No. 167 titled nice clean at $44 delivered. Three Sheffield firms put Sorby on a chisel, so read the stamp in the photos for I & H SORBY, I. SORBY with Mr Punch, or Robert Sorby's kangaroo, and check the narrow side lands for chips and the handle for splits at the ferrule and the top. Seven of the 13 ship from the UK for $18–30, which can nearly triple a $14 chisel, so compare delivered prices. The I. SORBY chisels ask more, a Mr Punch 1 1/2-inch at $76 delivered with no bids yet, and we'd skip the $145 I. SORBY titled with a dragon logo, since Mr Punch is the mark that goes with that name.
$19.17est. delivered
The lowest price on a Sorby bevel edge here, a 7/8-inch Robert Sorby with a boxwood handle at about $19 delivered, but it's a no-bid auction and will climb. We'd stop near $22 bid, since the cheapest fixed-price Sorby here comes to about $29 delivered.
Vintage Robert Sorby Sheffield Bevel Edge Flat Chisel 7/8" Boxwood
$43.85est. delivered
A 3/4-inch Robert Sorby No. 167 titled nice clean, inside the $35–50 band and shipping from the US, so you skip the $18–30 UK shipping that pads most of the cheap ones. Check the side lands and the back near the edge in the photos.
Robert Sorby No. 167 Beveled Edge Chisel 3/4" Wide Sheffield England Nice Clean
$48.61est. delivered
Titled N.O.S., this is Robert Sorby's No. 166, the boxwood bevel edge with a bolster, ferrule and leather washer, at $49 delivered, just under the band top. With no honing wear or hammered handle to judge, it's the easy first buy if 3/8 inch suits your work.
Robert Sorby No. 166 Beveled Edge Chisel 3/8" N.O.S
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$19.17est. delivered
$13.00 + $6.17 shipping
Auction · no bids yet · ends in 2d 6h
Good buy
7/8 inch, boxwood handle. No bids yet.
Seller: mar_294939
100% positive
Used$43.85est. delivered
$34.50 + $9.35 shipping
Buy It Now$34.50
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
3/4-inch No. 167, titled nice clean. Ships from the US.
Seller: mahu_448
99.9% positive
New old stock$48.61est. delivered
$41.99 + $6.62 shipping
Buy It Now$41.99
Good buy
3/8-inch No. 166, titled N.O.S.
Seller: ahey3
100% positive
Used$29.12est. delivered
$10.59 + $18.53 shipping
Buy It Now$10.59
Our take
1/4 inch with a plastic Splitproof handle, a later user chisel. Ships from the UK.
Seller: vintagecarpentrytools
100% positive
Used$39.57est. delivered
$14.13 + $25.44 shipping
Buy It Now$14.13
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
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Our take
12 mm, Kangaroo Brand. $25 of the total is UK shipping.
Seller: phebz08
100% positive
Used$45.41est. delivered
$37.46 + $7.95 shipping
Buy It Now$37.46
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
No width in the title. Ask whether 10.5 inches is the blade or overall.
Seller: sin_city_thrifters
100% positive
Used$76.10est. delivered
$46.32 + $29.78 shipping
Auction · no bids yet · ends in 7d 9h
Our take
1 1/2-inch I. Sorby with the Mr Punch mark, 16 3/4 inches long. No bids yet; ships from the UK.
Seller: samy4live
100% positive
Used$145.03est. delivered
$129.33 + $15.70 shipping
Buy It Now$129.33
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
A dragon logo doesn't fit the I. SORBY name, whose mark is Mr Punch. About 3.5 times the median.
Seller: getagripandmorenj
100% positive
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