Coes Wrench Co.
L. Coes & Co.
A. G. Coes & Co.
L. & A.G. Coes
Worcester,
Massachusetts
DATM
(1999) includes the following information on the Coes of Worcester. The
price list graphic is reprinted from the EAIA. Click the graphics to see a
larger version.
L. & A.G. Coes
In
1836, Loring and Aury Gates Coes bought the wool machine business of Kimball
& Fuller and continued making these machines until 1839 (apparently using
some other name.) In 1841 they formed the L. & A.G Coes partnership
and started making wrenches under a 16 April 1841 patent. The mark used
was L. & A.G. COES | WORCESTER, MASS. In 1853, they bought the
shear-blade and knife business of Moses Clement. In the early 1860s they
bought the Taft & Gleason wrench business. In 1869 they separated
forming the two businesses described below.
Herb Page adds: "During the period of 1848 to 1852 the firm of L & A.G.
Coes contracted with the firm of Ruggles, Nourse & Mason on a 5 year term to
market the entire production of wrenches produced by this fledgeling firm.
R.N.& M. had branches in both Worcester and Boston and the wrenches produced
during this time period were stamped with 1) "L. Coes Patent", 2) "Ruggles,
Nourse & Mason" if space permitted, depending on size of wrench and 3)
"Boston & Worcester" indicating the sales outlets of the marketing
firm. These wrenches were manufactured in Worcester at the firm of L &
A. G. Coes."
Loring Coes & Co.
Loring Coes was born in 1812 and died in
1907. His company's working dates are from 1869 to 1900 in Worcester,
Massachusetts. He was formerly part of L. & A. G. Coes. L. Coes
& Co. began with the shear blade and knife part of L. & A. G. Coes, but
later resumed making wrenches. Coes Wrench Co. merged back into L. Coes
& Co. in 1888 and the company continued using both names. The company
mark is L. COES & CO. | WORCESTER, MASS. Loring Coes had wrench
patents dated: 10 Nov. 1863, 23 Feb. 1864, 23 March 1869, 1 June 1869, 10 Aug.
1869, 26 Oct. 1869, 9 Jan. 1877, 6 July 1880, 8 July 1884, 12 July 1887, 15 Dec.
1891, 29 Dec. 1891 and 14 Aug. 1894. The Davistown Museum has received
communications from an owner of a wrench with the L. Coes mark and a pat'd date
of Apr. 30, 1895. A second owner has a bar wrench (crescent wrench) with
this patent date.
Aury Gates Coes & Co.
Aury Gates Coes was born in 1817 and
died in 1875. His company made wrenches from 1869 to 1881 in Worcester,
Massachusetts. He was formerly part of L. & A. G. Coes. His sons
continued the business after his death until changing the name to Coes Wrench
Co. in 1881 or 1885 (sources differ). The company mark is A.G.COES &
Co. | WORCESTER | MASS with the name line curved. His wrenches were also
commonly marked with just his name and the patent date 6 March 1866 or 26 Dec.
1871.
Coes Wrench Co.
This companies working dates are from 1885 or 1881
to 1928 in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was originally A.G. Coes & Co.
and made both knives and wrenches. The company merged back into the L.
Coes & Co. in 1888, but both names continued to be used as marks. At
some time, the company was acquired by Billings & Spencer or Bemis &
Call (sources differ.) The mark was different configurations of the maker
name, city and state.
For more information on Coes wrenches see the discussion in our information
file on Boston
wrenches.
Coes Reservoir is a 100-acre property at the Worcester headwaters in the
Tatnuck Brook Watershed. The historic Coes Knife Company – where the monkey
wrench was invented in 1840 – formerly occupied the site.
References
Cope,
K. The Coes Wrench Company.
Page,
Herb. Reach for the wrench: Coes key model.
- To the right is the cover from The Fine Tool Journal issue
containing this article. "Mr. Oldwrench stands beside the 6-foot
Coes Key Model that did not, in the end, get away. Patent diagram
to the right." (pg. 3). Click the photo to see an enlargement.
Page,
Herb. "No name" wrenches.
Page,
Herb. Reach for the Wrench: The Evolution of Baby Coes Wrenches.
Page,
Herb. Reach for the Wrench: The Song of the Monkey-wrench. |
 |
Links
Blue Book of American Shipping: Marine
and Naval Directory of the United States, 1903, Cleveland, OH: Marine Review
Publishing Co., page 443.
The Edinburgh
City Libraries: Glasgow reference page states:
"Andrew Young McDonald
(b.1834), born in Eglinton Street, was orphaned at an early age and emigrated
with his aunt to America in 1854. He worked as a plumber in Cleveland, Ohio,
then St. Louis, Missouri before finally settling at Duboque, Iowa where he
established his own plumber’s business. He became a US citizen in 1860. He
enlisted in the First Iowa Infantry on the side of the Unionists in the Civil
War. He invented a screw wrench that was identical to the monkey wrench used
today and sold the patent to Coes & Co. of Worcester, Massachusetts, one of
the country’s leading manufacturers." The Chicago
Scotts club adds "he was granted patent #38316 for improvements in screw
wrenches. He was offered $500 for his patent."
Coes pattern
wrench
Loring
and Aury Gates Coes tools in the Museum collection.
