as-is Howard's 1867 Patent bevel square w/ fancy brass handle

Description

You are bidding on one Howard's Patent brass (or bronze) bevel square as pictured. There are some condition issues, so please keep reading.
It is marked "PAT NOV 5, 1867" on one side of the handle, and is unmarked on the other side. There is a blank pad there where you would think it would be marked, but there is not a mark there.
Leonard D Howard of St Johnsbury, Vermont, was granted patent 70,570, on November 5, 1867, for his bevel improvements.
Overall blade length is about 7-15/16".
Overall handle length is about 5-5/16".
The nut and screw that are holding the blade are obviously not original, as there should be a thumbscrew that threads into the body. But there aren't any threads inside that hole, so there is no way to secure it. The hole diameter is about .212", but I don't know the thread diameter.
Condition of the handle would otherwise be good, with quite a bit of tarnish in places. There are no cracks or chips or chunks missing from the handle, and the blade fits inside the handle as expected.
Condition of the blade is poor to fair, with quite a bit of pitting. It would benefit from a bit of straightening.
SHIPPING: 1 pound when boxed, insurance is included.
No International shipping.
I sell what I enjoy, and I collect antique woodworking tools and I enjoy photography!
The queue is overflowing with tools right now, as they seem to be finding me faster than I can list them. So please keep watching my postings as I have LOTS more to list!
Searching my listings: I have lots to see! Some of you will undoubtedly enjoy browsing through everything, but if you want to hone in on something specific, I suggest you click on the "Visit Store" link in Seller Information section in the upper right of this listing. That will lead you to my extensive system of categories.
You might ask: How can I know when you start new listings? The answer: please click the "Sign Up For Newsletter" link that is just above and to the left of this description, and you will get an email every Friday with my new listings, as well as an email whenever I put any of my Buy It Now items on sale.
ETHICS IN DESCRIPTIONS: I also buy for my collecting on eBay, and I have been burned too many times by misleading (duh did I forget to mention .......) descriptions, and auctions with pictures only of the left side because the right side was trashed. Life is much simpler for me if I disclose what I know or see about an item before you bid, and especially before you receive it in the mail. I come from the handshake school of doing business, and hopefully you are like me and understand what that means. What goes around, comes around.
RETURN POLICY: I believe that if you give honest descriptions, and include enough pictures, you shouldn't need a return policy. However, that doesn't mean that I won't make an occasional mistake. Please bid with the assurance that if I have made an error in my listing, I WILL take care of you. And if you have made an error, and bought the wrong size, for example, I will still take care of you (but I’ll let you pay the return shipping!).
SALES TAX: Interstate sales tax is rapidly becoming a reality in more and more states. If I ship to a state where eBay is required to collect sales tax, eBay will charge you the sales tax for that state.
There is lots of information available from eBay that explains it in much more detail. The sales tax is completely out of my hands -- I don't have anything to do with deciding whether to charge tax, I don't have anything to do with deciding the tax rate, and I never see any of the funds that are collected, they go directly to eBay.
SELLING OUTSIDE OF EBAY: Why would I risk my lengthy good standing with eBay to save you a couple of dollars? Especially when you ask on an email that is sent through the eBay email system? Please don't ask, the answer is no.
SHIPPING IN THE US: I would rather that you spend your money on my stuff, and not on shipping.
I package well, and have a great track record
of getting everything to each buyer, and getting it there in one piece.
I try to pick the best shipping option for each listing, based on what is the least expensive, and based on what I think is needed to protect the item. I use the US Post Office for everything. If the value is 0 or over, eBay requires your signature at the USPS delivery for the buyer and seller protections to be in effect.
USPS POSTAGE RATE INCREASE AS OF January. Every year the US Postal Service raises rates in mid to late January, and this year is no exception.
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: I no longer ship Internationally.
AUCTIONS: I won’t end an auction listing early to sell it to you directly. As a bidder, I really dislike going back at the end of an auction to bid, only to discover that the seller had ended the auction early. So I won’t do that for you, or to you.
PACKAGING: Please check my feedback -- I package well. I figure if you take the time to purchase from me, then I can take the time to package it well, and not just throw it into a cereal box with a scrap of newspaper.
I hope someday I will meet some of you as we trudge the happy road of tool collecting!