Item RR9 - Stephens & Co. Un-numbered 4-Fold,
2-Foot Rule Special Scale.
When I first looked at this rule, it
struck me as being quite odd. On the inside the inches are of normal length,
with the extended rule reading out to 24 inches. But on the outside (where the
Stephens name is marked, the rule reads out to 20 inches. In other words the
“inches” are about 1 ¼ inches long! At first I thought that this side was
graduated in a foreign country inch (an Austrian Zoll for example). But now I
think that is a scale dedicated to working with an architectural scale that is
set to 1 inch per foot. The rule is un-numbered, but it is a fully bound
boxwood rule with arch joint and edge plates. In this respect it is identical
to the Stephens No. 49 (a la Stanley No. 54) rule. The special purpose
graduations make it special. The rule is in generally very nice condition, but
at some point a moron used it as a tack hammer, putting dents in the finish at
the first and last ½” of the outer sides. Good+
Price - $100.00