Some older things I cannot date are some of my grandfathers tools.
Born poor in 1896 in east London UK.
He was a Bernardo Home child who came to Canada with his brother, when he was 4 and brother was 6.
They landed with a nice farm couple who could not have kids.
So unlike so many Home Children, they had a nurturing adoptive situation.
Had a horse he loved, etc.
'Mom's' brother ran a mining gear manufacturing factory in town.
So gramps started rooming with the uncle in summers when he was 8 and worked as a tool room runner.
Swapping lathe bits from machinists to go to the tool room for sharpening, etc.
By the time he was 14 he started as a machinist apprentice, and was well liked by the crew
So older journeymen would give/sell him their older tool box tools, and he woud fix them and use them.
That is how he got his machinist tool box started.
He took 4 years off to serve as a drover with horses carrying shells forward for a 20lb gun crew in the First world War.
Had 5 different horses killed while doing that job.
He could not love a horse after the war, having seen all the horses that he cared for killed.
By the time he retired at age 73 he was back in the tool room as lead machinist.
The Company, as was the practice at the time, counted his military service in his years at work.
So when he retired he got the record long service pin, having worked there for 65 years.
I have his compass, dividers, center punch, tap holder, die holder, adjustable angle tool stamped Stanley No. 2, etc.