The sad part about many of the old B&S vernier, protractor heads, height gages and depth gages is the neglected and poor finish on so much of what you find for sale. Some micrometers look absolutely horrible, and not just the frames, sometimes even the anvils and the spindles too. Literally rust, on anvils and spindles! Some appear to have come out of old welding shops, appearing as though they layed on welding tables next to the chipping hammer!
I recall the first really poor condition micrometers I ever saw was when I was in HS. I was at a friend's house visiting. They were wealthier than my folks and lived in the silk stocking district. His pop was an engineer. Anyway, we were dinking around at his dad's workbench and one of us opened a drawer. Within was a large wooden box that contained 4-5 micrometers. I don't recall the brand but they surely were a quality USA made brand. Every micrometer was eaten up with rust. That was just so sad to see. I knew what I was looking at and how the micrometers were supposed to look. I never forgot that.
