Giant Texas Hammer Collection

Giant Texas Hammer Collection FARM SHOP Tools 34-1-16 After our story last issue about Dale Palmer's huge hammer collection in Pennsylvania, a reader informed us that Texas has a big hammer collector, too. Butch Lackey of Center Point started his collection of nearly 3,000 hammers 45 years ago. He was driving a semi out of California when he picked up a toolbox that had fallen out of someone's truck. It contained several hammers among the tools. That's all it took for Lackey to start watching for hammers at garage sales and flea markets. He often buys just the hammer head and puts on his own handles. Lackey notes that many of his hammers are duplicates and he even buys new hammers made in Japan. The interesting part of his collection is the artistic designs he uses to display the hammers. He built stud walls inside an 8 by 40-ft. shipping container, covered with 3/4-in. plywood. He screws the handles to the walls, some with hammerheads up, some down, sometimes in ring patterns. He even screws hammers to the ceiling. "Everybody thinks I'm crazy," Lackey laughs, but then they want to stop in and see his collection. He gives informal tours to people who call ahead. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Butch Lackey, P.O. Box 157, Center Point, Texas 78010 (ph 830 634-7783).

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