Why Collect Trowels?

The trowel is one of mankind's oldest tools. Its invention by people around the globe is a marker for a civilized society that worked metal and built with masonry. The first trowels were probably of wood, then bronze, iron, and finally steel. While other construction hand tools like the hammer and saw have been partly replaced by power tools, the trowel has not. The simple shape of centuries ago remains the best tool for the job today.

This continuity of design is one of the challenges of collecting trowels. Dating them is near impossible, and there are no written guides available. However, this should not interfere with the satisfaction of collecting a tool with such a long history.

Early Roman trowels