CollectingSnapOn.com

I recently purchased a set of sockets online. Upon receiving them I found out that I did not receive a "set" as advertised but rather 16 sockets with a couple of duplicates. When purchasing them I had no idea how old they really were, I just wanted a shallow impact socket set from a good name brand. The sockets range from 7/16" to 1 7/16". They all have the knurled band around the center of them with the S over O stamped on them. They also have " E J K" stamped on them. What does all this mean? If they are as old as I think they are should I still use them as impact sockets? or should I save them as an antique? Are they really worth anything other than just using them as I would any socket? Thank you for your time and any comments are appreciated.

S O overstrike sockets are very early Snap on sockets from the 1920's. They are NOT impact sockets. Should be worth some bucks, as a nice "set" is harder to find than individual sockets. Post a pic.

They are pre 1927, Snap On OEMed the first sockets from the outside and these were stamped S over O. As sockets, they split and they are heavy, but very nice to have.

The date codes came in in 1927, but the strike over socket era is generally believed to be from around 1921-24, however evidence has turned up to suggest that they were still being sold or possible marked off the production line as late as 1925. There is a marking difference between the S/O era, and the date code era, with a different sized and shaped "Snap-on" logo.

The EJK stamp is an owner marking, and is not uncommon, and for this era, just adds character and history to them.


Are any of the S/O marked sockets you have 4 point?

No, I do not have any 4 point sockets Chad S., they are all 6 point in what I would consider really good shape. I tried to upload a couple of pics of what I have. The pics show where it is stamped with the EJK and also the letter F. The second pic shows the S/O overstrike. This is the way they all are with the exception of a duplicate 7/8" which is numbered 280. The other sockets are sized accordingly as 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 11/16, 13/16, 25/32, 7/8, 15/16, 15/16, 31/32, 1, 1 1/8, 1 1/4, 1 3/8, 1 7/16. It was called a 16 piece set even though it is missing a few.

bear1146 wrote:No, I do not have any 4 point sockets Chad S., they are all 6 point in what I would consider really good shape. I tried to upload a couple of pics of what I have. The pics show where it is stamped with the EJK and also the letter F. The second pic shows the S/O overstrike. This is the way they all are with the exception of a duplicate 7/8" which is numbered 280. The other sockets are sized accordingly as 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 11/16, 13/16, 25/32, 7/8, 15/16, 15/16, 31/32, 1, 1 1/8, 1 1/4, 1 3/8, 1 7/16. It was called a 16 piece set even though it is missing a few.

Are they all 1/2 drive? Standard issue over 31/32 would be 5/8 drive, and the drive sizes crossed over in the larger 1/2 drive sizes and smaller 5/8 drive sizes. There were some exceptions to the rule, and 1/2 drive over 31/32 have turned up. If you have any larger 1/2 drive sizes and would be interested in selling them, let me know.

How many are 1/2 dr. how many are overstrikes, is the 1-7/16 a overstrike, if so what is the measerment for the height.

I am sorry about the pics folks but I just can't get them to attach. However I will keep trying. I did not notice before but the bigger sizes are 5/8 drive. The biggest 1/2 drives are the 1" and the 7/8". They are all overstrike except for the 1/2 in.dr. 9/16 and the 5/8 in.dr. 7/8 sockets. The 1 7/16" socket has the overstrike and is 2" deep. To be honest I don't know much about these and would like to learn a little more about them before I sell them.