Steve wrote....."
.  I am curious as to how Martin's catalog is so often
> the reference found by those who are just getting into tools? ...  it does
leave me wondering how they typically get
> connected with that catalog and not, say, one of the other web based
> vendors, or a prices realized list from the auction of a local tool
> collectors association......"
>
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   Martin D. promotes his catalogs new and old ones pretty heavily as "Price
Guides" in various antique news papers and publications and I imagine lots
of non tool antique dealers and other people are exposed to them rather then
how should we say, ahem ... other venues that have a more realistic prices
for tools. I have a friend that has a antique shop and he  gets a good deal
on his obsolete catalogs and sells them out of his shop as price guides.He's
not a Tool man but now buys tools because of the high prices he sees them
for in the catalog, don't think he sells many though.Human nature as it is
you are more likely to go with the "price guide" with the highest prices
esp. when what you have is identical to the one in the guide.I had a friend
that was disappointed that his plane which was NIB didn't go for as much on
ebay as the identical ,[and it was identical]one that was in the catalog
with out the box.I told him his sold  for what I thought was more then a
fair price and maybe the catalog one didn't,[I don't know]...  I imagine
Martin D. sells lots and lots of tools but I would bet he makes out better
with the catalog sales and I always sort of think of him as a catalog and
"price guide" seller that also sells tools, nothing wrong with that of
course...............Todd