Axel Leo Nelson

Axel L. Nelson was born in Sweden on January 23, 1868. He emigrated to the United States in 1890 and by 1901, if not earlier, he lived in Ottumwa, Iowa. That same year he received a patent for a "Suspender Attachment". He also received a patent in 1906 for a "Bit". For us though his most important patent was issued on December 27, 1904 (778,761) for a "Manacle" or what is more property called a nipper., since it was designed to hold a single wrist.  While in 1901 Nelson was a bartender, by 1907, if not earlier, he became a police officer.  His nipper is one of the most rare and infrequently encountered. The one I have is stamped with the patent date only, but at least one other is stamped B.L. Ward Co. The B.L. Ward Co. was a Machinery and Die Work, located in Ottumwa. One advertisement by this company stated, "Press and Drop Forging. Wood and metal pattern work. Assistance given in experimental work...Strict secrecy observed. Aluminum and Brass foundry. Nickel plating, copper plating, galvanizing, oxidizing, refinishing of gas and electric fixtures.  The company was owned by Bert L. Ward and G.L. White. 

Matt

As always great information Matt.

B.L. Ward

Bert Ward purchased the patent rights from Nelson and then got his own patent which you can see from Mark's patent illustrations above are quite similar.

Matt

Matt3114 wrote: ↑

Nov 26, 2020

Bert Ward purchased the patent rights from Nelson and then got his own patent which you can see from Mark's patent illustrations above are quite similar.

Matt

Burt Ward  (sp) most likely needed these for his crime fighting  agenda as a caped crusader!

Matt3114 wrote: ↑

Nov 24, 2020

Nelson nipper is one of the most rare and infrequently encountered.
The one I have is stamped with the patent date only, but at least one other is stamped B.L. Ward Co.
The B.L. Ward Co. was a Machinery and Die Work, located in Ottumwa Iowa.
The company was owned by Bert L. Ward and G.L. White. 

The connection with Nelson and Ward nippers is very obvious.
The location of the release button is the most major difference between the two.
The Nelson (Pat applied for March 14, 1904) has the release on the side and the Ward has it on the top. (Pat applied March 28, 1907)
The Ward has a slightly thicker or robust body which is needed for the release button to travel down to the ratchet.
Both have the December 27, 1904 patent date on them.

I believe this pair is unique in that I only know of another Nelson example, but the 2 of them together is incredibly rare. 
I am honored to have won these in the Forte auction and for the fact that he even mentioned my newest addition about 4 years ago, right here. 

And I always thought I was the only one to have them both LOL

vinculavincula wrote: ↑

Mar 09, 2025

And I always thought I was the only one to have them both LOL

Ha!

Maybe just you and I are card carrying members of the Ward/Nelson Owners Association.
Glad to be in good company with you.
I hope all is well.  Those kids of yours are probably so big by now.
I wonder how someone in faraway Germany could get these before I could.

The top of your Nelson seems different than mine.

Let's see if you are a Murphy Club Member too ...I suppose not!

The Murphy is still on my wish list, I am happy to say I have a Busch nipper at least.

It is really amazing, how many different styles of nippers were invented, when all you ever need is the simple elegance of a Hiatt, Blakely or Clejuso nipper to get the job done.

vinculavincula wrote: ↑

Mar 11, 2025

The Murphy is still on my wish list, I am happy to say I have a Busch nipper at least.

It is really amazing, how many different styles of nippers were invented, when all you ever need is the simple elegance of a Hiatt, Blakely or Clejuso nipper to get the job done.

Wow, I never heard of a Busch, let alone have one.
The closest I can match that is having a Presto Lyon


The Murphy might be a hard one to find as I think there is just one.
I thought that there was at least 2 or them, but I photo captured one from an eBay sale 10 or more years ago and once I received mine from the Forte auction, I could tell that it was the same one as the eBay listing.
Never seen nor heard of another out there in the wild.
The Murphy was patented on my birthday, which is another reason I like it.  Fortunately for me, not the same year.  I know that the nipper definitely would look better than I would if we were both the same age!