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This is a 14” Gage (pre Stanley) self setting wood smoothing plane. It is marked with “H.S.B. No.26” and O.V.B. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. O.V.B. stands for "Our Very Best."
The handle has a replaced screw and is cracked across the front. There is a chip to the right front corner. Some small age checks in the body. The blade appears to be in good condition.
An H.S.B. & Co. No. 26 plane is a vintage plane sold by the Chicago-based hardware wholesale firm Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., typically manufactured under contract by major tool makers like Stanley or Union in the late 19th or early 20th century.
H.S.B. & Co. (Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.) was a massive hardware jobber. They did not manufacture their own hand tools; instead, they had companies like Gage build them and stamp the H.S.B. & Co.
Dating: Most tools bearing the H.S.B. & Co. branding with this style of casting date from the 1890s to the 1920s.
In the context of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. hand tools, O.V.B. stands for "Our Very Best."
This was the company’s absolute top-tier, premium house brand. While "Rev-O-Noc" or "Stand-By" represented their standard or mid-grade utility lines, tools stamped with the O.V.B. logo—frequently accompanied by a banner spelling out "Our Very Best"—were high-end hardware meant to compete with premium tool lines.
