B62-444. MODIFIED CARPENTER'S RULE. Stanley No. 72 with Nicol's Patent. Robert Nicol's 1872 patent was for two retractable points to be embedded in the ends of a two-fold carpenter's rule, and a locking nut at the hinge, so that it could be used as a caliper. In this version, the two points are riveted to the ends of a four-fold No. 72 so they can be rotated to protrude beyond the end. It has the locking nut at the hinge, and the facing end has been mortised so that it fits. Nicol's name and patent date are stamped into the body. The rotating points are crudely made, and the whole thing looks like a prototype, as if someone was determining whether it made sense to offer the Nicol attachment as an accessory; the kind of thing the Model Shop could have done although there's no visible Model Shop number. The rule itself is in rough shape, with some chips and stains, but an intriguing tool with a story to tell. Good 100-200