Tuell's Patent Spokeshave

I came across this in an antique mall in Hershey, PA in 2007.  Even though I didn't know what it was, I knew right away it was something unusual and probably rare, because I had never seen one like it before.

It says "TUELES PAT"; the date is a bit hard to make out, but it looks like OCT and 27.  A little research revealed that the patent holder's name was Melzer Tuell, of Penn Yan, New York.  The patent was issued Oct. 27, 1863, and relates to the tilting sole plate.  To adjust the depth of cut, the user turns the screws on either side of the frame, which adjust the tilting sole plate, opening or closing the throat. The blade is triangular in cross-section and sharpened on both edges.  You can see copies of the patent here: page 1; page 2.  Mr. Tuell apparently owned a saw mill and also held a few other patents, including one for a planing machine.

It appears that few were produced, and this one is the earliest version, with Mr. Tuell's name oddly misspelled on the spokeshave itself.  It also seems likely that some that were produced did not survive, because the tilting sole plate is quite thin and would be easy to break.

I have found only a couple other examples on the web.  This one came from Martin J. Donnelly's tool auction:

I believe this one is slightly later than mine, as it does not match the patent drawing as exactly as mine does, and acording to the auction description, it was marked only "Pat."

I found one other example, identical to mine, for sale online from an antique tool dealer for $150.