Value of '76 Grandpa Bear

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here

Bwhelz89

New Member
Jan 19, 2019
4
NY
First time here. Located a grandpa bear with the 76 in the star for sale and looks to be in great shape. Slight rust but all levers/knobs work. It is rear vented as well. The woman had no info on it and is selling for her father so I did my own research on it and came across this thread and now I really want this stove haha. My question is this. She is asking $450. From what I can find others SOLD for $50-$300ish. Now I do see others online ASKING for more but anyone can ask for anything, doesn't mean it will sell. Coaly looks to be the expert so I will ask you...would you pay $450 for a 76 grandpa? Thanks in advance.
 
No.
The doors don't seal near as well as a newer one, it is not UL listed, so not technically able to install legally.
A Grandpa IV with glass maybe, but not that older stove.
You're right, many ask ridiculous prices and they don't sell. eBay completed auctions gives you a better idea of selling prices that can be way high as well. Depends on how bad someone wants it and how many bidders there are at any given time.
I did pay $600 plus a 10 hour drive for my '76 Grandpa, but that is a prototype with 3 piece welded top, all brass fittings..... Not a user.

I sell most stoves for 300 in very good shape here in NEPA. I am not a dealer, but pick them up as a hobby needing restoration and make them nice. Fisher's do tend to sell for more. I have bought a couple foreclosed homes for rental properties and they had a few stoves in them, so I had to recondition them to sell since I only allow tenants to use coal stoves. I prefer to do antiques and Fisher only.

The last one I sold was a Marsal which is the company that makes pizza ovens today. They made a few wood stoves to supplement their business when they first started in the 70's. It was in very good condition and the company that is now Blodgett even asked for pictures! Seems it is the only one known, not pictured on the net, only that the company made them in their early years. I left it go for $300 as well..... Just not enough room to keep every cool stove! That was a Grandpa size stove a member here was looking for, not far away and bought it quick. Amazing thing was it has a 6 inch outlet, the size of Grandpa with a counter flow false back that the exhaust has to travel down the back to get out. Side handle that opens to allow flow directly up stack when starting.
 
I paid $300 for a 76 Grandma Bear in SE New York a few months ago. It was in great shape.

Less than a month ago I bought a 1978-ish Grandpa Bear for $350 in Rochester. But that stove also came with 2 face cord of seasoned firewood, a fire screen, and a Von Haus heat-operated fan. I plan to install it in my garage this summer to heat my garage.

A 76 Grandpa Bear would be a collector stove for me, and I wouldn't use it to heat my house or garage. I would pay up to $300 for one, or up to $400 if it had the screen. But not for a stove that has excessive heavy rust on it.
 
Is it more important to you to see the fire or is heating more important?

For viewing make sure it comes with the screen. You'll pay over $100 for just a screen if you can find one. They can be hard to come by.
For just heating I'd be looking for a Mama or Papa, not the Grandma or Grandpa.

Around here $500 is about tops for one with fresh paint and all good firebricks. Condition is everything. Look for broken bricks, warped sides, cracked doors or welds, cracks around the flue pipe. Warped panels and cracked doors (rare) is a no buy for me.
 
Thanks guys. Picked it up today for $300. Even better condition than I originally thought!
 

Attachments

  • [Hearth.com] Value of '76 Grandpa Bear
    20190122_135557.webp
    93.5 KB · Views: 479
  • Like
Reactions: Todd67
Nice looking Grandpa Bear! Congrats and thanks for the pic.
 
There are brick pattern diagrams found on this site and in the manuals. I'd take pictures of the inside and replace the same way.
Generally back goes first, then sides and floor last.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Todd67
I made a thread that has links to firebrick Layouts. It doesn't include all the stove models or the owners manuals. It's what I could come up with after doing some very extensive research on this forum. Does your stove still have bricks in it?

Like Don said, take pictures of the layout of your bricks. The rear bricks usually go in first, then side bricks, then bottom bricks last to hold everything in place.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/links-to-firebrick-layouts.171596/