Q: Recently, my uncle was given a "flax break" from the late 1700s. How would we determine the value of the piece?
A: This is one of several special tools used to turn flax into thread. After the seeds were separated from the flax, the woody flax stalks were soaked in water for a week or spread out on dew-covered fields for several weeks to break down the plant structure. After they were dry again, a flax break was used to further break down the stalks so they could be separated from the fibers. Flax breaks have two or three wooden arms or blades that bend the flax stalks to break the core. There aren't many collectors of flax breaks, so prices are low—perhaps $75-$100.
Perhaps, Colonial Williamsburg, VA, might be interested. The most recent edition of their magazine, Vol. XXXVII, Number 1, has an article on Hemp & Flax in Colonial America, along with pictures of interpreters, using different devices to work with the materials.