My Dad was a patternmaker, and he had a vice very similar to this (the only major difference being the projecting 'arms' that can be seen on the bottom when the unit is in the horizontal position.) Hard to tell the scale, but I think that his might have be bigger by half. I don't know what material it was made of, heavy gray, but it never rusted or chipped so I would be surprised if it were cast iron.
Great vice, very versatile. I wish that I had kept it at the estate sale... If I remember correctly his could project out at the bottom a few degrees, meaning the back jaw did not have to be perpindicular to the bench top. The crazy thing - in 20 years of watching my dad work with his, I don't remember it ever being used in anything but the vertical position. I wonder how much of that flexibility and good idea is ever put into practice.
I was amused by the price and the '1992 Design and Engineering Award'. His was probably 40 years old when he bought it 30 years ago, definitely not designed in the 90's. I know that it's a long time ago, but he probably agonized over spending $100 at auction for his.
Just like the Patternmaker's trade, many of the specialized tools have died off and been forgotten. I'll bet that's the same story with wheelwrights, coopers, and other woodworking trades left behind by new technology and materials. Didn't mean to hijack your thread, thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Mike
Chapel Hill