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Gentle Shepherd

Hand Tied Flies - Saleman's Sample Plates

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I was at an auction today and purchased 6 framed sets of flies.

 

I was told that they were part of a salesmans sample set.

 

Each plate has a variety of flies, each is sewn onto the paper backing, each is also labeled.

 

I have been told that they are probably pre-1930 because of the style of hooks.

 

I am looking at mounting each one into a shadowbox, but would like to know if anyone can tell me who the

manufacturer was or maybe what value they might have.

 

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Photos attached.

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i think they're part of a an old fly tyers collection. nice find at an auction and a nice part of history. i know i would have bid on them in a heart beat.

 

if these were salesman samples they would have been more professionally done, fly titles would not have been written in by hand (some titles are even missing, probably from water damage) and all of the dividing red line would have been exactly the same for each framed sample

 

i don't know if mary orvis marbury even tied flies but was an excellent compiler of the flies of her time to write her book

 

http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/mom/

 

at the end of this blog article is a salesmans fly book circa 1910.

 

http://nwflytyer.wordpress.com/

 

i am in no way saying that all salesman's wares looked like this but something like this would be more practical from a salesman's point of view.

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I think Norm's right; they look like somebody's collection, although there's always the possibility that some home tyer was peddling flies and used them as samples. We'll never know for sure. It's obvious that they have some serious age on them. Back when those flies were done, there weren't any fly shops as we know them today, or at least damned few. Fishing gear was generally sold in hardware stores, general stores, and the like. Could be somebody was making the rounds and trying to sell them. I'm assuming you found them in Pennsylvania - there's a lot of fly fishing history there, and you have a collection I'd love to own. Nice find. :)

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Norm...

 

Whether the "titles" were written in by hand, or were professionally printed could be a function of the size of the tying operation. I have personally tried to buy a salesman's set of deer hair bugs that were tied by a very small operation (one man) that had the "titles" handwritten. Therefore, the fact that the "titles" on these are handwritten does not meant that they were NOT salesman's samples. Your position is most likely valid for a large operation, but it is not absolute.

 

Cheers!

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Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. I am going to show than to Don Bastian in the next month or so. He seemed excited about seeing them.

 

Any thoughts on the proper way to preserve them. I'm think of putting them in shadowboxes but not very deep.

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thats why i said i think they're part of a an old fly tyers collection

 

i still believe that is the case and the titles were hand written. a professional operation (large, medium or small) would not have omitted titles

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The other thing that bothers me is the duplications in fly names, with no distinction. If you were taking order off those cards, how would you know which Royal Coachman the customer wanted?

 

Obviously a display, but more like a fair or fly fishing expo. Don B. may have some suggestions. He's seen more of these than the rest of us have.

 

A VERY interesting find. Congratulations on picking it up.

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Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. I am going to show than to Don Bastian in the next month or so. He seemed excited about seeing them.

 

Any thoughts on the proper way to preserve them. I'm think of putting them in shadowboxes but not very deep.

 

Whatever you do to display them, take special care to keep them away from direct lighting or the flies and the backing will fade pretty quickly.

 

Somewhere in a box, I've got a bunch of ancient "commercially" tied New England landlocked salmon streamers that I found at a yard sale in Maine some years ago. The flies themselves are what we would consider beginners' attempts on this site, and the packaging and labeling are crude, but that's what was for sale back 80 or 90 years ago. It was a different world.

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Agreed that it is doubtful that a name would be omitted from a 'salesman's' plate; but being handwritten would not be unexpected when the CEO and janitor of the company are one and the same person.

 

Regards

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