A little red cardboard box....

ORCA Online Forum - Feel free to talk or ask about ALL kinds of old tackle here, with an emphasis on old reels!
Post Reply
User avatar
Mike N
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3763
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 1:50 pm
Location: WV

A little red cardboard box....

Post by Mike N »

After three decades of collecting, it is a blessing not to be so jaded that a circa 1895-1900 cardboard box with a few old, labeled wooden line spools has become (for today at least) the favorite item in my entire collection. Over a century old, and the epitome of vintage fishing ephemera. I got it for $75 on eBay this week as a “buy it now.”





Last edited by Mike N on Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
User avatar
Mike N
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3763
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 1:50 pm
Location: WV

Re: A little red cardboard box....

Post by Mike N »

John Etchieson is the foremost expert on vintage fishing line and has provided me the bulk of my collection and has unselfishly shared his incredible knowledge. Here is what he told me about this box and the “thread spools”:

“H.J. Frost Company was a jobber and wholesaler of all types of fishing tackle in New York, City in the early 1900 - 1920 period and sold under the name Jack Frost Tackle, using the trade marks KELSO, SENATE, GOLD STAR, OTTER BRAND and ANCHOR BRAND.

Your ANCHOR BRAND line was manufactured for H. J. Frost by the Henry Hall Line Company (est. 1840) of Highland Mills, New York about 1900. ”
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
User avatar
Steve
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3940
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2003 6:11 am
Contact:

Re: A little red cardboard box....

Post by Steve »

"Encore!"

Steve Vernon
ORCA Honorary member

Book: ANTIQUE FISHING REELS, 2nd Ed.
Websites:
Antique Fishing Reels
Kopf reels
Hendrick reels

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."
User avatar
john elder
Star Board Poster
Posts: 8541
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2003 2:44 pm

Re: A little red cardboard box....

Post by john elder »

Nice score, Mike!
ORCA member since 1999
Honorary Life Member

Specializing in saltwater reels...and fly reels...and oh, yeah, kentucky style reels.....and those tiny little RP reels.....oh, heck...i collect fishing reels!...and fly rods....and lures
Stef Duma
Advanced Board Poster
Posts: 197
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2017 8:54 am
Location: England
Contact:

Re: A little red cardboard box....

Post by Stef Duma »

Great find.
User avatar
kyreels
Super Board Poster
Posts: 1147
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Re: A little red cardboard box....

Post by kyreels »

Great item. The old thread spools (the elongated ones like sewing thread) are under appreciated and I have not seen a bigger accumulation than you have. I know the tournament casters used a lot of odd sewing thread, distance in the early days being the goal before the wide use of spider line thread.

I have a good bit of tying thread from old tackle buys, but that is not quite the same thing of course.
Matt Wickham
Collector of Casting Weights, KY Reels and KY Tackle
Paul Roberts
Super Board Poster
Posts: 792
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:35 pm

Re: A little red cardboard box....

Post by Paul Roberts »

Fun. Nice background too. Somehow get my heart beating a bit quicker.
ORCA 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Post Reply