A Montague combo, but what's with the label?

[fishinkev]

The reel/box combo below is obviously Montague, but I'm wondering about the label and, as such, the history.
I can find no evidence or history of "Highgrade Casting Reels" or "U.S.A. Company". In fact, they seem deliberately generic. The address, however, has a history. From 1918 to 1940's, it belonged to The Stanley H. Knight Company, a manufacturer of soda fountains and stainless steel food service equipment. So, I'm probably over-thinking this, but I'm wondering if this is an example of a marketing tool, a free give-away to potential new clients? Think about it, Montie slaps a generic name on the label like "Highgrade Casting Reels" and "USA Company", but uses the potential clients actual address on the box to make it more attractive/enticing to the potential new source for Montie trade reels. Any thoughts?

[fishinkev]

Update: apparently that 327 N. Wells St address was also home to a branch office of Emerson Drug Company, so I'm guessing it was a large multi-tenant building. I'm guessing there was a another tenant hawking Montague trade reels, so I'm still on the hunt...

[Teal]

Great question. The company that sold it is a bit of a mystery, in that it may have been a subsidiary of the Vim Company, a chain of department stores based in Chicago. What is known in the post-WWI era the U.S. Athletic Company of 327 Wells was a wholesale distributor of sporting goods including fishing tackle. I haven't researched it yet but I would be surprised if it was still around in the 1930s.



I'll get around to researching it for a "Reels of the Trade" article and hopefully shed some light on it.

-- Dr. Todd

[RonG]

The good Doctor usually has good insight into obscure tackle makers and sellers.