A few very early fly envelopes
A few very early fly envelopes
The two with the eagle attacking the lion are (I’m told by two knowledgeable collectors) likely very early Pflueger. The others with the fox & fish and stag logo are early McHarg from upstate New York. I always assumed the black ink is earlier than the red ink, but I’m not certain of the chronology. The artwork and delicate nature of these fly envelopes make them, to me, the ultimate antique fly fishing ephemera.
Last edited by Mike N on Fri Dec 03, 2021 9:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
ORCA Founder, 1990
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Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Awesome!
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Re: A few very early fly envelopes
I never saw the eagle attacking the lion logo before. That's a pretty powerful statement.
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Re: A few very early fly envelopes
I wetted a silk-gut English 3-wet-fly dropper rig one day to give it a try.
Was fishing Tonka Prince and DAM Effzett brass reel with an antique silk line I mastic varnished.
Landed a double.
Was fishing Tonka Prince and DAM Effzett brass reel with an antique silk line I mastic varnished.
Landed a double.
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Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Mike,
Very nice "stuff"!
Whenever I see "Trade Mark" on fishing tackle (clearly on the Eagle & Lion and faintly on the Fox with Fish) I check it against the database Colby & I put together awhile back.
In this case neither are listed by us as U.S.Trademarks. The earliest Enterprise Manufacturing Company U. S. Trademark is the word "Pflueger", 12/22/1908 (TM 71940) and the earliest E. A. Pflueger Company U. S. Trademark is a "P and design" 11/05/1907 (TM 65990). Both of these trademarks cover fishing flies.
John McHarg has no U. S. Trademarks in our database.
Several explanations of this situation come to mind, many folks used "Trade Mark" without registering it with USPTO, it could be a state TM, etc. It would be interesting (to me) to define what you mean by "early", I could do some further checking of USPTO records to make sure we didn't just miss these.
Cheers,
Alan
Very nice "stuff"!
Whenever I see "Trade Mark" on fishing tackle (clearly on the Eagle & Lion and faintly on the Fox with Fish) I check it against the database Colby & I put together awhile back.
In this case neither are listed by us as U.S.Trademarks. The earliest Enterprise Manufacturing Company U. S. Trademark is the word "Pflueger", 12/22/1908 (TM 71940) and the earliest E. A. Pflueger Company U. S. Trademark is a "P and design" 11/05/1907 (TM 65990). Both of these trademarks cover fishing flies.
John McHarg has no U. S. Trademarks in our database.
Several explanations of this situation come to mind, many folks used "Trade Mark" without registering it with USPTO, it could be a state TM, etc. It would be interesting (to me) to define what you mean by "early", I could do some further checking of USPTO records to make sure we didn't just miss these.
Cheers,
Alan
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Alan,Alan Baracco wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:32 pm Mike,
Very nice "stuff"!
Whenever I see "Trade Mark" on fishing tackle (clearly on the Eagle & Lion and faintly on the Fox with Fish) I check it against the database Colby & I put together awhile back.
In this case neither are listed by us as U.S.Trademarks. The earliest Enterprise Manufacturing Company U. S. Trademark is the word "Pflueger", 12/22/1908 (TM 71940) and the earliest E. A. Pflueger Company U. S. Trademark is a "P and design" 11/05/1907 (TM 65990). Both of these trademarks cover fishing flies.
John McHarg has no U. S. Trademarks in our database.
Several explanations of this situation come to mind, many folks used "Trade Mark" without registering it with USPTO, it could be a state TM, etc. It would be interesting (to me) to define what you mean by "early", I could do some further checking of USPTO records to make sure we didn't just miss these.
Cheers,
Alan
I asked Bill Kennedy to send me info on the Pflueger link. Bill is one of the most knowledgeable vintage tackle paper experts and that’s how he listed it on eBay.
Also, here is a photo from Bob Jones’ collection of a stag and fox/fish envelope clearly marked John B. McHarg and “Trade Mark” under the fox. J.B. McHarg started his tackle business at the age of 27 in 1850 in upstate New York. He used several “trademark” logos including a bird dog looking back, a stag (like Hartford insurance), and a fox with a fish in its mouth. I’d guess the date of these envelopes to be circa 1880 to 1900.
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
ORCA Founder, 1990
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
The Fox ones and Stag are McHarg for sure. I have never seen the Lion\Eagle trademark before. I suspect English possibly.
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
The eagle is associated with America and the lion is associated with England, so I would be surprised if it was English.
It is almost metaphoric of America’s dominating presence in the fishing tackle industry which once belonged to the British. But then again, I have an overactive imagination sometimes.
It is almost metaphoric of America’s dominating presence in the fishing tackle industry which once belonged to the British. But then again, I have an overactive imagination sometimes.
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Eric, that’s an insightful take on the logo.Eric J wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 9:16 am The eagle is associated with America and the lion is associated with England, so I would be surprised if it was English.
It is almost metaphoric of America’s dominating presence in the fishing tackle industry which once belonged to the British. But then again, I have an overactive imagination sometimes.
“ Why does England have a lion as a symbol?
The Lion derived from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Aquitaine - Eleanor's family. Naturally, of course, the Lion as a symbol of British "pride" and might was forever identified with Eleanor's irascible, irresponsible but fearless son, Richard I the Lionheart.
When and why did the lion become the symbol of England?https://www.theguardian.com ”
Mike
Mike N.
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Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Bravo, Mike Gerhard! Well played.Jim Schottenham wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 9:53 am Pflueger collector Mike Gerhard provided a photo from an 1892/1893 Enterprise catalog that shows the trade mark image:
Great addition Mike!
Mike N
Last edited by Mike N on Fri Dec 03, 2021 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
ORCA Founder, 1990
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
This thread shows the collective wisdom of collectors discussing and sharing information and is exactly what ORCA is all about.
Mike N
Mike N
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
ORCA Founder, 1990
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
I think the eagle is plucking the lion’s whiskers to use as tippets.
Mike Gerhard’s catalog photo makes it pretty clear the message was “why pay for expensive British flies when you can buy quality U.S. made flies”. American anglers were no longer dependent upon the British tackle houses.
Mike Gerhard’s catalog photo makes it pretty clear the message was “why pay for expensive British flies when you can buy quality U.S. made flies”. American anglers were no longer dependent upon the British tackle houses.
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Re: A few very early fly envelopes
And then there’s this sent to me by Bill Kennedy… from page 219 of the Pflueger book by Dale Van De Voort:
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
ORCA Founder, 1990
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Eric, excellent point. The 1892-93 catalog specifically mentions saving on import “duties.” A little research showed why this was such a hot topic at the time.
“ The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly called the McKinley Tariff, was an act of the United States Congress, framed by then Representative William McKinley, that became law on October 1, 1890. The tariff raised the average duty on imports to almost fifty percent, an act designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition…”
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
ORCA Founder, 1990
Re: A few very early fly envelopes
Great connection Mike. The circumstances of the times always add a new perspective.