Lyon & Coulson leather fly rod cases

[Mike N]

Lyon & Coulson was a Buffalo, NY sporting goods retailer in the years between WW I and II. As Dr. Todd wrote in the January 2023 Reel News, L&C was “a firm that was founded in the teeth of the Depression and didn’t survive the 1940s.”

I picked up a couple of vintage Lyon & Coulson fly rod cases and rehabbed them a bit. Each is likely about 80 years old. On the longer case, you can see the remnants of an old “handle with care” shipping label.

The longer of the two cases also has an inscribed metal name tag with “Dr. W.H. Ecker, Worcester, Mass., USA.” The 1940s US census of Worcester indicates Dr. Ecker was a dentist. Cemetery records indicate he died on August 24, 1954, with a DOB listed as August 24,1899.

BEFORE:




AFTER (except for some stitching repairs)







There was also a small Lyon & Coulson fly reel case with the initials “LRC”

[RonG]

That's some nice work Mike restoring those cases. I hadn't seen that name before. They look like high quality cases.

[reelsmith.]

.
Nice work, Mike.

Watcha' gonna' fill 'em with ?

Dean.

[Mike N]

.
Nice work, Mike.

Watcha' gonna' fill 'em with ?

Dean.

Good question, Dean. Two bamboo fly rods and two cane bait casters made the final cut…



And the winners were…

[reelsmith.]

.
Nice group. They look period correct.

Dean.