Onion, Haigh & Cornwall

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Tyler
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Onion, Haigh & Cornwall

Post by Tyler »

Can anyone tell me what years the tackle shop Onion, Haigh and Cornwall was selling tackle in New York. I know I have seen references to it in the past but can't seem to find it mentioned in any of the books or magazines. Any information appreciated. Tyler
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Steve
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Post by Steve »

Late 1860s, but don't know when they disappeared. They specialized in guns.
Tyler
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Post by Tyler »

Thanks Steve, it sounds like it was named by Lewis Carroll. On Thanksgiving, if you smoke turkey and eat an onion, you will get haigh and see a corn wall etc... Oh man, that's bad. I apologize in advance.
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Steve
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Post by Steve »

That's okay, you do corn well.
Tyler
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Post by Tyler »

Luttuce stop this. We've beet it to death. Peas, no more.
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Steve
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Post by Steve »

Fine. We'll stop so you won't have to stew about it.
Teal
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OH&C

Post by Teal »

Hi,

Hope I'm not too corny in butting in at this point, but thought I drop a few nuggets of history into your onion bisque.

I can't find any earlier references to Onion, Haigh & Cornwall before the late 1860s, which probably would make it one of the many post-Civil War gun houses that moved into the tackle field. In the early and mid-1870s they had become aggressive advertisers out of their 18 Warrent St. store. By 1877 the firm had become Onion & Cornwall, listed also at 18 Warren Street, no idea where Haigh went. They appear to have either been incorporated into another firm, changed names, or simply disappeared by the early 1880s.

I have never seen any marked fishing tackle from OH&C or O&H but they advertised it for 15 years or more so it probably exists. I would guess it would be super rare. Most of their trade concentrated on guns.

I hope you can separate the wheat from the chaff in this post.

Cheers,

Dr. Todd
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Steve
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Post by Steve »

More to chew on: Onion and the aptly-named Wheelock were selling guns in the 1850s. Onion, Haigh, and Cornwall were all named William, so they probably ran into plenty of Billing problems. By 1883, "Bill" Haigh was selling guns at Hawks & Ogilvy. By 1889, "Bill" Cornwall was selling "arms" and other sporting goods at Cornwall & Smock, the latter thankfully named Daniel. "Bill" Onion seems to have ended up in the oil business by the 1890s, though the oilman might have been his son.

OHC reels show up now and then. Can't remember if I've seen OH reels, tho I've said it often enough when encountering a previously unfamiliar name.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Thanks Dr. Todd, I have a New York style ball-handled reel with their markings. I think I have seen one or two others either at Langs or Ebay, but the memory is vague. It has a removable bearing cap so I am guessing it was made by Frederick Vom Hofe, as I don't think Conroy reels had removable bearing caps. Thanks for the information. Tyler
Teal
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No problem

Post by Teal »

Tyler,

How about a picture? Sounds like a very sweet reel. Would love to see what it looked like. You can be pretty much assured that it dates 1867-1877, which makes it a real honey of a find.

Glad I could be of help, I'm sure Steve (who has forgotten more about reels than I will ever know) feels the same way.

Hope you are a member of ORCA!

Cheers,

Dr. Todd
Tyler
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Post by Tyler »

Dr. Todd, I am an ORCA member, but for some reason I get logged on as a guest at times. Probably has something to do with the reason I can't post a picture. I am technologically challenged. I have a friend who is supposed to be out over the holidays to explain all this to me and I will try to post some pics then. I enjoy looking at everyone else's reel pics in the albums and apologize for the delay. Thanks for all the help on dating O H and C. Tyler
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Post by Phantom Fisher »

Image Image
Tyler
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Post by Tyler »

Laurie, Thanks for the pics. Sure is a beautiful reel. It sounds as if Cornwall and Haigh were probably retailers. If so, any idea who made your reel. Conroy?, Fvh? Just curious. Tyler
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Steve
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Post by Steve »

A few months ago, Laurie and some other collectors were kind enough to send pics of a few NY click reels. There weren't enough reels to allow generalizations about who made what, but there were enough differences between the Onion & Cornwall reel and three J.C. Conroy & Co. reels to suggest that the OC was not made by the same shop that made the Conroys.:!: (It's also of interest that the three Conroys may not all have been made by the same shop.):shock:

One of these days, maybe we'll have enough info to ID the various makers.
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David Lehmann
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Re: Onion, Haigh & Cornwall

Post by David Lehmann »

Steve,
To prove that old post never die, they just develop a patina, I've been pondering this and pictures that I've seen of Onion Haigh and Cornwall reels look very similar to early A.B. Shipley and Son reels (except for the concentric rings that are on some--but not all--of the early Shipley and Sons. I'm seeing some consistent differences (such as screw placement for attaching the front cover) between Shipley/OCH reels and the "well known" contemporary reel makers (Conroy, Crook, FVH). I know the current rhetoric is that "Shipley didn't make his own reels," but that may be worth reconsideration/study. Thoughts?
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Steve
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Re: Onion, Haigh & Cornwall

Post by Steve »

I know the current rhetoric is that "Shipley didn't make his own reels," but that may be worth reconsideration/study. Thoughts?
David, you're listening to the wrong rhetoric. See this old conversation and my book, pp. 298-300.

Steve Vernon
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Book: ANTIQUE FISHING REELS, 2nd Ed.
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Re: Onion, Haigh & Cornwall

Post by Paul Roberts »

:lol:
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