52 Trade Houses Part 12: Davidson's Firearms of Greensboro, NC

Over the course of the next year, we'll be detailing the history of 52 companies that sold branded fishing tackle. 52 trade houses in 52 weeks -- some obscure, some famous, and all available exclusively here on the Fishing for History Blog! If you have any items from the week's entry you'd like to share with us, please send it my way and I'll make sure it makes it on the blog.

For a discussion of what exactly trade tackle is, Click Here. Enjoy the 52 for 52!

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Trade House Tackle, Part 12:
Davidson's Firearms of Greensboro, NC

This episode of 52 for 52 will deal with one of my very favorite kinds of trade houses: gun dealers that sold fishing tackle. Throughout history many legendary gun names--Winchester, Remington, Browning, etc.--lent their names to fishing tackle. Of interest is that some lesser known shooting lights like Charles Daly Inc. also branded a bit of tackle. Today we deal with one such company primarily noted for guns: Davidson's of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Davidson's Supply Company grew into an important Southern importer of guns who also dabbled on the side in fishing tackle. Although its origins are as yet verified, it is believed the firm was founded as an army surplus store in the wake of World War II. By the 1960s, Davidson's Inc., as it became known, was listed in the Standard Directory used by advertising agencies as dealers in "Firearms and Sporting Equipment."


Later trademarked logo from the firm dating to the 1980s and beyond.
By the 1970s the firm became well known in gun circles for their imported guns, often sold under the Davidson's Firearms name. One popular branch of guns were side-by-side double barrel shotguns made in Spain, and these appear fairly often on the secondary market. They appear to be inexpensive but serviceable guns. They also imported (and marked) a large number of other guns, including this Heckler & Koch P7 marked "Davidson's, NC" on the barrel.


It is likely that in the 1950s, to supplement their gun sales, the firm expanded into fishing tackle. The only marked piece of tackle I've seen is the following line spool, marked "Gold Medal, Davidson's, Greensboro, N.C." on both sides. It is a contemporary spool to the Van Camp and Wyeth Hardware spools recently covered in earlier episodes of 52 for 52, and which date to 1959-1960. We can similarly date this Davidson's spool to around the same time.


Nifty Davidson's Gold Medal line spool ca. 1960.
The company was alive and well in 2000, when they were located at 2703 Highpoint Road, Greensboro, NC 27403 and applied for a registered trademark on the term "Gallery of Guns." They were still selling Limited Edition exclusive guns in 2007, but likely due to the economy, apparently closed their doors not long after (perhaps in late 2009). However, their web site appears to be still be live. Perhaps rumors of their demise are premature, and that would be a good thing.


An attractive 1990s poster for Davidson's by graphic artist Emily Henderson.

The country was built on company's like Davidson's, and I love the fact the firm dabbled in fishing tackle, at least for a short while.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Humorous Bobbers (1949)

This neat little project comes from the magazine Boy's Life (June 1949) and shows how to make a bobber with a humorous sign. Has anyone ever seen one of these?



-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 20 June 2011

Don't have time to read 50+ fishing and tackle collecting blogs and web sites? Well, let us do it for you! Follow all of the latest news, articles, and stories on our Whitefishpress Twitter account! Hint: You don't need to be a member...just bookmark the Twitter Feed Page or click on latest links to the right!

What father's day meant to one writer...youth photo fishing contest...TVs shark men are on the move...11 year old better angler than you, breaks AR state record...what one writer learned from his dad...do you have a passion for the outdoor life?...a pond loses some charm...Mom and Pop tackle shops...Rapala and Shimano work out alliance...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: In honor of fathers everywhere, a writer recalls how father's day meant hooks and sinkers.

The Ashburn Patch gives us the winners of the Youth Photo Fishing Contest.


TV's Shark Men visit Sanibel.


Anglers are hooked by a weighty cause.


11 year old better angler than you, breaks Arkansas state crappie record.

A neat story about one one man learned from his dad.

One of the best in the business--Dennis Anderson--asks whether you have a passion for the outdoors life.


The perfect father's day gift is of course fishing tackle.

A pond that lost some of its charm.


Mom and Pop tackle shops rock.



Finishing with a Flourish: Rapala and Shimano work out a strategic alliance.

-- Dr. Todd

1000 Words

This is a classic, grainy 1920s pike picture. Conjures up a lot of memories!



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads: Anybody out there seen a Blue Nobby? (1935)

Anybody out there seen a Blue Nobby?

When I first came across today's ad years ago, I was both relieved and puzzled. This advertisement appears on the first page of the January 1935 issue of Outdoor Life. I was relieved because I have always enjoyed using a Pflueger Nobby when fishing with vintage equipment but had suspected that it did not qualify as Pre-1940. This date is one of the the prerequisites for use in the annual “Old Time Fishing Tournament” held each year in Missouri. For a reel made in the mid 1930's it is light and perfectly at home casting 3/8 oz baits when equipped with a light action tubular steel rod from the same time period. Use of a 10 or 12 pound braided nylon line completes the outfit. (yes, before you ask, Nylon lines were first available in 1938). Being aluminum, it can be a bit noisier than heavier reels, but it is commonly available and inexpensive at most vintage tackle shows. One can shop around for a “quiet” one.


The part of this ad that puzzled me for years was the dark color shown on the reel in this ad. My first thought was that this must be the one of the red Nobbys I saw occasionally. A little research shot that down, as those were the “Deluxe Nobbys” introduced in 1957 as an even lighter version of an already light reel. It was not until the May 2003 issue of the ORCA Reel News arrived that this question was answered. Bob Miller is in my eyes “the expert” when it come to Pflueger reels and in this particular issue of Reel News Bob's monthly column on Pflueger reels covered the entire known history of the Pflueger Nobby. Seems that the Knobby was initially advertised in 1935 as having an anodized blue finish. Bob went on to say that there was no mention of a blue finish in 1936 or in later catalogs. He also allowed as he had never seen a blue Nobby or heard of one in anyone's collection.

So the question today is: "Anyone out there have a blue Pflueger Nobby?"


-- Bill Sonnett

The Friday Funhouse

Surreal Video of the Week

A French video of fly angling and fish shocking in a river. Surreal doesn't begin to describe it.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This Folsom Arms 1525 is a great trade fly rod.


This is an awesome set of Vom Hofe ocean snells.


A Pflueger Wizard wooden minnow is rare in any condition.


These pinup boat cushions are always in huge demand.


These A&I Glowbodies are neat baits, but they are extremely toxic so be wary on how you handle them!


Who doesn't like these big jointed Heddon Vamps in Allen Stripey?


I love this neat Julius Vom Hofe fly reel.


Wow is this Penn 16/0 a monster!


What! No Malleson? What kind of a party is this?


They just don't get any better than this Langley Spin Flo in the box.


This T&T Limestoner is an unbelievably great fly rod.


Oh. My. Gawd. These fly fishing tobacco tins have gone INSANE.



As always, be good to each other this weekend -- and be good to yourself.

-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: Jeff Kieny's Vintage Folk Art Fishing Lures & Tackle

This has been a very good year for fishing books, and it keeps getting better. The book we will look at today (as part of Folk Art Lure month here on Fishing for History) is Jeff Kieny's forthcoming work Vintage Folk Art Fishing Lures and Tackle, and it is a book I feel very close to as I both love folk art lures and I've known about this project from its earliest days.

Scheduled to be published at the end of the month by Schiffer Books, Kieny's work is one that has been noticeably absent from the collecting world for over two decades. Back in the late 1980s an author (a doctor who's name escapes me) wrote a nice article in the NFLCC Gazette lamenting the fact there had been no significant research on folk art lures, while folk art spearing decoys and duck decoys were thriving. Little was done to fix this glaring problem in the ensuing 25 years.


Our complaining can stop now, as Kieny has given us exactly what we have needed for decades: a comprehensive and attractive overview of all things related to folk art lures. Starting with a detailed definition of what exactly folk art is, he delves into the details necessary for this category to mature: identification, evaluation and pricing. Just because something is old and hand-made does not make it folk art, nor does it make it valuable.

Yet one of the things I admire most about this category of lures is that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Jeff shows off a veritable smorgasbord of wonderful lures, reproduced in full color and often to exact size. From tiny fly rod lures to massive musky baits, the ingenuity and originality of the artist are on display at all times. Anyone who's read his book Patented Hooks, Harnesses and Baitholders knows that Jeff is an excellent researcher, and this, too, is evident throughout the book.

I honestly believe that this book belongs on every tackle collector's book shelf, not just because I want the book to do well so Schiffer will publish other books on vintage tackle, and not just because Jeff is a friend. Every collector should get a copy because it will remind them that the items they own and covet in their collections were owned by honest-to-God unique individual human beings, who sometimes modified their lures (there's a whole chapter on fishermen modified baits), tried to make their own if they couldn't afford one or if they thought they could improve it, or just wanted to try something different.

I only have two small quibbles. First, there are a lot of lures shown from one particular folk artist, Burt Errett. I would have liked to have seen his lures (scattered throughout the book as they are) organized into a single chapter. Second, I wish there was a list of known fishing lure folk artists and their region or state of origin so we would have a starting point for trying to ID unknowns found in the wild. But these are tiny problems in the ocean of delight that is Jeff's book.

You see, fishermen in their own ways are all folk artists, to various degrees. Jeff Kieny's book reminds us of this, and implores us--for the first time--to appreciate and celebrate their art.

Vintage Folk Art Fishing Lures and Tackle is a full size, 240 page hard cover book containing over 700 full color photos.  Schiffer Books is projecting a late June release.  Signed copies of the book should be available at the NFLCC Nationals from Jeff, or you can contact Jeff at jeffsfishin AT sbcglobal DOT net. It may also be pre-ordered directly from the publisher by phone (610) 593-1777 or electronically via their website for $49.99 plus shipping.  

-- Dr. Todd

52 Trade Houses Part 11: Henry C. Lytton's The Hub of Chicago

Over the course of the next year, we'll be detailing the history of 52 companies that sold branded fishing tackle. 52 trade houses in 52 weeks -- some obscure, some famous, and all available exclusively here on the Fishing for History Blog! If you have any items from the week's entry you'd like to share with us, please send it my way and I'll make sure it makes it on the blog.

For a discussion of what exactly trade tackle is, Click Here. Enjoy the 52 for 52!

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Trade House Tackle, Part 11:
Henry C. Lytton's "The Hub"
and its Fishing Tackle

This week we get a fun little history of a venerable Chicago iconic institution--Henry C. Lytton's "The Hub" stores and their foray into fishing tackle.


Henry C. Lytton's portrait ca. 1904.
Henry C. Lytton & Sons Company was founded by one of Chicago's most famous businessmen. Henry C. Lytton, born in 1846, opened his first store in Ionia, Michigan in the early 1860s, and although it went out of business, he soon proved his acumen by managing successful clothing stores in Grand Rapids, MI and Indianapolis, In.

Selling out of his Indianapolis store in 1886, he came to Chicago with $12,000 and opened a clothing store in 1887 on Chicago's famous Loop, at the corner of Jackson and State Streets. He called the store "The Hub" and soon after began utilizing cutting edge advertising to attract a growing clientele. While it was always known for men's wear, it made an effort to court ladies as well. By 1910 it was the largest clothing store in the city, and was taking out full or half page ads six days a week in almost all the Chicago daily papers.

In 1913 the company moved across the street to expansive quarters known as the Lytton building. According to the Jazz Age Chicago Encyclopedia, the building "was eighteen stories tall and cost an estimated $2.25 million to build…The Hub occupied the lower eight floors and two basements of the Lytton Building, while the upper floors were used for offices." That year the firm employed 175 women.

It was in 1913 that The Hub began to offer sporting goods. A natural extension from the racks of sporting clothing Lytton sold to the seemingly endless stream of sports who frequented his establishment, fishing tackle formed an important component of this expansion. Below is a photograph of the sporting goods department of the Hub, taken from the March 29, 1913 edition of The Electrical Review, an electrician's trade journal.


Bicycles, canoes, and boats--and a careful eye can make out fishing tackle toward the back of the room.
The firm was always known for its advertising, and in the middle teens filled the pages of the daily papers with notices hawking their wares. The following advertisement from the June 29, 1922 Chicago Tribune was typical. Note that the Hub was selling trade branded Hub fishing line, and that they had discounted their Talbot reels to $9.45! That is the least expensive Talbot Star I have ever seen advertised.


Chicago Tribune advertisement.

Close-up of the tackle offerings.
The only marked fishing tackle I've seen from Lytton are snelled hook packets and one exceptionally neat fishing reel owned by Ron Gast. Ron has kindly consented to allow us to post pics of this great reel, and as you can see, it is a Montague trade reel ca. 1915 and a nice one at that.


Beautiful Hub reel courtesy of Ron Gast.

A close up of the killer logo on this Montague trade reel. Courtesy Ron Gast.
As for Lytton, although he retired in 1917 and turned the firm over to his son George, when George passed away in 1933 Henry return from 16 years of retirement and took over day-to-day operations of the company again. He would preside as president until he passed away at the almost surreal age of 101 in 1947. Both during his life and after his passing, a number of Lytton branches were opened across the greater Chicago area.


Henry C. Lytton poses with the Chicago Tribune in 1947 at the tender age of 101.

1934 saw the opening of the Lytton "Century of Progress" store in concert with the Chicago World's Fair. (Courtesy Garrett & Brooks).

Lytton's stock certificate. (Courtesy Garrett & Brooks).
Lytton was a true Chicago icon and his 100th birthday made front page news in all the Windy City papers. HIs wife was a member of the Daughters of the Revolution and the pair endowed an important Lytton Scholarship at the nearby University of Chicago. Lytton's philanthropy was noted early in his career, as he annually gave out 500 tons of coal to Chicago's needy (and had done so in 1900 for eight straight years).


This later 1937 ad was typical of the art deco style the firm developed in its advertisements.
The company offered a very high end catalog of its wares called The Observer. Such catalogs are in great demand for students of fashion history.


1930 Observer.
The firm survived until 1986, when it fell victim to corporate raiders who forced the shuttering of the firm. It left a great legacy, and its founder Henry C. Lytton was immortalized in this little anecdote he penned about how to succeed in business, which was reprinted numerous times over the years:

"To what extent any business or other enterprise is successful is dependent primarily upon personality, the central figure in any line of activity. To what extent a personality is successful is dependent upon that personality's application of those policies ami methods that serve its ends. A personality is responsible for the success or failure of a business firm largely to the extent by which lie is enabled to organize and to control its forces—to install and apply the personal influence in his systems.

I have never known of a great business success without a personality. I have never Known of a great personality in business without a system."

Lytton left behind some great fishing tackle, too. Just ask Ron Gast!

-- Dr. Todd

For more on Henry C. Lytton, see this neat Time Magazine article from May 14, 1945:

Voices from the Past: James Buckham (1905)

This poem was originally published inThe Independent and The Weekly Review, and was written in response to the famed actor Joseph Jefferson gifting his favorite Kentucky Reel upon his passing to the former president Grover Cleveland. Buckham was a poet of note during the Victorian era and into the 1910s. His collection of mostly religious poems entitled A Wayside Altar was published in 1905.

MY BEST KENTUCKY REEL

by

James Buckham

"To my friend, Hon. Grover Cleveland, I bequeath my best Kentucky reel."
—Joseph Jefferson.

Dear friend, I nevermore shall hear

Your shout above the rushing stream,
Nor see your struggling captive leap

Where rainbows o'er the rapids gleam.

But, ah! for sake of old lang syne,

For sake of friendship long and leal,
Take, with a comrade's lasting love,

My best Kentucky reel.

How oft your ardent eyes have said,
"Ah me! how beautiful and rare,
With music in its silken click,
And graven with such loving care!"
You never said, "I'd like it, Joe;
I envy you from head to heel";
But, Grover, well I knew you craved
My best Kentucky reel!

And now it's yours, fond friend and best,
Your undisputed own for aye,
To sing to you beside the stream
Through many a bloom-white April day—
To sing, I fain would think, of me,
When soft thoughts o'er your spirits steal,
And you can hear me prating of
My best Kentucky reel.

I pray you treat it well, old chum,
And keep it oiled and polished bright,
And never lay it damp away,
Though you come weary home at night.
I've held in trust, I give in trust,
A very masterpiece of steel.
So cherish lovingly, dear friend,
My best Kentucky reel.

God speed you, fellow fisherman,
Beside the roaring brook, 

And many a crimson-spotted trout
Send surging up to try your hook.

Oh! would that I could still stand by,
Or with the net in triumph kneel,

While o'er the brawling turmoil sings
My best Kentucky reel!

But I have said my last farewell
To all the streams I used to know, 

Content, if you will sometimes stop
And think a while of Angler Joe,

Lie on some bank we used to love,
And let old memories o'er you steal,

Meantime a tear, that shall not rust,
Dries on my best Kentucky reel.

News of the Week: 13 June 2011

Don't have time to read 50+ fishing and tackle collecting blogs and web sites? Well, let us do it for you! Follow all of the latest news, articles, and stories on our Whitefishpress Twitter account! Hint: You don't need to be a member...just bookmark the Twitter Feed Page or click on latest links to the right!

A new trail to honor Fly Rod Crosby?…Trevor Shoesmith passes on…ranking tackle bags…bass, blues and fluke…Milwaukee man takes a teaching role…a fishing rodeo…Tench Warfare in Britain…North Devon loses its angling mayor…Knoxville exhibits hand made fishing reel of Union soldier…UCF wins the collegiate bassing title…it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: A new trail in honor of Fly Rod Crosby is discussed.

British angling personality Trevor Shoesmith has passed away.


Ranking the tackle bags for anglers.

Anglers enjoy bass, blues, and fluke at Westlip Patch.


This Milwaukee man is cast into a teaching role.


Best fishing reels for the weekend angler (Lisa Mason's been awfully busy this week).

…and I'm off to the (fishing) rodeo.


More on the war between fly tiers and women's hair fashions.


It's Tench Warfare in Britain.


North Devon loses a former mayor and dedicated angler.


Knoxville exhibits Civil War artifacts of William O. White, including his hand made fishing reel.

Tackle collecter opens antique mall in Texas.



Finishing with a Flourish: UCF wins the collegiate bass fishing title.



-- Dr. Todd