Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: papabear08 on January 14, 2016, 04:37:00 PM
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Guys, there's a new Bear Archery reference book by Jorge L. Coppen now available and can be purchased on Amazon Books.
Well done and a must have for your library
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I agree. It is a great reference book full of information on Bear bows from 1949 - 2015, complete with photos and explanations.
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This is GREAT news .. !!!
I just ordered my copy .. have to wait till Feb 12-18 but looking forward to see (and use) it ... thanks to Jorge (btw. is he here on TG ? )
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I saw the topic on *********** and just had to have one also. My copy comes next week. :D
Jorge seems like a great guy who has finally done something many of us have wanted for years. When he hears about this topic here, he may have to visit. :campfire:
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Hi Gents:
LOL, I think my ears were burning, Lon! Thanks for the enthusiastic posts on my new book guys. I feel very honored by this! That book was alot of work and an expensive investment ($4429)so I hope I break even. My goal in writing that book was to preserve the history and heritage of Bear Archery in print forever, recognizing that memories fade and people pass on and take their knowledge with them. Preservation is best done in print. I just wanted to help all the folks asking questions about Bear bows. I wish I had something like this 20 years ago. The book is arranged in chronological order. I have 4 groupings (Hunting Recurves,Hunting Longbows, Target and Youth bows and All-purpose bows. Within those groups the bows are covered in chronological order too (e.g., Grizzly (1949) , Kodiak (1950), Kodiak Deluxe (1960) Kodiak Magnum (1961), etc.). Obviously, each timeline is chronological for each bow. I tried to make chapters were short and easy to read and I was very careful that the information in the tables was correct, since that's the most important part of the procedure. Just grab a bow you want to date, read the chapter for that bow first and then go right to the table and nail it. Hope you guys enjoy it!
And now a quiz for a cash prize: Given this serial number prefix, what model bow I this? "9F""...(sorry it’s not in the book).
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Bear Alaskan
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Fellas don't forget to write a good review for Jorge on Amazon or wherever you purchase your copy. He deserves it for a job well done !!
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Spot on TonyW! Try these for extra credit:
1. What were the first two digits for the 1984 Bear Medallion target bow serial number prefix?
2. What years was the first year the Kodiak Pony was produced?
3. What was the last year the Lit’L Kodiak was produced?
4. What was the last year the Lady Kodiak was produced? (1997?)
5. What was the last year the Bear Hunter Take-Down was made? (1988 to ?)
6. What was the last year of production for the Fred Bear Take-Down Hunter (1997?)
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Jorge -
What I don't know could fill a book. It seems you just wrote it.
Time to order my copy before your first edition sells out.
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After reading about Mr. Coppen and seeing his input on the ***********,,,,, along with all the positive feedback, I ordered one up.
Appears to be an interesting, well thought out piece of reference material. Very much appreciated on my part that someone finally stepped up to it!
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I ordered one last Fri. It will be here in about a week. No doubt it will be read more than once !
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Quoting Al Reader from an article he wrote "The Good old Days Are Now" back in 1997: "There are no current books on the market that can help identify even the age of most old bows." and "I have spent many enjoyable days with many of the Grayling employees and even they are not sure of the serial ranges."
Read the full article here:
http://archeryfreaks.weebly.com/what-year-is-your-bear-archery-bow.html
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I just got a copy in today's mail so I haven't had the chance to read through much of it. I skipped to a few bows that I "thought" I knew about, I was extremely impressed and already picking up knowledge I never knew. This is going to be an invaluable resource. Way to go Jorge!
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Got my copy today also. Very well done; thorough with plenty of photos and historical information. No regrets on this purchase, well worth the price. Thanks Jorge, you did a great job!
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Thanks very much guys!! Special thanks to Jeff W. for leaving a great customer review for me on Amazon! If others care to post a customer review on Amazon I would be eternally grateful! Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-Traditional-Bows-Chronological/dp/1682890317
With an investment of $4,429.00 and royalties of $3 to $4 per book sold I only have to sell 1,476 copies. Please circulate...Daddy needs a new bow!
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My wife just ordered a copy for me. Since I am having shoulder surgery next week I will have some reading material to while away the hours during recovery. I can't wait to get it.
Jack
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Jack, I think you will be impressed. Mine arrived today. Ardent Archer you did everyone proud. Good job. Jack, good luck next week.
Shick
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Should be getting mine any day.
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Thank you, Shick! Glad you're enjoying the book. Happy reading and collecting!
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae260/jlcoppen/004.jpg) (http://s977.photobucket.com/user/jlcoppen/media/004.jpg.html)
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae260/jlcoppen/003.jpg) (http://s977.photobucket.com/user/jlcoppen/media/003.jpg.html)
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Just finished reading mine, it was fun narrowing down the years on my small collection of Bears.
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Jorge,
Enjoying my copy a lot!
Now that the Bears are covered nicely, would you start your collection of Howatts? That book is sorely needed as well.
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Jorge -
Thanks so much for taking the time to write this book. I'm certain it will save us older Bear collectors countless hours of answering questions for years to come. As with everything, it is important that someone take the bull by the horns and write the initial book.
Having written 9 books about archery collectibles (not bows), I know first hand that regardless of how complete any book is about collectibles, there will always be something to add or change for the next edition.
It is always rewarding to finally have an edition finished. I have over 8,000 hours (4 man years) of work in one of my books. I'm certain that I never would have started it if I had known the project would have been that time consuming.
Hopefully your book will inspire some who have put together large groups of other manufacturers' bows, to write about their interests.
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Hello Wade. What a great honor to hear from you!!
In the book when I wrote this (on page 19):
"There are several expert collectors out there that may fill in blanks more judiciously and present more detail about the chronological history and nuances of a particular bow model for which they have attained expertise and knowledge."
...I was thinking primarily of you, Bjorn, Gary Schoenberger (who started this thread) and other very knowledgable collectors. Of course there are some mistakes and things to fix if I ever finds enough steam to do it. The other thing is hoping to just break even on my expenses.
Mostly, I hope it is helpful to and fun for most folks sharing our passion as that is why I wrote it!
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LOL, Lon...my expertise is more limited than you think! I do have another book idea lurking in my head but I'm gonna wait to recover my losses from this monster first. :)
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Jorge -
Your book should be a good seller for some time to come. You have the best archery topic of all. There might be about as much interest in vintage Bear bows as all other manufacturers' bows combined.
In my limited experience, writing books about archery collectibles has not a prolific way to make money. I started my first book 15 years ago when I retired, and just keep loosing money.
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I am so happy that you wrote the book,I haven't got it yet but I WILL SOON.I have been copying all the Numbers I see on line for 2 or 3 years . Only Grizzly,Kodiak,Polar and Cub(Alaskan) 1949 thru 1964.The numbers that I did not understand.
I read all I could from Al Reader and Wade Phillips.Now I am going to get your book to help me.
I am looking forward to your input on 1960 to 1964 numbers. Thanks. :banghead: :banghead:
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Howdy Drywood. I actually never focused on serial numbers of older vintage Bear bows much after I was told they would restart them every month at the factory and even Al Reader learned from interviewing Bear factory employees that they could not recall serial number system changes. I just focused on AMO length, riser material, medallion used, limb glass colors, handle overlay colors, limb tip colors and where applicable, the two-digit serial number prefix. I also looked at thousands and thousands of photos on the big auction site. Funny how "technology" helped me with learning about vintage traditional equipment! The book should help you narrow it down. Of course in consecutive years where there were no cosmetic changes you can only narrow it down to a range of years. Thank you!
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I hear you there Wade, I figured our relatively small community would limit sales of such a book. But of course I did not write it for the money :)
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Drywood -
I remember several years ago an experienced collector (not active now) told me he had the Bear serial numbers all figured out and could tell me the year of the bow just by the serial number.
I offered to have him come to my house and identify 10 Bear bows, just by the serial number and to bring $10,000 cash with him. For every bow he could date accurately from the serial number, I would give him $1,000 cash, and likewise for every bow he identified incorrectly, he would give me $1,000 cash.
He declined my offer using the excuse that he lived several hundred miles from me. I offered to send a taxi for him, because I knew his chances of correctly dating any of the bear bows was almost zero. He still declined, knowing he would never be able to identify the bows I selected. Simple put, there are lots of exceptions to most rules for using serial numbers to identify Bear bows.
For fun I gave him a couple of numbers for free. He missed both badly and was 10 years off on one.
If I remember correctly, at one point I identified 14 changes in Bear's serial number methodology. With all the changes and exceptions, the serial numbers are not 100% reliable.
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That is one great story, Wade. Who needs a lousy book when we have Wade around! I am burning my copy today. I would like to meet you some day, Wade and maybe have you sign my book as strange as that sounds.
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Jorge -
Why don't you just come to Nebraska for a few days. After spending a couple of days here, we could drive out to Dick Mauch's place and you could get a signature in your book from the last surviving original Bear Archery Stockholder... It's probably the most historically significant Bear Archery Company related signature that there is left to get at this late date after the passing of the Golden Years of Archery.
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Wade, what a kind offer! How could I turn that opportunity down...staying in the "Fred Bear room!" To date, I only have met Frank Scott from the "great ones." I possibly could have even met Fred Bear but was too shy as a boy to pursue it. Fred Bear is my top lifetime hero gong on 50 years now and he was larger than life to me. You'd think after 8 visits to the Fred Bear Museum between 1975 and about 1999 I'd get up the nerve to ask!
If I can come to Nebraska for a few days maybe this spring or early summer, a tour of the Antique Archery Arsenal would be more than enough.
Meeting Dick Mauch would be way over the top. I am actually featuring Dick Mauch in my next TANJ Magazine coming out this spring (will be posted on tradnj.com). I could bring him a copy. I'll send you a private message...I really should do this for myself. Who cares about Ted Nugent...LOL!
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I'm almost halfway through mine. Great read.
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Thank you stagetek! Glad you're enjoying it!
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OK, so mine arrived today!
Very nicely done. Laid out in a "chronological", easy to research, useful manner.
Certainly better then using the CD catalogs and poking around for additional info in order to dial in the year of production and history of a specific model.....
I think you'll have no problem getting your initial investment back and perhaps that new bow!! :)
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Thank you, that's great feedback Larry! I intended it to be the comprehensive one-stop, easy to use reference for all Bear trad bow dating. Hope you enjoy using it frequently as your collection mushrooms :)
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Got it today, been perusing for a few hours.
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Fellow archers: I pasted an image here containing corrections to some errors in the book following another discussion thread. Most deal with issues around the use of Nickel-Silver coins in some high end bow models. Keep in mind I tried to generalize in the tables. The only error that really haunts me is the data for overlay color in the Kodiak magnum table for 1970 and 1971-72. These errors were commited by Page Design editors and I did not catch all of those. I suggest you print this out, cut it to 6"X9" size and slide it under the inside front cover for your reference.
Apologies for any confusion these errors may have caused.
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae260/jlcoppen/Errata%20image.jpg) (http://s977.photobucket.com/user/jlcoppen/media/Errata%20image.jpg.html)
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Using your book, I was checking out my first bow, a 1972 Super Grizzly (serial KD 3722 with a Canadian patent)
A couple of years ago I added another one, KD 9408 without the Canadian patent.
Both bows have the Victor logo, and I bought my bow in the fall of 1972.
So should we consider the Bear Super Grizzly as introduced in 1972 or 1973?
Makes me wonder if 3,722 were available in late 1972, or if the KD 3722 follows some other code. I also remember a bunch of gaudy Bear Futurewood "greenies" in the shop when I was picking out my blackened maple Super Grizzly. The red stripe sealed the deal, perhaps because my high school colors were black and red, our mascot was a Native American warrior, and Fred Bear just had to be more of an "Indian" than Ben Pearson or Montgomery Ward.
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Hi TonyW, In 1973, Bear Archery first introduced the 58” Victor Super Grizzly in the Bear Archery Catalog. They do not apear in the 1972 catalog. The Futurewood handle came in random colors, but that amounted to three options: midnight black, forest green, and big sky blue. Since the factory production year ran from Sept. to Sept., so some were made between Sept. and Dec. 1972 and these will have the canadian patent. You are technically corect that it was "intordiuced in '72" but not in the catalog.
From the book on page 150:
"While by 1973, all Bear bows carried the US Patent logo on the lower limb face and the stabilizer bushing and button medallion were standard equipment, I have seen a Super Grizzly carrying a low serial number and Canadian patent,
which puts it into late-1972. This makes sense when one realizes that factory runs ran September to September."
I'm pretty sure I read that Fred's father had some native blood in him.
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Critiquing, correction and input is only going to make your publication all the better!
I've printed out your pasted image above and plan on making some red notations as reference. I would suspect there will be some more in the future as the word on your book gets around.
Future editions could be updated and enhanced which would make a more positive reference guide!
No apologies required or confusion on my part and welcome the updates.....
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Thanks Larry. Share any glaring mistakes. I have a file with a bunch of other issues incase I ever do another edition. Private messages would be great!
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Jorge -
Thanks for giving us a page of corrections to add to the book.
If you start a second page, here are some additional corrections/changes to consider....
Page 74 the only photograph is labeled "A 1960 Kodiak Deluxe". The photograph is actually a 1960 Kodiak Special Deluxe.
Page 75 the photo in the center of the page, from the 1960 Bear Archery Catalog, shows a Kodiak Special Deluxe to the left and on the right, a bow built on the Kodiak form (not the Kodiak Deluxe form), but with clear glass and no crescent inset of zebrawood (this is an actual photograph, not an illustration as I have one one of these bows). There is no mention of identifying either bow in the text.
Page 76 First paragraph - Do you have any documentation from the era to support the text regarding the "2" or "22" stamping? I have owned numerous Bear bows with one or more "2" stamped on them and never noticed any blemish or serious defect on any of the bows.
Page 76 Second paragraph - HA (56") IA (60") and LA (64") is the serial numbering sequence that started in 1959 and carried over well into the 1960 production before the numbering sequence was changed.
Page 218 top photograph incorrectly labeled 1958 Kodiak Special. This is actually a 1957 Kodiak Special.
Page 219 top photograph is incorrectly labeled 1959-1960 Kodiak Special - this bow is actually a 1959 Kodiak Special.
The 1960 Bear Catalog page 6 Kodiak Special actually shows a 1959 Kodiak Special, the 1960 Kodiak Special is not shown. It is easy for people who do not collect these bows to be confused.
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Jorge -
Also have a question about the classifications mentioned in the book, e.g.,
Type I
Type II
Type III
What specific characteristic(s) does a bow have to exhibit before it is eligible to have a separate classification as a different "Type"?
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Wade,
Thanks for these helpful suggestions to add to my early Errata. I will add them for a "version 2" Errata. Eventually I will post these on a website being constructed for me by the publisher and I will post the URL for interested parties to access things like a revised Errata. I assume more suggestions will come from others knowledgable parties. In fact I already have some.
Many of them were already known but not included in the book due to size limitations. Covering 40 bow models over a 66 year timeline set the bar pretty high (maybe too high).
As you might expect, some of the information in the book (description of "2" or "22" stamping, Type I, Type II, Type III designations) is based on statments made by others at shoots, forum posts, etc. For example, bow "Type" designations came from several sources to include: Jim Raine (doglegs discussion on Pirates of Archery), Dan Worden (Mag. risers) and Tom Lester (Kodiak Hunter types in his matrix), discussions with Al Reader (only in my head). It may take me awhile to track those down.
I'll make sure to get back to you on the sources when I can. Working 40 hours/wk. is getting in the way.
Thank You for these!
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Jorge -
Page 31 Exotic Woods, first paragraph text states "In 1959, Fred Bear began using exotic woods in his bows."
Actually use of Exotic Woods started the previous model year in 1958 with the 1958 Kodiak Special I-Beam Riser which had a dark Rosewood center lamination. The 1958 Catalog shows what I refer to as a 1957 Kodiak Special "Amalgamated" Sight Window, which is much different than the bow sight window that everyone knows as a 1958 Kodiak Special.
Below is a 2009 image from my efforts to create an identification guide for Kodiak Specials on this forum...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/KS-5560A.jpg)
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Originally posted by Ardent Archer:
Wade,
...
As you might expect, some of the information in the book (description of "2" or "22" stamping, Type I, Type II, Type III designations) is based on statements made by others at shoots, forum posts, etc. For example, bow "Type" designations came from several sources to include: Jim Raine (doglegs discussion on Pirates of Archery), Dan Worden (Mag. risers) and Tom Lester (Kodiak Hunter types in his matrix), discussions with Al Reader (only in my head). It may take me awhile to track those down.
Jorge -
I am only interested in documentation from Bear Archery regarding the "2" stamping, as I have never found any nor heard of any actual documentation from Bear regarding stamping on bows. I have heard things first hand from people who actually stamped some of these bows, which should be the most believable, but never 100 percent reliable 100 percent of the time especially if 30 or 40 or 50 or more years pasted from the time of the event to me asking them to recall it. Some of the best human sources of information have also proven to be the most incorrect when the information is compared to actual artifacts that are known to exist.
Don't really want you to go to the trouble of re-finding these sources unless they are actual Bear documents, which have occasionally also proven to be incorrect, as we know well.
Regarding the Type I etc, was guessing you had a set of rules (similar to Al's rules) that you used to determine what you would give a different "Type" designation.
If there is no such set of criteria for "Type", it should be established so everyone knows what might constitute a different "Type".
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STAMPS:
On stamps, I never found any actual documentation direct from Bear Archery either, whether it be stamps or serial number files. I vaguely recalled some conversations with others about them but cannot recall who.
Just for kicks I posted what I could find here…There was one more site that I forgot to copy the URL for and cannot find now but someone posted: “There are probably as many explanations for the stamps are there are bows”
Here are some quotes and their origin:
1) “Contrary to recent information I've heard, and according to the people who actually wrote the serial numbers at the Grayling plant, many of these defective bows were metal stamped on the riser. A "2" stamp indicated a factory second or blemish and a "22" stamp indicated a more serious defect.” - Matt Dickerson
http://www.stickbow.com/features/collecting/bearkodiaks/
2) “I have talked to a couple of the most respected and published Bear experts and they say there is no 100% documented proven or corroborated backed up story as to what the 22 stamp and the star stamp and the X stamp mean. It is commonly accepted that the 22 and star stamp means factory refinished and the X stamp means overstock discounted clearance with no warranty sale.” - Posted by AALLFAB (Jim)
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=14;t=004303
3) “as I recall the 22 stamp means the bow was sent back to the factory for repair and so stamped when returned” - Posted by damascusdave
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=14;t=006716
4) “The Bear salesman carried a stamping too in his kit. The stars are typically discounted bows and year end clearance. The '2's you see on some bows are cosmetic blemishes or defects; I have bows with as many as three '2's. But the blemish or defect is not easy to determine, as it is cosmetic.” -Bjorn
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=006943
BOW TYPE:
I will never know who may have started designating bow “Types” but it was likely a collector or maybe a Bear Archery (or other company) factory employee. I always believed that “Type” intended to “separate multiple configurations of a bow model within or among years.” …I think that is your definition right there. Who designated the TypeI and Type II Bear TD risers? A collector?
1) Some collectors place significance on the year of the manufacture of the take-down relative to the value of the bow. Actually, more than year, the collector should be referring to Type. The first models made in 1969/1970, up through serial number 2000, are referred to as Type I’s. Models made in 1971 and later are correctly referred to as Type II’s, due to a change in the riser style.
http://www.stickbow.com/stickbow/collector/beararchery/
2) The only ones they had problems with were the "Type 1" Kodiak Magnums. If you scroll back up and look at the catalog picture Jett provided you can see the the back side "dogleg" is higher than the belly side ending lamination. There basically was not enough "meat" to the riser left to handle the stress in this configuration and they "blew up".
Bear then modified the design and went to the "Type II". This Type II is shown in the photo provided by CZenner, and is the third from the left in the picture. You can see the laminations are now even at the doglegs (from belly to back). This provided more strength. While they had less issues with this design, I guess they still had some issues and decided to alter go to the final design, the "Type III" which is shown to the right in the same photo. Here you can see how little dogleg there is in the final design. - Jim Raine
http://piratesofarchery.net/bb/viewtopic.php?p=132188
3) ‘69 Kodiak Hunter (3 types), ‘69 Kodiak Magnum (3 types), ‘63 Dogleg Kodiak Magnum (3 types), ’64 Kodiak Magnum (Type I) described in “Grayling Bows by Bear” (hardcopy spreadsheet handed to me by Al Reader) - by Tom Lester,
4) “Magnesium risers. I didn't see any mention of type I and type II. Early and reinforced risers. Page 329 yellow and green are T-II's see the additional angled rib at the latch?” - Dan Worden (Mag. riser Type I and Type IIs, personal communication).
5) Personal discussions with Al Reader (only in my very limited brain).
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Jorge -
Thanks so much for the lengthy explanation about the stampings.
Guess the long and short of it is nobody seems to know anyone with any documentation from Bear stating anything about the different stampings.
Regarding the designation "Type".
Apparently you agree that there is no written criteria for what difference in a bow might make is eligible for a different "Type" designation.
I think it would be wise for interested Bear collectors to have a discussion and come to a consensus on a definition of Type, as there are likely additional bows with different characteristics that should be recognized as having those differences.
As collectors, many of us like to know what variations exist so we know to be looking for them in our searches.
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Good morning Wade et al.,
Nice photo of Kodiak Specials!! Thanks for posting. I reviewed some of the "donated" photos others had sent me for the book and am confirming that all the ones you noted came to me already mis-labeled. Dang, I should have double checked each one closely. Glad you caught those Wade! Others will be thankful too.
I agree that we should set a definition for bow “Type” as I've never seen a "handbook" per se. In my draft revised definition: "A designation assigned to a bow model intended to recognize multiple (unique) configurations of a bow model within or among years”, I must admit to feeling uncomfortable with including "among" in that definition but I think we may be stuck with it now. Considering the 1969-70 wood Fred Bear Takedown riser (Type I) and the 1971-74 wood Fred Bear Takedown riser (Type II) are already well established in the collector community. Any thoughts on improving this draft?
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Jorge -
Want to point out the discolored glass of the 1955 Kodiak Special and the notation to such on the image. A photograph that has been on this website since 2009.
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/KS-5560A.jpg)
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Jorge -
The notation on the 1960 & 1959 regarding the possibility that aged white glass can appear cream is true for many Bear bows with white glass.
Also not on notation is the fact that there are some examples of these bows with all white glass. I have owned one and seen four others that come to mind. Haven't really looked for examples of this glass color variation for some time.
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Wade, you did a great job with all of your bow model identification series. Very effective way to present the differecnes. These photos would make a great ID handbook. It would likely outsell mine!
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Jorge -
Yes, I have been toying around with several ideas like you suggest but after writing 9 books since retiring in 2001, I have tried to catch up with some other things the past 5 years or so.
I have three other books and two handbooks started but have not finished them. One is all but ready to take to the printers. Learned from my first book, to never tell anyone what I am working on or when it will be done as you will spend all of your time answering questions about when it can be ordered... as one of my best teachers in life often said, "a word to the wise is sufficient".
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Jorge, my copy was lost in the mail so I complained and Amazon sent me a replacement. The post office found the first one, so now I have two. I'm not sure what I will do as I really did not like talking to the customer service rep in India. I may give the extra to the local library.
Wade, that is a very nice '58 KS, which happens to be a year that is missing in my collection. If you hear of any clean ones needing a home please send me a p.m.
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I went to Amazon, typed in the full title and the author`s full name; I got "Your search did not match any products". I was in the book section.
Anyone have any help with this? I would like to purchase, if possible.
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I used the link in the last post on page one to get there. It just worked about a minute ago for me.
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Brad, Maybe you can sell the extra copy on **** or at the next shoot you attend?
Dennis I went to both Amazon and Barnes & noble links and they are working.
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Only extra 58 KS is a 47#, 62", non-factory camo that Bjorn had before it came to the Arsenal. It has a thin splinter of glass missing on lower limb. I wanted to take a close look at it because it was camo, but turned out not to be a factory camo job. Probably not a candidate for refinish back to mint original.
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Wade, that sounds like a challenge to me. I have a 1960 to finish up and a 1962 Kodiak next in line along with a piano refinish and a quarter mile of fence line to cut the brush out of, so I am a little short on things to do. I'll be in touch.
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Brad -
I need to get rid of some bows, so how about me sending you that 62" 1958 Kodiak Special for your collection plus some other bows that need refinishing and we can sort out the details after the bows arrive and you have had a chance to look them over.
To keep piece in the house, last month, I agreed to get rid of one 12"x18" box heaped up, per day. Mailing off a box of bows should fulfill more than one day's downsizing requirement.
Frankly, I've already disposed of the stuff that I should have disposed of long ago. I now need to get a little more creative in ways to to come up with things to send out the door.
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Wade's tomato stakes are the envy of the western world.
I imagine that your "blems" are better than most of our gems.
If you box up "The Little Rascal," though, I know that a comet will strike the Earth before you ship it anywhere!
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Brad
That is one very generous offer... Pictures posted with info as you go along,,,, would be interesting and no doubt appreciated!!
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Wade,
Remember how the teacher would call on a kid in class and the kid would turn and look over his should to see if the teacher was talking to him or someone else? Well I just did that!
Sure, that sounds like we can make it work. Thank you for the offer. The offer that I made on a refinish on that 61 KS from Floyd's collection still stands on this end, if you are interested.
Do you still have my address?
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Brad -
These are 20 Bear bows that I found today that I want to get rid of. Some need to be refinished or are broken. Let me know what you are interesting in and I will let you know the details and send them along with the 1958 Kodiak Special...
1-10 below...
1- 1958 Bear Alaskan – 62”, 43#, – Rough
2- 1958 Bear Grizzly – Unmarked – a little rough
3- 1958 Bear Kodiak – 64”, 54#, – excellent all original, replaced in my collection with a mint 75#
4- 1958 Bear Kodiak – 60”, 46#, – excellent except for break in mid limb lamination
5- 1958 Bear Kodiak – 60”, 48#, – good painted dark green
6- 1958 Bear Kodiak – 60”, 47#, – good painted OD green, putty on grip
7- 1958 Bear Kodiak – 56”, Unmarked –Broken lower limb tip missing 2”
8- 1957 Bear Kodiak Special – 66”, 34#, – Floyd’s shop rang bow, good
9- 1957 Bear Kodiak Special – 66”, 46#, – VG original
10- 1957 Bear Kodiak – 60”, 52#, – excellent refinished by BowDoc, grip missing
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/0%20Bears%201-10%20of%2020.jpg) (http://s386.photobucket.com/user/WadePhillips/media/0%20Bears%201-10%20of%2020.jpg.html)
11-20 below...
11– 1966 Bear Kodiak Magnum – 52”, 50#, – lower limb lams separated, no coin
12– 1963 Bear Kodiak Special – 66”, Unmarked, – several holes, armature refinish needs redo, shootable
13– 1958 Bear Kodiak Special – 62”, 47#, – missing glass splinter lower limb, non-factory camo
14– 1961 Bear Polar – 66”, 40#, – 2 to 4 cracks in each limb, 22 stamp, #8 Floyd’s Range Bow, otherwise good
15– 1967 Bear Super Kodiak – 60”, 35#, – vg except lots of marks in glass with cracks that are glued up but not sanded off
16– 1969 Bear Super Kodiak – 60”, 58#, – amature refinish, 2 stablizer holes in back of limbs below riser overlays, 2 sight holes on belly
17– 1960 Bear Kodiak Deluxe – 60”, 45#, – amatgure refinish, crack at lower fadeout glued up, 2 filled holes on coin side
18– 1955 Bear Grizzly – 62”, 37#, – all original, needs new grip & strike plates, a few glass cracks
19– 1967 Bear Cub – 62”, 30#, – crack in lower limb lams and glass at fadeout, armature spray painted
20– 1959 Bear Alaskan – 62”, 50#, – low serial number NA094, rare no coin bow, cracks in glass, fair
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/0%20Bears%2011-20%20of%2020.jpg) (http://s386.photobucket.com/user/WadePhillips/media/0%20Bears%2011-20%20of%2020.jpg.html)
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Brad -
These are three bows that might present a challenge for refinishing...
1960 Kodiak Deluxe - 64", 48# - armature camo paint, rear corner of shelf broken off
1959 Kodiak Special - 64" Unmarked - armature partial refinish, tips overlays missing, unusual sapwood in Brazilian Rosewood Inset
1961 Kodiak Special - 66", 39" - Floyd's Shop stickers, 22 stamp, some cracks in the glass, all original finish so needs complete refinish
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/0%20Bows%20to%20Refinish.jpg) (http://s386.photobucket.com/user/WadePhillips/media/0%20Bows%20to%20Refinish.jpg.html)
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Brad -
Got 11 bows off to you this afternoon. The 57 KS was too long for the box so will send it later. They are expected to be at your doorstep Tuesday. Let me know when they arrive.
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Thanks Wade
I will sit on the front porch all Monday night waiting
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Jorge, Ordered my copy the other day, due to arrive tomorrow, looking forward to reading it!
I used to have, along with Gene Hopkins, the only archery collecting site on the web named The Archery Collector.I started it in march 1998. It had, with permission, articles from Al Henderson, Joe St Charles and others. My big claim to fame was an article I wrote for Archery Focus magazine (Nov/Dec 2002). Though I am knowledgeable on old bows, I am no where near the expert as you, Wade and others here. I wrote on my web site how a book as yours was desperately needed, so you can imagine my delight in knowing this had been done. One day I hope to get my web site back online.
Thanks again!
Tim
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I hope the hell you do Tim. I really miss it. Learned a lot from it.
Gary
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I remember that Archery Collector site. It was great in it's time! It would be nice to see it come back.......
Jorge's book is getting some well deserved solid feedback on Amazon. As stated, "the first of it's kind".
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Thanks Papabear and Larry, hopefully one day soon :)
Also, I got Jorge's book, very pleased. Much more content than I expected plus I loved that the less collected bows were included, great job Jorge!
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Thanks Tim. Haven't been here in awhile. I hope you're enjoyiong the book. I do not consider myself an expert. I just decided it had to be done and took the bull by the horns and get it done. Incidentally, in the next couple of weeks I'll be making some postings about what will be a 2nd edition of the book and where to get a revised errata (corrections to the 1st edition) to keep handy. Be on the lookout. Thanks!
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Looks like this nicely done book is still receiving well deserved positive feedback.
Updates to the first edition will be very much appreciated when available! :)
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I find myself referring to it on a regular basis. When I find an old Bear I want to date or a friend asks about one, I check out Mr. Choppen's book. He may not consider himself an expert, but all the educated guesses can now be found in one place...LOL
I'm also looking for an updated version.
BTW, "Expert" is someone who makes 3 correct guesses in a row.
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As the newspaper reporter says at the end of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" :
"No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
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Bear bow enthusiasts:
I am posting the corrections (the updated Errata) for the first edition of the book "Bear Archery Traditional Bows: A Chronological History." Fortunately, these represent less than 1% of the book and only 6 of the 615 photos had to be replaced (they came to me already mislabeled/misidentified).
NOTE: The 2nd edition with all corrections and many more updates will be out in April! Be on the lookout!
Here's the link:
http://www.pagepublishing.com/books/?book=bear-archery-traditional-bows-a-chronological-history
Just click on: "Read the upcoming Revisions to Jorge's Book."
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TonyW, You might be interested to know I recently saw a Super Grizzly on the big auction site that came with a card stating it was sold July 29, 1972. So much for the theory that since factory production ran Sept. to Sept. then 1972 Super Grizzlies were likely made Sept. to Dec. 1972!
But, as I wrote on page 26: "Al Reader noted that bow model changes typically ran from September to September but acknowledged that often, factory production changes came about at any time of year."
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OK, easy to use link for getting the updates!
Thanks :)
Looks like your getting some good exposure......
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Hi Larry. Well, I hope so! The 2nd edition with corrections and many more new updates is coming in April...Thanks! I'll find out in April how it's doing...get my first check then (I hope).