Here's a couple of pics of the other Bears that Mr. Stewart put away. These all seem to be regular production bows to me. All of them are beautiful examples of his designs from that year, but aren't the EXP.
The 1962 Cub is just like new.
When I was looking into the 1962 Grizzly it was interesting to find the EXP pictured in the catalog. This is also true of the 1963 Tamerlane. It seems if the advertising guys got ahold of a EXP for pictures it didn't ever make it back to Bills hands for safe keeping with the rest of the treasure.
The 1966 Kodiak Special has a slight separation in the lamination by the grip.
The 1975-8?(please help me with the year if someone knows) Grizzly special order is very nice. It's a real heavy weight at #75 and the black glass is like a mirror. This thing is beautiful and what a burly bow!
And the C handle...I could not believe it when I opened this box. A brand new in the box C handle!!! Well for a long time I thought it was one of the EXP's because Mr. Stewart had written " 1- 26" Long Bear C-Handle Wood.. only target latch limb built". After consulting with some of you takedown experts here it seems to be "just a normal" almost new in box production run C Handle from 70-71.
It is almost NIB because of some damage to one side of the top hinge. My theory is that when it was in transit to a Mr. Clyde Belles in Windgap Pa. in May 1971, it took a good hit on the tip of this hinge. He then sent it back and it ended up in Bears Master Bowyers hands for repair. I put limbs in it when I got it and they fit perfectly. I didn't ever notice the repair for months. The black paint has two small chips in it where the steel flexed right below the hinge pin on the top bracket when he did the slight repair. If it was anything like the manufacturing company I used to work for, anything sent back for any repair no matter how small could no longer be sold as new. So, is that why it ended up on a shelf in Bill Stewart shop..because it's "almost New in Box"
It's all pure speculation for now but no matter why he had it, it is really really nice.
For me the box is almost as exciting as the handle. Its one thing when hard durable stuff makes it through the years into a collectors hands, but more delicate things or things like boxes that were most often trashed by the owner of the new thing that came in it, have always really interested me. The liner of this box was in upside down when I first recieved it. It was a great to flip it over and find the totally protected logo underneath!
Has anyone seen one of these "TAKE_DOWN HANDLE SECTION" boxes before??
I am going to concentrate on the EXP's and do my best to make sure they all stay together and hope to fill some of the gaps in the collection. Any bows I keep or collect beyond the exp/R&D's will be a shooter for me. These bows don't really fit either catagory for me since they were regular production bows and because they were saved with the others by their designer with the rest of his creations.
In the very near future (a few days) I will be listing some or all of this group individually on the big auction. Hopefully this will give a few other guys a chance to have something that was put away and preserved by this Master Boyer,artist,designer etc...
I forgot to get the 1963 Kodiak Secial with the amazing Bubinga into the group shot.
Topic: The rest of Stewarts Bears (Read 534 times)
