Your best find or what got u into Collecting

[Cody Roiter]

Hello guys, I was think what is your best find in well collecting. For me so far would have to be when any older friend of my great grandma's told me he at one time had a archery shop and told me to stop over some time to look at what he had. So 2day later i went over walked to his shop and there is was all of his bowmaking stuff forms lam but no glue or glass. Then we went to the back room and showed me box after box of wood arrows. and lots of odd and ends as the day was ending he ask me if i wanted it I told him yes I would like it. That was last year he still has much more for me. Also what got u into and how old where u. I started collecting when I was 14 i am now 19 but it started when I found a Bear 76er in my barn.. If u want u can add pics of your best find so far.

All the best,


Cody

[johnnyrazorhead]

Cody,
 Great idea for a thread.I love these!!One of my favorite "finds" was the medal shown in the box in the attached picture along with the larger blue ribbon.Both came from the gentleman shown in the photo on the far right.The photo is from the 1st N.F.A.A. tournament ever held in Allegan Michigan in 1946 showing the 1st,2nd,and 3rd place medals in the flight shoot division being awarded.W.B. Wescott(back to camera)is shown handing out the medals to the respective recipients.1st place went to "Tiny" Munson,2nd place went to Nels Grumley,and 3rd place went to a Mr. Bob Vostry.The medal in the box and the blue ribbon belonged to Mr. Vostry and he is about to receive this medal in the photo.Also in the picture are three other medals(bottom) made especially for that tournament as well as another ribbon(green) and an original program showing all of the participants and their scores for the three day event.I personally love items like this as much as the old bows and arrows themselves.So much history here of the early years of archery and bowhunting.

[johnnyrazorhead]

Oops! Forgot to attach the picture.Here it is.

 

[johnnyrazorhead]

Another one of my favorite finds is this fletching jig and business card,both from the same person.The fletching jig was sent to me by surprise.I had no idea it was coming.The gentleman I got it from said it belonged to his father who worked at Bear Archery while it was still in Detroit.I asked if it was one his dad used at Bear and he said he believed it was but wasn't sure.I thanked him very much for it and he wouldn't take a penny for it.He ws glad to see it back in Michigan where it belonged.As I was wiping the jig off as it was rather dirty,I noticed some letters on the top of the jig.Upon closer inspection I could make out the words "BEAR PRODUCTS".This jig was indeed one used at Bear Archery and was from the very earliest days of it's beginnings in Detroit.The arrows shown in the photo were made by Bear in Detroit and possibly fletched on this jig.
 The business card is also from Bear Products and belonged to a Nelson Grumley as stated on the card.It was also given to me and was still being carried in this gentleman's mothers wallet after all these years.He said he remembers Nels Grumley beeing a household name he heard often as a youngster as his parents both knew him very well.To me this stuff is priceless.
 
 

[johnnyrazorhead]

Here's a close-up of the lettering on top of the fletching jig.

 

[Cody Roiter]

john u lucky dog u u have better toys then me.
Thanks john also add as much as u would like.

Cody

[johnnyrazorhead]

Thanks Cody.There's all kinds of great old stuff out there .It sure is fun to share it with those that apreciate it like yourself.I'll see what else I can dig up.

[yellow bow]

This is going to be a good one.  

[TRAP]

Wow, very cool stuff John.  Trap

[PAPALAPIN]

Found a '62 Kodiak Magnum in a Pawn shop for $15.00.  That started it...downhill from there.

Best find to date - Don't know...they are all special

[TRAP]

My best find to date is this one:
 
 
I picked this 62 Kodiak up for $75.00 at a trapper's convention and had no idea what I had untill I got it home and did a little research.  After making a string for it and shooting it, I knew I'd be wanting more.  As Jack said, downhill from there.

I've only been collecting bows for a short time, but when I was a kid it was baseball cards, and then antique traps for a while and my wife and I have a small collection of duck decoys.

Trap

[johnnyrazorhead]

Cool stuff those last two bows and the stories behind getting them.I remember my first Bear bow too that lit my collecting fire.A '69 Kodiak Hunter,60",53#.Had it signed by Frank Scott too.If anybody out there has it,I'd like to see it again.Don't necessarily want it back but just wonder where it ended up.None of us really own this stuff anyhow,we just caretakers of it for awhile.

[johnnyrazorhead]

* we are just caretakers*.

[PAPALAPIN]

I have a Green Stipe Bear Custom Kodiak signed by Papa Bear and frank Scott.  Frank passed about two months after signing it.

Is this my best???  Some may think so, some not...depending on what flips yer switch.

I also have a pristine '63 dogleg 50# 60" Kodiak.  It is like new out of the boX with minimal wear on the original strike plate.  It has the mosT irredescent Bubinga I have ever seen on a bow.  It is the only bow that I keep in a bow sock.  

G-A-W-J-O-U-S!!!

[alaskabowhunter]

a 1977 Kodiak magnum purchase started it all. It was all downhill after that, kind of a snowball effect. Now, 150 Kodiaks later I am looking for a larger place to live to make room for the bows.

  My best find? Probably my type I B-handle that I found for sale in a compound archery shop. It being sold by the shop manager on behalf of his father who bought the whole outfit new in 1970.      

[Steelhead]

I found a real nice bear Cub and a Ben pearson 3 piece curve,metal handle in someones front yard in a garbage can.Hard to believe i know.both were good bows and shot fine.The cub was very very Good condition actually when i cleaned it up.A 54 unch wing Thunderbird for 25 $s at a flea market.a nice Martin hunter and bear kodiak 3 piece Td magnesium handle for 125 $s total at an estate sale.i have stumbled on to a few others as well

[Mike Shaw]

Our best find was a '59 Kodiak maple window. This was before we started collecting and we were just selling junk. Had a call from a gentleman that said he had two old bows in his barn and did we want them. When we got there the bows were covered in chicken **** (and we mean covered). At that time we had no idea what a Kodiak was let alone a maple window. We paid the guy $20 for the pair. We washed the Kodiak and listed it on the auction site and to make a long story short.....we got $980 for it. That was many years ago and sure wish we had that one now. The other bow was a Ben Pearson Cougar and we kept that one...dah.      
  Mike & Sue

[Cody Roiter]

thanks guys

[d. ward]

My best to date....1945 Glenn StCHarles static tip yew wood long bow with whale baleen on both sides and both decals in prestine condition.Well actually a static tip is not a long bow at all but a non working recurce.Thats my best so far and I dout I could top that one...bd

[Gray Wolf]

Started yesterday when this one came in the mail 59 Griz 45@28  http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk284/NCneely/DSCF0249-1.jpg
Mike