BowDoc – Good for you if you know where a Bear Giant is about 90 miles from your place. I know if you get it from the fellow, we will see photographs of it here in Trad Gang for sure.
I believe my above statement posted January 21, 2009 05:10 PM, is still accurate…
“…there are only two Bear Giants known to have survived that are now in collections.”
Actually there are “…only two Bear Giants known to have survived that are now in collections.”
For a number of years I have been aware of two other Bear Giants that were “reported” to exist. Unfortunately, the enthusiastic collectors who were in hot pursuit of these “reported” Giants were never able to actually lay their hands on them and photograph them to prove their existence.
I would strongly suspect that one of those two is the Giant you have now reported. I say this because one of the previously reported Giants was in the general area that you mentioned. If your “reported sighting” is not one of those other two, yours would be the third that may be acquired by a member of the collecting community and displayed in a collection someday.
In the writings about broadheads in my books, the RARITY reference is to the number of heads that are known to exist in collections. I believe you can see the problems with trying to include “reported sightings”, is there two or are there three additional Bear Giants that may someday wind up in collections if the present owners don’t die and their heirs throw the heads in the scrap metal pile and they are melted down…
Although Fred reported that he made a couple dozen, where are the others? How should they be accounted for????
I do not include “reported sightings” of Bear Giants or any other heads. Until those “reported sightings” or “unconfirmed sightings” become a “confirmed sighting”, that is their existence is established with an actual photograph to prove they have survived, I can not consider any of the 2 or 3 as being in collections or being in existence.
BowDoc – If someone told this guy the Bear Giant was worth $10,000 and he believes that is its value, you should contact John and tell him you want a nice commission for picking up the Bear Giant for him. John may well give you a commission far exceeding the income from a day of refinishing bows. I know at one time, John was very interested in getting a Bear Giant more than any other broadhead. If John is not interested in such a transaction, let me know, as I know another very serious collector from Michigan who also desperately wants a Bear Giant. I will be more than happy to put you in touch with him.
I don’t want any commission for helping you make any transaction. I only want the satisfaction of being a party to helping get more of these rare, and historically significant artifacts into the hands of legitimate collectors; so they can be properly cared for and displayed in collections, for all to see.