Antique Line Display

[klingy]

So my dad enjoys going to estate sales, and now that he is retired, he has more time than ever to look for “treasures” (much to the dismay of my poor mom!)

He recently picked up this box display of antique Hall lines and gave it to me. I would love to display it somehow, as it is in great shape and really visually appealing. Some of the labels themselves are works of art in their own right.

I'd really like to know more about it, but haven’t been able to find much online. Anyone ever seen one before? Was this a store display? A salesman’s display? Any info would be awesome!

 

[Tigereye]

As afan of vintage and antique collectibles, that is cool.

I know nothing about them to share other than I heard of Hall before and have seen one or 2 examples.

It looks like a store display but not sure.

Cool find

 

[goose54cdd]

That is a great find.

 

[Bamboozle]

WAY cool!!!

It was a salesman's sample kit.

Fishing Line Salesman's Kit • Antique Advertising

Unusual, ca. 1940 salesman's sample selling kit from the Hall Line Co. featuring various spools and packages of companies high grade fishing lines. Also includes a 1939 12 page, heavily illustrated catalog for same. Sold at: Wm Morford Antiques Looking to Buy or Sell? Contact: Antique...

antiqueadvertising.com

BTW - Besides its value as is, people like me who collect & use vintage conventional tackle are always looking for vintage braided lines for vintage casting reels.

 

[klingy]

WAY cool!!!

It was a salesman's sample kit.

Fishing Line Salesman's Kit • Antique Advertising

Unusual, ca. 1940 salesman's sample selling kit from the Hall Line Co. featuring various spools and packages of companies high grade fishing lines. Also includes a 1939 12 page, heavily illustrated catalog for same. Sold at: Wm Morford Antiques Looking to Buy or Sell? Contact: Antique...

antiqueadvertising.com

BTW - Besides its value as is, people like me who collect & use vintage conventional tackle are always looking for vintage braided lines for vintage casting reels.

Thanks for finding that! I figured it was a sales kit of some kind. Yeah I don’t know how much lines like this deteriorate over time, but some of them look like they’re almost brand new and usable. This box couldn’t have been opened more than a handful of times over nearly 90 years.

 

[Bamboozle]

@klingy:

IGFA claims Henry Hall was one of the first, if not the first fishing line manufacturer in the US. His first operation was in Harlem, NY (yes, that Harlem), later in Woodbury Falls, NY and then Highland Mills.

That area was a hotbed of bamboo rod makers such as Payne & Leonard so it should be no surprise Henry Hall & Sons made bamboo rods for companies like Sears & Wards. Although most were saltwater rods, they did make some fly rods.

They also manufactured and sold components like guides, ferrules, etc. to other rod makers. Apparently they were in the rod business into the 1930's.

As far as the lines go. I know Hall made lines of silk, linen and other fibers. Based on some research, supposedly braided Dacron & Nylon fishing line didn't appear until the 1950's.

There is a "Pictrobas Chief" Nylon line in "your" kit which sort of confuses the 1939 copyright date in the accompanying catalog unless the "Chief" spool was added later or it isn't really nylon.

What also confuses me is the lines in your kit manufactured by "Cohantic" in Philadelphia, "Diamond" in St. Louis and "Pictrobas" in Webster, NY.

HOWEVER...

The "other" Hall kit I linked to above, has some of the same "non-Hall" lines which leads me to believe either Hall was a distributor for those brands or made those lines under private label for the other companies.

In regards to displaying; some type of enclosed frame with UV protective glass would be nice. I know from experience, custom framing is very expensive but if you wanted to go that route and couldn't do it yourself, I highly recommend Charlie Andrews at the Garden Gallery in Carlisle.

That is a really cool item!!

 

[klingy]

@klingy:

IGFA claims Henry Hall was one of the first, if not the first fishing line manufacturer in the US. His first operation was in Harlem, NY (yes, that Harlem), later in Woodbury Falls, NY and then Highland Mills.

That area was a hotbed of bamboo rod makers such as Payne & Leonard so it should be no surprise Henry Hall & Sons made bamboo rods for companies like Sears & Wards. Although most were saltwater rods, they did make some fly rods.

They also manufactured and sold components like guides, ferrules, etc. to other rod makers. Apparently they were in the rod business into the 1930's.

As far as the lines go. I know Hall made lines of silk, linen and other fibers. Based on some research, supposedly braided Dacron & Nylon fishing line didn't appear until the 1950's.

There is a "Pictrobas Chief" Nylon line in "your" kit which sort of confuses the 1939 copyright date in the accompanying catalog unless the "Chief" spool was added later or it isn't really nylon.

What also confuses me is the lines in your kit manufactured by "Cohantic" in Philadelphia, "Diamond" in St. Louis and "Pictrobas" in Webster, NY.

HOWEVER...

The "other" Hall kit I linked to above, has some of the same "non-Hall" lines which leads me to believe either Hall was a distributor for those brands or made those lines under private label for the other companies.

In regards to displaying; some type of enclosed frame with UV protective glass would be nice. I know from experience, custom framing is very expensive but if you wanted to go that route and couldn't do it yourself, I highly recommend Charlie Andrews at the Garden Gallery in Carlisle.

That is a really cool item!!

Thanks for the info! Yeah it is kind of strange that there are other brands in there. Them being a distributor makes sense, or maybe they were replacements for ones that got sold if the kit was actually used in a store?

The Garden Gallery might be the ticket. It helps that it’s just down the road too.