Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: Wade Phillips on February 21, 2009, 09:21:00 AM
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A nice late 1940's lemonwood Bear Archery Bush Bow 290296710577 just sold for $935, 290296710577.
That is roughly the equivalent 1-1/2 or 2 of the 1959 Kodiaks that have sold recently.
Glad to see that a least a few bidders/collectors of Bear Archery tackle have some real interest in the Bear's original laminated wood and glass bows.
Sometimes collectors are not even aware of the many great bows of their era that Bear made before his 1949 Grizzly...
Does anyone categorize this bow or its no-decal predecessor by date?
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That was a nice looking bow and I put my max on it-not enough. Congrats to the winner!
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Yeah I was watching that one, looked like a nice one. Was surprised it went that high!?
...KY
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Everybody was watching that one.Was a dandy
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Looked like a nice bow.....
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It seems I'm always #2 lately...I gave it my best shot :banghead:
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Thats a cool bow.I don't know why but for some odd reason I thought there was one just like it listed in the last 12 months and it went for 380 and some change ??? bd
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BowDoc - That 380 price that you mentioned may be the one I picked up several months ago. As I remember, not the best images in the auction, as it appeared to be "a little dirty". It looked a little rough as part of the surface had a lightly camoed look (non-factory). The images in the recent auction look like a much nicer bow.
BowDoc - Being the business you are in, you know better than anyone, how important CONDITION, CONDITION, and CONDITION are to us CRAZY collectors...
Seems that every year there are a couple of the pre-Grizzly Decal Bows that surface at auction.
Maybe the hard economic times and seeing one go for this much may bring more out the closets.
Bill - Don't feel bad about being #2, a couple of years ago I was #2 on a Decal Hunter in better condition than the one in my collection. Before the auction, I had always been more than happy with the one I had as it was the only "Hunter" decal that I knew to exist. But when a better one appeared on auction, I just had to bid... Of course, I was bidding against all the other bidders who who did not have one, and/or had never seen nor ever heard of one. That recipe almost always assures that the auction will have a "Train Wreck Ending".
I've been #2 in many times. I remember loosing a beautiful 3-Lam Signed Deerslayer with distincitve alternating wood colors in the handle. My 2700 bid in that auction caused a head on collision for that "Train Wreck Ending". Although I have four 3-Lam Grumleys with alternating colored handles , and several Deerslayers, I still don't have a Deerslayer with that handle variation...
But just because you loose in one of these auctions with a "Train Wreck Ending", it doesn't mean that you will never find that elusive bow you bid on...
I remember several auctions when I as the #2 bidder against the same guy who aced me out of the alternating wood color handle Deerslayer. He took me to the woodshed on a 56" Walnut Compass Kodiak for 1550. But then a few months later I picked up a 56" Walnut Kodiak from a private party for 300. Being the nice guy I am who enjoys sharing information with fellow collectors, after receiving it, I sent photographs of my 300 bow to the 1550 owner along with a thank you note for saving me 1250 at that "Train Wreck Ending"... priceless...
For me, acquiring a collectible item is just a small part of the collecting. Researching the history and development of the item through documents of the era, seeing other similar items and talking with their owners, having fun along the way, meeting other collectors, making new friends, sharing information with others, and if practical using the item for hunting, are all facets of collecting that are more enjoyable than just acquiring all the different variations the item.
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Oh yes we all love the dead mint originals better all the way...bd
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Wade did u say CRAZY collectors that we are.. I my self is not a big of collector as you... But we are CRAZY LOL.....
Cody
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Wade....I always figured in auctions that i loose they paid good money for the item and they made more then one and hopefully the next one I will get a better deal. It may take awhile to show up again but I still may be around when it does...Here in Michigan its nice to find the items on the street so to speak..alot better then E*&Y..always shaking the bushes to see what falls out...Bill
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Bill - I agree, there is always the chance of another one showing up. And if you outlive everyone else, you may even have a second shot at anything you lost out on during a previous auction.
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Here's a bow that probably falls into the same era as that beautiful bush bow,maybe a little earlier.Tell me what you think.It's a Hunter model with osage,yew,and hickory that is backed with the bi-directional glass like the bush bow and the early Grizzly's,Polars,and Kodiaks.It has the small running bear decal but instead of the decal with the model on it,it is written in black ink "Bear Archery".It also has in black above the grip the letters DJ and I believe the number 26 or 26".It must be another variation from that transition period.It's a really cool bow with multiple laminations in the riser.That bush bow would have been a nice mate for this one.
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr118/johnnyrazorhead/HuntetV.jpg)
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr118/johnnyrazorhead/HunterVI.jpg)
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr118/johnnyrazorhead/HunterIV.jpg)
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr118/johnnyrazorhead/HunterII.jpg)
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr118/johnnyrazorhead/HunterIII.jpg)
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One more showing the riser.
(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr118/johnnyrazorhead/HunterVII.jpg)
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Wow John thats a dandy there with no brush noc..D = 4 J = 0 or 10 makeing the bow 40# or 50# ?????? bd
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Ya,that's what I figured doc but I haven't strung it to find out yet.Pretty neat bow though.
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string that thing up and scale it real quick for me will ya ??? just kidding.The one I have someone tried to string up and maybe even tried shooting it.However the take down latch was not correctly seated and it broke the screw.Luckily only the screw and not the bow broke.
I believe Wade mentioned something about shooting them or let me say not shooting them.I've seen several very rare models broken because someone just had to shoot 1 or 2 arrows and thats about all it takes sometimes.Best to just not string them I guess...bd
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Ya doc.I figured I'm crazy enough for stringing that Bear Products Grumley bush bow.I think I'll just admire this one unstrung.I don't want y'all to think I'm totally insane!!
Doc- I'm gonna package up that maple sight window and '63 dogleg Magnum and get them to you a.s.a.p.
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You know I myself have shot like I believe 3 Grum's and to tell you straight up.I personaly thought they shot like dodo.Your talking hand shock for hell.One was 60# and kicked like a mule.
Sounds good I will keep both eyes open..bd
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Sounds good doc.Not the part about kicking like a mule but about keeping both eyes open.Thanks.
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John - Nice bow. I have seen several like yours with no brush nocks, and BEAR ARCHERY written on them in the exactly the same printing.
I have the same bow except it place of the BEAR ARCHERY printing, it has "Hunter" Decal, in script and placed at an angle like the Bush Decal or the Deerslayer Decal.
While I have only seen two with the "Hunter" decal, there were likely hundreds produced with decals. Would guess that many others with the "Hunter" decal have survived but we have just not seen them yet.
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It seems overall,starting with the early Bear Products Hunter models up through the last versions,that there were less Hunter models made than either bush or deerslayer.At least that is my observation as I've seen far more of those two models than the Hunter.But then,as rare as the take-down versions go,of the six that I have owned,four of them were Hunter models.I guess nothing surprises you when collecting this old Bear stuff.
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John - We sometimes look at too small a sample to get a realistic view of what is still in existence or what was actually produced. At one time, I owned more Grumley Hunters, than other models of Grumley bows. For me, I have owned 12 Grumley Take Downs, and only one is a Hunter... and of the six you have owned 4 were Hunters. I know none of these 18 T/D bows are counted twice. Either sample by itself is totally misleading.
It is even doubtful that both samples together would closely represent the actual proportional number of each T/D model produced.
At this point in time, given the total number of all Grumley bows that I have seen, I would have to agree that there are fewer Hunter's known to me than Bush Bows or Deerslayers.
Even though it may seem logical, given our small sample size of perhaps a couple hundred Grumley bows, I'm not sure we can extend that to assume that fewer Hunters were actually made.
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Actually I stated that of the six I have owned,four were Hunters.I guess we will never know for certain unless we can account for all of the Grumley bows ever made and then see what the ratio of Hunters are compared to Bush and Deerslayer models.But for the amount of Grumleys I have seen,it seems more are Bush and Deerslayers than Hunters.Now maybe that observation would change if you sent a few of your "extra" Grumley Hunters to me,but until that happens,that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
All kidding aside,I wonder just exactly how many bows ol' Nels did make in his lifetime.He certainly made his share.
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John, Sorry I typed 6 rather than 4. Just edited my post above to be 4.
I've probably seen about 200 Grumley Bows in my life. My very limited knowledge is based solely on those bows.
Not sure if you have seen more or less than 200. You may have seen alot more than I have.
The number of bows that Nels made in his lifetime would be an interesting number to know.
A more important number is .... how many of the number he made... still actually survive today ???
But the most important numbers to me are ... the phone numbers of everyone who has a Grumley bow that I do not own!!!!!!!!
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I hear you Wade.There can't be too many left that you don't already own.You aquired quite a collection there.Ya,gotta keep searchin' for those phone numbers.
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John - I was joking about wanting to know phone numbers of everyone who has a Grumley bow that I do not own...
Actually I would like to talk with other owners and see their Grumley bows just for the education. Rarely are two of his solid wood bows close to being identical.
I actually have more than enough Grumley Bows right now.