In some cases fishing treasures are simply indicated to be discovered. Trolling unlimited eBay listings can be tiresome, however collectors with some understanding and a little bit of luck can discover some attempting incredible finds.
This story starts with an eBay listing for a used copy of an old book– in this case, the very first edition of Charles F. Orvis’ “Fishing With The Fly” from 1883. To make it a lot more appealing, the description on eBay stated that the book was “signed by the author.”
Now, many book collectors do tend to worth books signed by their authors, however they are likewise extremely concentrated on the condition of the volume, and a well-thumbed example with a used binding will frequently be overlooked.
So, in this case, I gambled and purchased the book for a really affordable rate from the seller in Arizona and waited on it to be delivered. When the book got here, it showed to be not just signed by the author Charles F. Orvis however in fact signed as a present to his sibling Mrs. John Conover Hinchman, for Christmas in 1883.
To make things a lot more fascinating, the name “Mary Orvis Marbury” was composed in cool script throughout the within cover of the book and the endpapers consisted of a notification: “If Found, Please Go Back To Mary Orvis Marbury, Manchester, Vermont”.
This remained in reality Mary Orvis Marbury’s individual copy of her dad’s book, offered to her by her auntie. Mary, as you might understand, went on to compose the traditional “Favorite Flies” that included the very first listing of numerous early American fly patterns, a book that she committed to her dad Charles. She is perhaps a lot more well-known than her dad in lots of aspects.
Delighted by this discover, I asked the eBay seller if he had anything else from the Orvis household. Well, in reality, he did– A household image album from the mid-1800s, which he stated he would be noting on eBay quickly.
The seller let me understand when the listing for the album was up, and it appeared that couple of other purchasers either understood what it was or wanted to bid, so the last auction rate was once again extremely affordable, and I waited anxiously for it to get here.
When I unloaded it, I was surprised to discover that the Orvis household album consisted of not just cabinet images of Charles F. Orvis at a reasonably young age, however likewise images of nearly his whole household, including his mom and dad, his kid Albert, and lots of other loved ones, consisting of one who had actually passed away in the Fight of the Wilderness throughout the Civil War.
It ends up that the book and the image album had actually been acquired in an estate sale years earlier in Arizona, where Charles’ kid Albert had actually transferred to assist raise his kid in a more dry and congenial environment that would facilitate his healing from a breathing disorder.
The storage of the album in dry Arizona for almost 50 years showed a blessing given that lots of older cabinet cards have their images ruined by wetness and mold with time.
To make things a lot more enjoyable, the seller likewise delivered me an old wood Hoag’s Biscuit box from Rutland, Vermont that had actually been delivered to Orvis by rail, total with the initial graphics inside and the railway shipping labels on the exterior.
So, in some cases a piece of history simply leaves of eBay, and you require to be all set to capture it.
Steve Woit is the author of “Fly Fishing Treasures: The World of Fly Fishers and Collecting”, a book including profiles of 30 specialists and collectors and over 800 pictures of unusual and collectible fishing pole, reels, flies, books, and ephemera.
