Herter's stuff....

wrote in message
...
OK, I got the ball rolling with my reply to BJ...so what is
everyone's/anyone's favorite Herter's stuff, good, bad, or nonsensical,
fishing, hunting, or general sporting goods?

TC,
R

Remember Herter's "World Famous Kendall Mint Cakes" taken by Sir Edmond
Hillary to the top of Mount Everest? I actually bought one of those things
once and it was a solid slab of mint flavored sugar, nothing else (flour or
anything) added.

I loved their Model 9 fly tying vise and it was my first vise. I used to
build their browntone rod blanks into rods (a fantastic bargain for a
pre-teen). One of the neatest Herter's products I ever acquired was their
bamboo planing form...I got the rare one that is for building hex-rods on
one side and penta-rods on the other.

Up until about 2 years ago, the company actually still existed and published
a miniscule duck-hunting-only catalog (now acquired by Cabela's). What a
decline from the days of selling hunting and fishing equipment, tackle
building, reloading, rod building, silk, gemstones, archery, trapping,
furniture, food (Diamond Lil's Toffee Cakes, 5 Alarm Barbecue Sauce, Kendall
Mint Cakes), boats and boat building supplies, old Hudson Bay blankets,
self-published books ("How to Live With a Bitch", "Bull Cook Book") etc.,
etc., etc.

If nothing else, Herter's was certainly "colorful".

On Apr 18, 7:22 am, "george" wrote:
wrote in message

...

OK, I got the ball rolling with my reply to BJ...so what is
everyone's/anyone's favorite Herter's stuff, good, bad, or nonsensical,
fishing, hunting, or general sporting goods?

TC,
R

Remember Herter's "World Famous Kendall Mint Cakes" taken by Sir Edmond
Hillary to the top of Mount Everest? I actually bought one of those things
once and it was a solid slab of mint flavored sugar, nothing else (flour or
anything) added.

I loved their Model 9 fly tying vise and it was my first vise. I used to
build their browntone rod blanks into rods (a fantastic bargain for a
pre-teen). One of the neatest Herter's products I ever acquired was their
bamboo planing form...I got the rare one that is for building hex-rods on
one side and penta-rods on the other.

Up until about 2 years ago, the company actually still existed and published
a miniscule duck-hunting-only catalog (now acquired by Cabela's). What a
decline from the days of selling hunting and fishing equipment, tackle
building, reloading, rod building, silk, gemstones, archery, trapping,
furniture, food (Diamond Lil's Toffee Cakes, 5 Alarm Barbecue Sauce, Kendall
Mint Cakes), boats and boat building supplies, old Hudson Bay blankets,
self-published books ("How to Live With a Bitch", "Bull Cook Book") etc.,
etc., etc.

If nothing else, Herter's was certainly "colorful".

It certainly was. They had "stuff". Cabella's, GM, and the others
have turned into yuppie clothing stores. I still have hooks, hackle,
and lure making hardware from them. When I was stationed in WA, there
was a Herters retail outlet at Exit 111on I-5, just north of Olympia
(why I remember the exit #, I have no clue). I used to go there and
rummage through bins of "stuff" that I couldn't get along without. My
Herter's brand 357 mag I bought there is still in wonderful shape
after hundreds of rounds. It is the only handgun I have ever seen
with nylon crosslocks on all screws.

cheers

oz, who has three H catalogues from the 60's and 70's in plastic bags
on the bookshelf.

Being lucky enough to be raised in Waseca during the 50's, Herter's was
one of our favorite places to shop because we could purchase gunpowder
in handy canister containers. Each canister had enough powder to launch
several home made rockets into the blue.
Back in those days, if you had the bucks and could reach the counter,
you could get anything you wanted; guns, ammo, powder, no questions asked.
Other part of the trip to the showroom was looking at all of the dead
animals that were mounted around the walls. George and Jackie (Jaques to
you catalog readers) tried to kill anything that might look good under
Jaques Model Hudson Bay Perfect Boot.
Still remember my dad building his own spinning rod from one of
Herter's kits. Pretty good stuff. That and their duck hunting gear.
The "world famous" catalog was later overrun with crap from Korea
(brass drinking mugs made from artillery shells), diamonds from Africa
(Archie Lortis, "a Lutheran", who ran a local gas station and bait shop
was the "diamond buyer").
Herter's factory/showroom was situated just on the outskirts of town
and when the city fathers decided to annex the place, George pulled out
everything and moved the whole operation to Brookings, SD.
As somebody noted earlier, he was busted for importing some prohibited
monkey skins.
Somebody brought George out and moved the hunting apparel to Wisconsin
which was, in turn, brought out by Cabelas.
Herters was the Cabelas of their day, and that is no hokum.