Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

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KLNC
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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#61

Post by KLNC »

I agree with you about the writable contents box--not really needed, but still, a very interesting box.
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Vintagestick
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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#62

Post by Vintagestick »

KLNC wrote:I agree with you about the writable contents box--not really needed, but still, a very interesting box.
KLNC,

I agree, they are interesting and there are several types offered over the years.

Here are a couple more examples. No mine, but photos pulled from the Internet.

-Rich
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Vintagestick
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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#63

Post by Vintagestick »

Hello Richard Wheatley fans,

Here a very interesting box I pulled out today.

This Richard Wheatley Japanned combination fly box from 1910/20's and has xylonite clip plates on both sides - 49 medium clips on the left and 70 small clips on the right. Between the two haves are fixed five parchment pockets and envelopes to hold snelled flies and casts. A RW Lozenge trademark logo is located on the lower left clip plate. Box is filled with several early "Sneck" hook wet flies.

This is the only example I've seen of a RW clip box with added parchment envelopes, similar to what you find on RW fly books/wallets. Has anyone else seen a similar box?

-Rich
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Last edited by Vintagestick on 12/07/19 08:53, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#64

Post by Vintagestick »

Here is a rare Richard Wheatley item - a fly holder with a pocket clip to be worn on a jacket or shirt pocket. Almost like a sheep's wool patch seen on modern fly vests. Based on the information I gathered from the RW museum, the Made in England markings and the fly clip profiles I believe this item is dated to around the late 1920's. These fly clips were available up until the 1950's. It is accompanied by an early small aluminum waistcoat clip box that predates 1935. It has the small RW trademark logo on one end, no Silmalloy logo and Made in England on the inner fillet. The flys are typical English wet flies of the era.

-Rich
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Last edited by Vintagestick on 12/01/19 08:23, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#65

Post by NewUtahCaneAngler »

Cool Wheatley items Rich. This is the first that I've seen the clip or the box with the parchment pockets.

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Vintagestick
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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#66

Post by Vintagestick »

Hello Richard Wheatley fans,

Here is a nice ~1910 black Japanned clip fly box with swing leaf plate. It has a total of 238 small and medium clips fixed to xylonite plates and a early/rare xylonite swing leaf plate. The swing leaf plate is attached via two rings and not a pinned hinge as seen on later boxes. A RW Lozenge trademark logo is stamped into one xylonite plate. It is filled with mostly vintage period "Sneck" hook wet flies.

Comment from RW Museum- "Yes, the xylonite swing leaf plates (Wheatley's description) tended to warp if they got warm and were not successful, therefore something else had be found..." and " Xylonite swing leaves are now difficult to find."
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I have included a photo of four of my swing leaf boxes, from oldest to newest: Japanned with xylonite clip plates and xylonite swing leaf plate held in by rings; Japanned with xylonite clip plates, aluminum swing leaf plate held in by pinned hinge; aluminum box with aluminum clip plates with aluminum swing leaf plate held in by rings; and finally aluminum box with aluminum clip plates and swing leaf plate held in by pinned hinge. I’m not sure why Wheatley went from ring connectors to pinned hinges, only to go back to rings on the aluminum boxes with aluminum clip plates before they finally settled on pinned hinges. Perhaps this was a transition period between Japanned boxes, aluminum boxes and xylonite and aluminum swing leaf plates. All within a few years of each other. Sounds like a new question for the RW museum.

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Now to find a xylonite swing leaf plate box for salmon flies :D

-Rich

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#67

Post by NewUtahCaneAngler »

Thank you for sharing Rich!

Pretty soon, you'll have your own RW museum on this side of the Atlantic :-)

Cheers,
Joe

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#68

Post by Vintagestick »

Joe,

Thanks for the kind words, but the more I learn about the history of Richard Wheatley's company the more I find out how much there is to learn, and how little I know.

What an incredible company that supplied anglers, especially fly fishermen with quality fly boxes, books/wallets since circa 1890. And given the level quality of RW items I'm not sure the Ephemera thread is the right place to post them. Remember that RW built fly boxes for Hardy and many other companies throughout the 20th century. A company that is still around today in the 21st century. RW fly boxes are truly built to last forever.

-Rich

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#69

Post by Vintagestick »

Here are two RW boxes from the early 1900's. One trout 85-clip box that measures 4 3/4"x3 1/2"x 1" and one Salmon/Sea Trout 69-clip box that measures 6"x 3 1/2"x 5/8". Both boxes Have the rare brown japanning used for a short time between the manufacture of black Japanned boxes and aluminum boxes. The thinner brown japanning allowed the RW trademark logo stamped on the outside of the boxes to show. The black japanning used was too thick for the trademark to show through. The brown boxes also differed by a silver (zinc?) paint on the inside of the box rather than the typical cream-yellow paint used in the black Japanned boxes. Also notice the hinges.

Great old boxes with some appropriate vintage flies.

-Rich
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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#70

Post by Vintagestick »

Here is a lovely early Richard Wheatley 180-clip salmon swing leaf box fill with older Salmon flies. The box is an early example of RW’s aluminum box with the pre-1928 large diamond trademark stamp without the “Made in England”. The “Made in England” stamping is located on the inside fillet.

-Rich


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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#71

Post by Vintagestick »

Here is my holy grail of all Richard Wheatley fly boxes - the 1904 salmon fly clip box. These boxes were only offered for a very short time in the early 1900's (1904-1910), and what makes this box even more special is that it uses a rare parchment covered fiber (cardboard) clip backing plate rather than the xylonite (plastic) backing plate typically used. It is assessed this box is likely from the beginning of this timeline of 1904-19?? The black Japanned tin box measures 6"x3 1/2"x5/8" and was likely purchased from a third party and then fitted with the internal parts at the RW factory, although I haven't confirmed this yet. The inside of the box is guilded and the clip plate is held in place by four metal tabs. Later the xylonite backing plates were riveted in an attempt to avoid warping. The 38-clip combs are stamped Patent No. 20408.

Now to find some 19th century gut-eyed salmon flies to fill it.

-Rich
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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#72

Post by NewUtahCaneAngler »

Nice score on the salmon clip box, Rich. I've never come across one of these. We're these sold in the US or only in the English colonies?

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#73

Post by gt05254 »

My day to day Wheatley:

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Gary

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#74

Post by Vintagestick »

Joe,

I’m sure some 1904 clip boxes made their way across the pond, but how many I do not know.

I’ve only seen a few for sale over the years, for very high prices no less, but all have been in the U.K.

RW offered 1904 clips in Salmon, trout and Grilse/sea trout in a variety of box sizes.

-Rich
Last edited by Vintagestick on 02/23/20 11:14, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#75

Post by Vintagestick »

Gary,

Lovely!

-Rich

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#76

Post by ablecane »

My Wheatley clip full of Warren Duncan's;

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#77

Post by Vintagestick »

It's been a while since I posted a Richard Wheatley clip box but have some time on my hands these days and I've been going through my boxes a found some that I have not yet posted.

Here are two examples of the large 8" salmon boxes from the 1920's, pre 1928 large RW trademark 'Made in England' logo.

F354S/1 1/2 - swing leaf box badged with Hardy Bros. LTD, Makers, Alnwik ENG; 8" x 4 1/4" x 1 1/2"; 24 x large 5's (120 clips for large salmon singles or doubles)

F354/8/ 3/4 - slim profile box; 8" x 4 1/4" x 3/4"; 12 x large 5's (60 clips for large salmon singles)

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Here is a photo of the two 8" salmon boxes with a typical 6" salmon swing leaf box also from the mid 1920's.

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PM me if you have a 8" compartment box you are looking to sell. I Would like to have a complete set of 8" boxes.

-Richard

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#78

Post by Newfoundlander »

Hi everyone. Brand new to the site and loving lots of knowledge to be gained here for certain. I came into some older fishing gear and was wondering if anyone might be able to help me out. I will post the 4 fly boxes here and see if anyone can help me out. Thanks so much and looking forward to any of your comments.

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#79

Post by gt05254 »

Not all that vintage (although it is around 30 years old) but does make for a nice basis for a shadow box:
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Gary

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Re: Vintage Richard Wheatley Clip Boxes

#80

Post by KLNC »

Here are two diminutive Wheatley shirt pocket boxes in the 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" size. One is old in the Kilroy patent pattern, the other newer in a tube fly configuration. I really like these small boxes.

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KLNC (formerly Spey Salar on the Forum)

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