Vintage Game Calls

[BrianS]

Primitive Archer Community Member Buffalo Gobbler aka Kevin stopped by today with a few calls from his collection and a few calls he made (they are in the Goose Box Call video). Here are the videos of the calls he brought by.
Giant Duck Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrFu56_CbCY
Goose Box Calls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZIip9UBfgk
Herters Squirrel Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zIROIeKWSI
Duck and Goose Calls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReZa4iLFZRk

[BrianS]

Here are a few pictures of one of Inlayed Kevin's Goose Box Calls. The Man is talented for sure.

[JEB]

Brian ,I have a real old and very small Herters Turkey Box call.  Can't post photo's on here.

[Buffalogobbler]

JEB,
I don't know much about Herter's box calls myself.
George Herter's company made so many items, he's not really known for his turkey calls.
In George Denka's Turkey Call collectors guide he lists the average selling price of a Herter's box call as $92.00

Kevin

[PaulN/KS]

I have an old,Patd. 1909, Perdew crow call.
It's just for display and must have been used a lot based on the condition of the reed holder.

[JEB]

I have two small calls. The one that is marked Herters does not have the top piece that you move over the top to make a noise. It has a cork in the end but there is nothing in the hole. My guess would be that hole in the end held a striker that you rubbed across the top of the call. Too bad as the call is in really good shape and has Herters stamped on the side.

[BrianS]

I remember the Herters catalog back when I was a kid. Spent hours and hours looking through it. Could not buy anything but I sure did dream about ordering stuff.
Over 40 plus years ago, I bought my first turkey call (A Lynch Fool Proof Box Call). I knew nothing about hunting turkeys so I figured a Fool Proof Call was a good choice. Back then the local gun shop had a few calls but nowhere near what is out there now. Still have that old call and now it is considered Vintage! If my first turkey call is vintage what does that make me? Killed several turkeys with it before I literally worn the lid out.

[Hawkdancer]

Brian,
Too young to be an "Old fart", but old enough to know better and too young to resist!
About the only vintage thing I have that I bought is a hunting knife I got when I was about 10 or so, Soligen steel, tooled leather sheath with a stag head.  I converted the sheath to left handed, and did the stag head over in beadwork.  It is one of my dress knives for Rendezvous!
Hawkdancer

[Eric Krewson]

The Herter's catalog was the highpoint of my youth in the 50s. Everything was marketed as "Professional", I still have my "Professional" tanning and fly tying guides.

I had a paper route and would save my pennies to buy fishing stuff. It didn't matter how small an order was, they would fil it, I remember sending one in for 35 cents worth of hooks.

I tied all my lead heads with the illegal polar bear hair from them (no one knew it was protected). Fines and legal issues eventually sunk the company.

I still had a stash of Herter's fishing dry flies, spoons and lures in my tackle box until about 30 years ago when I left my tackle box in my boat when I returned from a afternoon fishing trip. I parked my boat in the driveway of my house in our subdivision planning to go fishing at first light the next morning. When I got up to go fishing I found that some lowlife had relieved me of my tackle box over night.

[BrianS]

Eric,
Here are a couple of pictures of the Herter's Professional Guide Manual
The cover and one of the pages about what a dog really is written by George L, Herter himself.
Take care,
brian

[chamookman]

You Guys are really taking Me back. Loved the Herters Catalog - would wear them out leafing thru them ! Still have a Burnams Brothers Fox call I ordered out of Fur-Fish & Game some 50 Years ago - still going. Use it sometimes with My FoxPro calling Coyotes. Bob

[Buffalogobbler]

JEB,
What you have is called a scratch box and yes it should have a striker, a lot of times old timers would sand a bare spot on the side of their gun stock and rub the call on the bare spot to work it.

PAUL,
Perdue calls are extremely sought after, the duck calls always sell at auction for many hundreds of dollars. The crow calls are very sought after also and I'd bet your crow call is worth some bucks no matter what condition.

Kevin

[Eric Krewson]

Another catalog I got was a Bannerman's catalog, they had so much stuff, all vintage military from huge cannons to racked walls full of 18 and early 19th centaury muskets. Everything Napoleon's army might take to war they had for sale.

As a kid I didn't realize all the stuff was for sale and thought the catalog was more of a reference guide. One time I asked them where I could by the item on page 12 and they said "from us", then I knew.

I don't remember the prices but think an original Brown Bess in good shape could be had for less than $50. If I had only known what they would have been worth down the road.... but then again I only had a paper route and one could buy a drivable car for $50 at that time.

[PaulN/KS]

PAUL,
Perdue calls are extremely sought after, the duck calls always sell at auction for many hundreds of dollars. The crow calls are very sought after also and I'd bet your crow call is worth some bucks no matter what condition.

Kevin

I did not know that... Might have to look into that in the near future.
Thanks.