Edgar Sealey S 1937

Record summary

The Edgar Sealey & Sons S 1937 is a traditional English single salmon hook from the Redditch firm’s ‘Octopus’ range, sold as ‘Extra Quality Forged Salmon Hooks’ with looped, turned-up eyes V. ‘S 1937’ is a pattern number rather than a date I. This entry documents two packaging generations — an earlier kraft box with a green label (No. 4) and a later blue box with a plain white label reading ‘S.1937 T.U.E. Forged Looped’ (1/0) — showing the pattern remained in production over an extended period I.

The hooks show a Limerick bend with a long, straight spear point and a cut barb set well back from the tip, a looped turned-up eye whose tapered return lies along the top of the shank, and a glossy black japanned finish P. The ‘Extra Quality’ grade printed on the label marks these as Sealey’s better-grade salmon irons V, made for the same traditional salmon fly market served by Partridge, Allcock and Milward I.

Technical profile

Turned-Up Loop Eye | Limerick | Standard Shank | Heavy Wire | Spear Point | Japanned

Eye

Looped Eye, Turned Up Looped eye, turned up P. Wire is bent back along the top of the shank with a tapered return roughly 0.25" long E; the return is laid alongside, not brazed P. Exposed red-brown steel is visible along the return seam on both No. 4 specimens P.

Wire

Heavy (1X Heavy), Forged, Est. ~0.035"–0.039" (~0.89–0.99 mm) E

Shank

Standard — Plain

Bend

Limerick, Standard gap

Point

Standard / Spear Cut barb, long and slender, raised at roughly 30–40° E. Set well back from the tip: tip-to-barb distance is about 0.15"–0.17" on the No. 4, more than half the straight point section E.

Finish

Black Japanned — Confirmed (stated on packaging) Black japanned finish P. The No. 4 specimens show a deep, glossy black lacquer that obscures wire texture P. The 1/0 specimen appears lower-gloss with a slightly textured surface P; its box label states 'BLACK' V. Finish is worn through at the loop returns P.

Historical context

Edgar Sealey & Sons

Read the maker’s history →

Era and Packaging Dating

Edgar Sealey & Sons began hookmaking c. 1930 and is listed in the 1932 Kelly's Directory V, which sets the earliest possible date. The No. 4 box — plain kraft paperboard with a green label, roundel border and full 'Octopus' registered trade mark device — is consistent with the firm's earlier packaging, c. 1930s–1950s I. The 1/0 box — blue textured paperboard with a plain white sans-serif label reading 'S.1937 T.U.E. FORGED LOOPED QTY 100 BLACK SIZE 1/0' P — is a later, simplified style, likely post-1960 S. Sealey's Redditch hook manufacture reportedly ended with the factory closure in 1981 I, which gives the upper bound. Absence of a barcode P is not diagnostic for small trade boxes and is not used for dating.

Design lineage and influence

Best matchRelated by Attribute

Computed automatically from catalog data — updated as new hooks are added.

Silhouette	Hook Model	Match	Analysis	Compare
	HR414 No. 1–8 — Tying Single	85%	Matches: Wire, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient., Point +3 moreDiffers: Finish: Black Japanned vs Other; Application: Salmon, Sea Trout, Display vs Salmon, Sea Trout	Compare
	1736.J — Model 1736.J (Octopus Brand)	83%	Matches: Bend, Shank, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +6 moreDiffers: Application: Salmon, Sea Trout, Display vs Salmon, Sea Trout; Shank ratio: 77.8% vs 73.4%; Gap ratio: 33.9% vs 32.0% +1 more	Compare
	No. 7 No. 7 — Limerick Hook	76%	Matches: Bend, Shank, Wire, Gap, Point +5 moreDiffers: Eye: Looped Eye vs Ball Eye; Eye Orient.: Turned Up vs Straight / Inline; Application: Salmon, Sea Trout, Display vs Salmon, Sea Trout, Bait +2 more	Compare
	36814 No. 6 — Mustad 36814 Limerick	73%	Matches: Bend, Shank, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +3 moreDiffers: Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Extra-Fine; Point: Standard / Spear vs Hollow Point; Finish: Black Japanned vs Other +4 more	Compare
	36890 No. 3/0 — Mustad-Limerick	73%	Matches: Bend, Shank, Eye, Eye Orient., Finish +4 moreDiffers: Wire: Heavy (1X Heavy) vs Standard; Gap: Standard vs Narrow; Point: Standard / Spear vs Other +4 more	Compare

ExploratoryRelated by Shape (SVG)

Ranked purely by silhouette geometry — attribute labels are ignored.

Silhouette	Hook Model	Match	Compare
	3718 No. 4 — Herter's No. 3718 Salmon Fly Hook	80%	Compare
	36814 No. 6 — Mustad 36814 Limerick	77%	Compare
	S4324 HE No. 10 — Hand Forged Hook (Octopus Brand)	74%	Compare
	L220 No. 4 — L220 Gilt	69%	Compare
	5002M No. 28 — 5002M	69%	Compare

Cross-reference & comparisons

Primary Application

Designed for Atlantic salmon fly fishing on British and Irish rivers, these hooks suit traditional dressed salmon patterns such as the Thunder & Lightning, Jock Scott and Silver Doctor I. The No. 4 is a mid-range salmon size suited to lower summer and early autumn water, when smaller flies are generally preferred I. The looped, turned-up eye accommodated the gut leaders of the early period and remained standard as nylon replaced gut after the war I.

Secondary Applications

Sea trout fishing, large lake trout patterns, display flies for competition.

Classic Fly Patterns

Thunder & Lightning, Jock Scott, Silver Doctor, Black Doctor, Durham Ranger, Green Highlander

Modern Equivalents

Collector notes

Collectible Redditch salmon hooks; early green 'Octopus'-labelled boxes in good condition carry the most appeal.

Positive factors: Original labelled box in very good condition significantly enhances value. Redditch manufacture appeals to British tackle collectors. The green ‘Octopus’ label with its roundel border is an attractive, displayable example of Sealey packaging. Forged construction and the ‘Extra Quality’ grade place these among Sealey’s better salmon hooks V.

Limiting factors: Edgar Sealey commands less recognition than Allcock or Partridge among general collectors. Size 4 is a common salmon size compared to extreme sizes. The later blue-box packaging is plainer and likely less sought-after than the early green labels S. Some collectors prefer earlier Victorian-era examples.

Packaging

Two packaging generations documented. No. 4: small plain kraft paperboard box (not corrugated) with a green paper label printed in black, framed by a border of repeating circular roundels. At left, a circular 'REGISTERED TRADE MARK' device showing an octopus above an 'OCTOPUS' banner and an ES-monogram shield. At right: 'EDGAR SEALEY & SONS, REDDITCH, ENG.', 'S 1937', 'Extra Quality FORGED SALMON HOOKS', 'Looped, Turned-up-Eyes', '100' and 'No.', with the size numeral '4' apparently applied by separate stamp P. 1/0: blue textured paperboard box with a plain white label reading 'S.1937 T.U.E. / FORGED LOOPED / QTY 100 BLACK SIZE 1/0' P.

Market Value Notes

Value assumes complete box of 100 with intact label E. Individual hooks worth roughly $0.50–1.00 each E. 'S 1937' is a pattern number, not a production year.

Where to Find

UK auction sites, specialist tackle dealers, British tackle fairs, estate sales in salmon fishing regions.

Collector's Identification Tips

Sealey salmon boxes of this type can be identified by the ‘Octopus’ registered trade mark — an octopus above an ES-monogram shield — together with the Sealey name, Redditch address and ‘S’-prefixed pattern number P. Later boxes may carry only a plain label with the pattern code and an abbreviation such as ‘T.U.E.’ (turned-up eye), so the pattern number is the key link between packaging generations P.

Construction details such as loop-return length or wire weight are not reliably distinctive to Sealey without comparison against documented examples S, so attribution of loose hooks should rest on packaging or sample cards. Beware of generic Redditch production sometimes attributed to Sealey — authentic examples should show consistent construction details and finish quality throughout a box.