This exceptional packet of S. Allcock & Co. Limited Cincinnati Bass Single Hooks, Model 4555B, Size No. 4, is a beautifully preserved example of Edwardian British fishing tackle, manufactured at the Standard Works, Redditch, England, circa 1910–1918. The hooks are finished in polished steel with turned-down eyes and carry their original natural silkworm gut snells — all features placing them firmly in the pre-nylon era of British hook-making. Allcock, founded in 1805 and the recipient of 29 international exhibition awards between London 1851 and Brussels 1910 — a roll-call printed in full across the two inner packet panels — was the world’s foremost hook manufacturer of its era, supplying anglers across six continents from its Redditch factory. The wide-gap Cincinnati Bass pattern with its semi-round bend and inward-canted point was purpose-designed for the bait-fishing demands of North American bass angling, while the bright steel finish provided maximum visibility and flash in clear water conditions. Complete in its original triangular cream card packet with both awards panels, front label bearing the iconic stag trademark, and all three hooks with intact gut snells, this set rates 8.5/10 for collectability. A compelling piece of angling history and Redditch industrial heritage alike.
S. Allcocks & Co – 4555 B Gut Hooks – Additional Info
1. Identification
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | S. Allcock & Co. Limited |
| Factory | Standard Works, Redditch, England |
| Model/Code | 4555 B (cross-reference: 6585) |
| Hook Type | Cincinnati Bass — Single Hook, Gut Snelled |
| Size | No. 4 |
| Estimated Era | c. 1910–1920 |
Era Reasoning: The awards list printed on the inner panels terminates at Brussels 1910, establishing a firm post quem date. The company designation “Limited” (adopted c.1894), the presence of the British Registered Design lozenge mark, the use of natural silkworm gut snells (firmly pre-nylon, therefore pre-WWII), and the condensed Victorian/Edwardian typography all point conclusively to the Edwardian to early George V period, approximately 1910–1918. The yellowing of the cream card stock and surface oxidisation on the hook shanks is entirely consistent with over a century of storage.
2. Technical Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hook Pattern | Cincinnati Bass |
| Hook Configuration | Single Hook, gut snelled |
| Eye | Turned Down Eye (TDE) — clearly visible in Image 2, the eye is formed with a downward taper toward the hook point axis |
| Wire Gauge | Heavy — consistent with bass fishing demands and the large size No. 4 designation |
| Shank | Medium-long, straight |
| Bend | Cincinnati Bass — a wide, semi-round bend with a moderate inward turn of the point |
| Barb | Long-cut |
| Finish | Steel / Nickel — the hooks retain their original polished silver-toned metal appearance; no black lacquer or japanning applied |
| Snell Material | Natural silkworm gut — twisted and whipped over the shank in the traditional manner, looped and knotted at the free end |
| Quantity in Package | 3 hooks |
| Point Style | Curved-in with a long, sharp barb cut at an acute angle |
3. Historical Context
S. Allcock & Co. — Company History
Samuel Allcock founded his fishing tackle manufacturing business in Redditch, Worcestershire in 1805, a date the company printed with pride on every packet alongside their famous stag trademark. Redditch had been the centre of the British needle-making industry for centuries, and the wire-drawing and fine metal forging skills of the town transferred directly and naturally to fish-hook production. By the Victorian era Redditch supplied the majority of the world’s fish hooks, and Allcock was its pre-eminent firm.
The extraordinary awards panels inside this very packet tell the story eloquently — 29 international exhibition awards ranging from the Great Exhibition, London 1851, through to Bergen and Brussels 1910, spanning Toronto, Sydney, Calcutta, Cape Town, Milan, Paris, and more. This global reach reflected Allcock’s massive export operation, supplying hooks to North America, the British colonies, Europe, and beyond.
The company traded as S. Allcock & Co. Limited from the 1890s and continued manufacturing until the mid-to-late 20th century before ultimately being absorbed and closing the Redditch factory. The brand no longer operates as an independent manufacturer.
The Cincinnati Bass Pattern
The Cincinnati Bass hook is an American-origin pattern that became one of the most widely adopted bass hooks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, exported globally by British manufacturers who produced it for the lucrative North American market. Its defining characteristics are a wide semi-round bend, a relatively long shank, and an inward-canted point — all engineered to maximise hook-up rates when fishing with live or cut bait for largemouth and smallmouth bass, species known for their powerful, engulfing strikes.
The steel finish on this example was the preferred choice for clear-water fishing and for bait presentations where flash and visibility were considered advantageous — in contrast to bronzed or japanned hooks which were favored in stained or colored water. Allcock offered the Cincinnati Bass pattern in multiple finishes across their catalogue.
The use of natural gut snelling was universal for quality hooks of this period. Silkworm gut — produced from the stretched and dried silk glands of Bombyx mori — was the premier snell and leader material before nylon monofilament was developed in the late 1930s and commercialised in the 1940s. It was prized for its suppleness, near-invisibility underwater, and reasonable knot strength when properly moistened.
Fun Fact
Allcock’s pre-WWI catalogues offered the Cincinnati Bass pattern in sizes ranging from the very large down to diminutive trout sizes, and in no fewer than six different finishes: bright, bronzed, japanned, blued, nickel-plated, and gold. The fact that this packet specifies the bright steel finish demonstrates that Allcock’s production system was sophisticated enough to maintain separate inventory for each finish variant across dozens of hook patterns — a remarkable feat of industrial organisation for the Edwardian era.
4. Usage & Equivalents
Best Used For (Historical Context):
- Live and dead bait fishing for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
- Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
- Still-water bait fishing for perch and pike (the British application for large-pattern hooks)
- Worm and minnow bait presentations
- Cut bait rigs for larger predatory species
Modern Functional Equivalents:
| Modern Hook | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Mustad 92671 (Beak Hook) | Closest modern equivalent in the round-bend, TDE, heavy wire bass category |
| Mustad 3906 (O’Shaughnessy) | Similar heavy wire, TDE, medium-long shank for bait fishing |
| Gamakatsu Octopus Hook, Size 4 | Modern TDE bait hook in equivalent size and gap proportion |
| VMC 7384 Round Bend | Wide-gap round bend TDE, comparable wire weight and shank proportions |
| Eagle Claw L181F | Budget equivalent, TDE bronzed bait hook, very similar geometry |
⚠️ Important: These hooks are collector and display items only. The natural gut snells will be completely desiccated and structurally failed after 100+ years and will part under minimal load. The hook wire, while showing only surface oxidisation, may have developed micro-fatigue. They must not be used for fishing.
5. Technical Description
“S. Allcock & Co. Ltd., Model 4555B — Size 4 Cincinnati Bass Single Hook. Heavy-gauge carbon steel wire, estimated diameter 1.00–1.05mm. Finish: bright polished steel, retaining original silver-toned appearance with surface oxidisation on shank and bend. Eye: turned-down, tapered, closed. Shank: straight, medium-long. Bend: Cincinnati semi-round with moderate inward cant of the point axis. Barb: long-cut, acute angle, well-defined. Point: curved-in, needle-sharp original geometry. Snelled with natural silkworm gut, approximately 88mm exposed, multiple close-wrap whipping over shank, looped and knotted free end. Consistent with heavy freshwater bait-fishing applications of the Edwardian period, c.1910–1918.”
6. Collectability
Collectability Rating: 8.5 / 10
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Brand Prestige | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Allcock is the premier name in British vintage tackle collecting |
| Packaging Integrity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Original triangular packet complete — both inner awards panels intact, front and back labels readable |
| Historical Significance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pre-WWI, Edwardian era, natural gut snells, bright steel finish variant |
| Rarity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Complete gut-snelled sets in original packaging are genuinely uncommon |
| Condition | ⭐⭐⭐ Surface rust on shanks; gut intact but desiccated; packaging yellowed but structurally sound |
| Pattern Specificity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cincinnati Bass in bright steel is a specific and desirable catalogue variant |
Why so collectable? The combination of the full intact awards panels (listing 29 exhibition wins across six continents), the stag trademark, the bilingual text, the natural gut snells still present, and the distinctive triangular Allcock packet format makes this one of the most visually impressive and historically rich pieces of pre-WWI fishing tackle ephemera that a collector can acquire. The bright steel finish is a less commonly surviving variant compared to bronzed hooks — bright finishes show oxidisation more readily, meaning fewer have survived in presentable condition. The survival of all three hooks in their original packet with gut snells is genuinely uncommon.
Ease of Finding: Difficult. Complete Allcock gut-snelled packets with both inner award panels intact require searching specialist UK tackle auction houses (Mullock’s, Angling Auctions) or the Old Fishing Tackle Club (OFTC). General platforms such as eBay occasionally surface examples but complete, well-preserved packets are far less common than loose hooks.