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Mustad Hooks – 3911

Mustad 3911 hook silhouette
Hook Reference › O. Mustad & Son Hooks › Mustad Hooks – 3911

O. Mustad & Son 3911

Mustad 39111925 or later

Evidence reviewed October 21, 2026. Marks: P photographically · V verified · I inferred · E estimated · S speculative What they mean

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Summary

The Mustad 3911 is a hook model made by O. Mustad & Søn. Its box label specifies a turned-up tapered eye and a hollow point. The page documents the model from one boxed specimen.

Production years are not established. The Oslo name on the label means it was printed on or after 1 January 1925 V.

Photographic record

4 photographs

Mustad 3911 — box label and packaging — size No. 4 — gold foil snowflake border and Key Brand trademark
IMG-1Mustad 3911 Size 4 Box Label and Packaging Box lid for Mustad Qual. 3911, labeled for 100 hooks, with a handwritten 4 marking the size. The label is stained at the top-right corner and right edge.

Technical profile and measurements

Features of the model, as recorded
FeatureRecordedEvidence
EyeTapered Eye, Turned Up
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Closed ring eye bent up, away from the point side of the shank P. The label prints 'tap. eye'; any wire taper is not resolvable in the photographs.

OBS-1OBS-2LBL-9
WireFine (1X Fine), Round
ShankStandard — Plain
BendSproat, Wide gap
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Sproat bend is confirmed P. The bottom of the bend shows a gentle parabolic curve—intermediate between a perfect round bend and a sharp Limerick angle. The curve is symmetrical and centered. This geometry distributes load evenly across the bend during a hard fight, making it resistant to straightening. No lateral offset visible; this is a straight (non-Kirbed) Sproat.

OBS-4
PointHollow Point
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Single short barb cut up from the point face, pointing back P. It rises steeply, roughly 45 to 55 degrees from the point axis by eye E.

OBS-6OBS-7
FinishBronzed — stated on packaging
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Dark olive-brown metallic finish with golden sheen on the bend P. The label prints 'bronzed'. The ground faces of the point and barb are lighter and brighter.

OBS-9LBL-9

The label prints ‘Hollow Point’. The photographed point is long and tapering, with a flat, ground-looking upper face that carries fine lengthwise grinding marks P. A concave dished profile is not resolved in the photographs.

The shank is straight and plain, with no kinks, bait-holder cuts or ridging P. The label states no wire gauge.

Measurements

Per size, with how each dimension was taken
SizeOverall lengthShank lengthGap widthBend depthWire diameterWeightShank:gap
4Specimen S125.4 mm Egrid photoMEA-2 Check: The evidence record measured 25.1 mm (MEA-2).16.5 mm Igrid photo9.4 mm EcaliperMEA-19.5 mm Igrid photo—Not available Igrid photo~1.8:1
Calibrated SVG True-scale preview

How hook dimensions are measuredA hook outline with dimension lines for overall length, shank length, gap, bend depth, and wire diameter.Overall lengthShank lengthGapBend depthWire diameter
Overall length
Eye to the farthest point of the bend.
Shank length
Eye to the start of the bend.
Gap
Point to shank, at right angles to the shank.
Bend depth
Shank to the bottom of the bend.
Wire diameter
Across the wire, measured by caliper where possible.
Catalog records. No records set.

Specimens, packaging, and label

This record documents one specimen. It describes that specimen only, not every example of the model.

Lidded paperboard box with a printed label on the lid in mustard-gold ink: key emblem, O. MUSTAD & SÖN, Qual. 3911, Mustad-Sproat Hooks, and a handwritten purple 4.
Open full size

S1 · Box labeled for 100, size 4

Size
4 (printed on the label)
Container
Box
Hook condition
No rust, bending or tip damage visible on the photographed hooks (P). Thin light fibers on the point face and near the barb base look like debris; a burr cannot be ruled out.
Packaging condition
Good — moderate wear, legible
Wear
label, top-right corner: orange-brown stain at the corner running into the border motifs LBL-12
Wear
label, right edge, mid and lower right: light brown staining and streaking along the right edge; a border motif at lower right looks faded or rubbed LBL-13
Wear
box lid, lower-right edge: lid paper lifted and frayed with whitish fibers showing LBL-14
Wear
label, left of 'Mustad-Sproat Hooks': small round amber bead, adhesive drop or ink blob LBL-15
Measured
size 4
Photographs
IMG-1IMG-2IMG-3IMG-4

Only the box lid is photographed; no hooks or tissue are visible, and the back and sides were not photographed. The hooks in the hook photographs are probably from this lot, but no image links them. The label has brown staining at the top-right corner and right edge, a faded or rubbed border motif at lower right and a small amber bead; the lid paper is lifted and frayed at lower right.

What the label says

LBL-1 trademark · left column, text above and below the key emblem from IMG-1
Key
Brand
LBL-2 printed · top line, right of the key emblem from IMG-1
O. MUSTAD & SÖN
LBL-3 printed · second line, centered under the name from IMG-1
Manufacturers
LBL-4 printed · third line, centered from IMG-1
OSLO - NORWAY
LBL-5 printed · fourth line, centered from IMG-1
Qual. 3911
LBL-6 printed · fifth line, small type, centered from IMG-1
Hollow Point
LBL-7 printed · sixth line, large bold condensed type from IMG-1
Mustad-Sproat Hooks
LBL-8 printed · lower left, left of the handwritten mark from IMG-1
100
No.
LBL-9 printed · seventh line, right of the handwritten mark from IMG-1
t. up tap. eye, bronzed
LBL-10 printed · bottom line, right from IMG-1
Made in Norway
LBL-11 handwritten · lower left, between '100' and 't. up tap. eye, bronzed', above 'No.' from IMG-1
4
Trademark
Skeleton key emblem in mustard-gold ink at left: oval bow, long shaft, bit with rectangular cutouts at lower right. 'Key' is printed above it and 'Brand' below.
As entered on the specimen record
Key
Brand
O. MUSTAD & SÖN
Manufacturers
OSLO - NORWAY
Qual. 3911
Hollow Point
Mustad-Sproat Hooks
100
No.
t. up tap. eye, bronzed
Made in Norway
Layout
Key emblem at left with 'Key' above and 'Brand' below. The firm name runs along the top line, with the model and pattern lines centered below it. '100' and 't. up tap. eye, bronzed' share line 7; 'No.' at lower left and 'Made in Norway' at lower right share line 8.
Typeface
'Mustad-Sproat Hooks' is set in large bold condensed type and 'Hollow Point' in smaller type.
Printed marks
A printed border of snowflake-like rosettes frames the label on four sides, in the same mustard-gold ink as the text.
Later marks
A handwritten purple 4, between '100' and 't. up tap. eye, bronzed', above 'No.'

Condition

No rust, bending or tip damage is visible on the photographed hooks P. Thin light fibers on the point face and near the barb base look like debris.

Pattern history and manufacturer context

Series

The box label places the 3911 in a line called ‘Mustad-Sproat Hooks’ and carries the Key Brand trademark, which is listed among Mustad’s brands in a reference entry V.

Production dates, catalog listings and any discontinuation of the 3911 are not documented.

Design lineage

The label names the pattern ‘Mustad-Sproat Hooks’. Merriam-Webster defines a sproat as a light fishhook with a gradual or flattened bend and derives the name from W. H. Sproat, a 19th-century Englishman V.

Dating

The label prints 'OSLO - NORWAY'. The city took the name Oslo on 1 January 1925 V, so the label was printed on or after that date.
The label carries no printed date, and no other dating evidence is recorded.

O. Mustad & Son — Store norske leksikon places Mustad hook production at Gjøvik from 1877, with the Oslo-area works making other goods such as nails, ironware, margarine and screws V. The label prints Oslo beside the firm name and states only 'Made in Norway'. Read the maker’s history →
A Machine Kept Secret. Mathias Topp's automatic hook machine was ready in 1877. Mustad kept it secret instead of patenting it, restricting worker access to the machines and using non-disclosure agreements V.

Use

  • Dry fly
  • Wet fly
  • Nymph
  • Salmon
  • Sea trout

Primary application

The box label prints no intended use. Use by the anglers and tyers of the period is not documented for this model.

Collecting and buying

2 / 10CollectabilityRarity: Common

Rated 2/10, common. Size 4 boxes are on offer from a dealer V, and no source documents collector demand beyond use.

Basis: Rests on one dealer listing for size 4 boxes V; no source documents scarcity or collector demand.

The evidence covers one packaging: a box labeled for 100 hooks of size 4, with a Key Brand label. Other sizes, packagings and production years are not documented for the 3911.

No source records collector demand for the model, so the rating rests on how readily the size 4 box is found V.

Market value

Insufficient recorded sales data to estimate a reliable value.

1 sold observation recorded; 2 are needed, with the basis and date of the range, before a value is shown. Asking prices are shown as asking prices only.

The listing gives the condition as 'New: other' and reports 23 units sold. Individual sale prices are not recorded, so no value range rests on recorded sales.

Recorded sales and listings
ListingPriceDateCondition
100 MUSTAD SALMON FLY HOOKS #4 Classic Tying Sproat UP TAP. EYE BRONZED 3911From $12.992026-04-03Like New

Where to find

A business seller on eBay.de listed boxes of 100 size 4 hooks under the model number 3911 V.

Label and source analysis

Handwritten Markings and Annotations

A handwritten purple 4 sits on the box label between the printed ‘100’ and the ‘t. up tap. eye, bronzed’ line, above ‘No.’ P. It reads as the hook size I. The writer is not identified, and no other handwriting is recorded.

Decoding the Mustad Eight-Line Label

The label has eight lines of text beside a Key Brand emblem.

Lines 1-2. The firm name ‘O. MUSTAD & SÖN’ and the word ‘Manufacturers’.

Line 3. ‘OSLO – NORWAY’. The city took the name Oslo on 1 January 1925 V, so the label was printed on or after that date.

Line 4. ‘Qual. 3911’ gives the model number.

Line 5. ‘Hollow Point’ names the point style.

Line 6. ‘Mustad-Sproat Hooks’ names the pattern.

Line 7. ‘100’ at left and ‘t. up tap. eye, bronzed’ at right, read as ‘turned up tapered eye, bronzed’ I. The handwritten 4 sits between them.

Line 8. ‘No.’ at left and ‘Made in Norway’ at right.

Modern equivalents and related hooks

Modern equivalents
HookMatchNotes
Daiichi 2421Very goodLow-water salmon hook with upturned eye; similar Sproat-like bend and medium wire. Japanese manufacture, modern materials. Closest functional equivalent but lacks tapered eye refinement.
Tiemco 6414GoodTurned-down eye, Sproat-like bend, standard shank. Modern equivalent without the upturned configuration. Readily available.
Partridge N1/0GoodRedditch-made low-water salmon hook; maintains traditional upturned eye and superior materials but different bend profile.

Best matchRelated by Attribute

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

SilhouetteHook ModelMatchAnalysisCompare
3366 No. 6/0 — Mustad-Sproat Hooks silhouette3366 No. 6/0 — Mustad-Sproat Hooks83%Matches: Bend, Shank, Wire, Gap, Finish +4 moreDiffers: Eye: Tapered Eye vs Ball Eye; Eye Orient.: Turned Up vs Straight / Inline; Point: Hollow Point vs Superior +1 moreCompare
5795 No. 12 — Mustad 5795 silhouette5795 No. 12 — Mustad 579582%Matches: Bend, Shank, Eye, Eye Orient., Point +5 moreDiffers: Wire: Fine (1X Fine) vs Standard; Gap: Wide vs Standard; Offset: Straight vs Offset / Kirbed +2 moreCompare
38933 No. 8, 10 — Mustad 38933 silhouette38933 No. 8, 10 — Mustad 3893378%Matches: Bend, Wire, Eye, Eye Orient., Point +3 moreDiffers: Offset: Straight vs Offset / KirbedCompare
S4324 HE No. 10 — Hand Forged Hook (Octopus Brand) silhouetteS4324 HE No. 10 — Hand Forged Hook (Octopus Brand)77%Matches: Bend, Shank, Eye Orient., Point, Finish +3 moreDiffers: Wire: Fine (1X Fine) vs Standard; Gap: Wide vs Standard; Eye: Tapered Eye vs Looped Eye +4 moreCompare
3051 No. 7 — Chathundeley Sproat silhouette3051 No. 7 — Chathundeley Sproat76%Matches: Bend, Wire, Eye, Point, Finish +4 moreDiffers: Shank: Standard vs 1X Long; Gap: Wide vs Standard; Eye Orient.: Turned Up vs Turned Down +3 moreCompare

ExploratoryRelated by Shape (SVG)

Ranked purely by silhouette geometry — attribute labels are ignored.

SilhouetteHook ModelMatchCompare
3366 No. 6/0 — Mustad-Sproat Hooks silhouette3366 No. 6/0 — Mustad-Sproat Hooks72%Compare
3670 No. 8 — Mustad-Limerick Hooks silhouette3670 No. 8 — Mustad-Limerick Hooks72%Compare
5511-Br No. 7/0 — O'Shaughnessy silhouette5511-Br No. 7/0 — O'Shaughnessy72%Compare
3407 No. 10/0 — Mustad 3407 O'Shaughnessy silhouette3407 No. 10/0 — Mustad 3407 O'Shaughnessy72%Compare
3811 No. 3/0 — O'Shaughnessy silhouette3811 No. 3/0 — O'Shaughnessy70%Compare

Sources, open questions, and record notes

Sources & Documentation

This specimen and its packaging — photographed, 4 images
Supports: sub brandquantity per packageconstructionoffset kirbedeyefinishbarbcondition notesmeasurement methodgap widthmeasurement notescumulative records notedating rangepackagingfly patternsmanufacturer period contextmeta titlemeta descriptionprimary search termssummaryseries historydesign lineageprimary applicationtechnical notescollectability detail

Entry last updated June 9, 2026. Entries are updated as new specimens, measurements, or documents come to light.