Garren WoodFishing Hook Reference
The Blue Label is a regular-shank, forged, turned-down tapered-eye hook made in England and marketed under an association with Ray Bergman of Nyack, New York, an American angling author. The box label specifies Regular Shank, Forged, Regular Wire, Tapered T.D. Eye construction, with the size hand-annotated in pencil as 8 P on an otherwise blank printed Size line, and a printed model reference number 100 alongside it V.
The specimen photographed shows a forged bronzed hook with a turned-down tapered eye, a rounded bend consistent with a Sproat-family profile, and a visible barb of moderate length P. The bronzed finish presents a warm brown tone with steel grain visible along the shank, consistent with the confirmed bronzed finish designation.
The box itself is a two-piece cardboard slide or hinged type with a printed blue paper label pasted to the lid, a format and print style consistent with mid-20th-century English tackle packaging I. The absence of a barcode, the letterpress-style typography, and the hand-completed size field are all consistent with pre-1970s production practice, though no specific date range can be confirmed from the packaging alone.
Collecting interest in this box centers on the Ray Bergman name association, which is uncommon among English-made hook packaging and gives the item crossover appeal to collectors of American angling literature as well as English hook specialists.
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TDE | Standard Wire | Spear Point | Bronzed
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The forged shank construction, noted explicitly on the box as Forged, indicates the wire was flattened at the bend under press dies after bending, a process intended to increase strength at the point of greatest stress without increasing overall wire diameter. This is a standard mid-20th-century method for producing a stronger hook from regular-gauge wire without the added stiffness of extra-heavy wire. The tapered eye construction, formed by drawing the wire to a fine point before forming the eye loop, produces a smaller, lighter eye profile than a ball eye, suited to smaller fly patterns where a compact head is desired.
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Physical measurement with calipers
First garrenwood.com entry documenting a Ray Bergman name-associated hook box of English manufacture.
We have measurement for size 8. Know any others? Submit calipered measurements and we'll review and add them. Thank you!
The box identifies Ray Bergman, Nyack, N.Y. as the named party associated with this hook line, while the printed MADE IN ENGLAND designation indicates the hooks themselves were manufactured by an English maker for distribution under the Bergman name in the American market V. Ray Bergman was an American angling author associated with the mid-20th-century American fly fishing trade; the specific English manufacturing works responsible for producing the Blue Label line under this arrangement is not identified on the packaging and cannot be confirmed from the evidence provided.
The Blue Label name printed in quotation marks on the box label suggests this was one line within a broader series of hook grades or patterns distinguished by label color or name, a common period practice among tackle makers offering multiple quality or specification tiers. No further variants of the Blue Label series are documented in the evidence provided, so the full scope of the series — other shank lengths, wire weights, or eye styles offered under the same name — cannot be confirmed here.
Ray Bergman (Nyack, New York) is credited by name on the box label. He is recognized in American angling literature primarily as the author of Trout (1938), a widely referenced mid-20th-century text on American trout fishing methods and fly patterns. The nature of his association with this specific English-made hook line — whether as an endorser, specifier of construction details, or retail distributor — is not established by the packaging text and is treated here as an attribution only I.
No barcode is present on the box, consistent with pre-1974 production. The typography is letterpress-style block lettering typical of mid-20th-century tackle box printing. The Size field is left blank for hand completion rather than pre-printed with a specific size, suggesting a generic template box used across a size run, a practice more common in earlier to mid-20th-century small-batch retail packaging. The Ray Bergman, Nyack, N.Y. attribution places this within the period of Bergman's active association with the American tackle trade, generally mid-20th century. No specific manufacturer date code is legible on the box.
| Silhouette | Hook Model | Match | Analysis | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
E6A No. 10 — E6A 4X Fine Short Length Down Eye Hooks | 98% | Compare | |
|
2x Long, TDE No. 10 — Blue Label 2X Long, Forged, Regular Wire, Tapered T.D. Eye | 94% | Compare | |
|
2x Fine Wire TDE No. 16 — Red Label | 89% | Compare | |
|
Gold Label — Gold Label Super Fine, Forged | 89% | Compare | |
|
E3AY No. 12 — Partridge E3AY | 86% | Compare |
| Silhouette | Hook Model | Match | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3143 No. 4 — Mustad-Best Kirby Hooks | 98% | Compare |
|
3337 No. 9 — Mustad 3337 Superior Sneck Hooks | 98% | Compare |
|
3399 A No. 12 — Mustad 3399 A Sproat | 98% | Compare |
|
7947 A No. 6 — Mustad 7947 A | 98% | Compare |
|
1810 TDE No. 8 — 1810 TDE | 98% | Compare |
The Blue Label, in a forged regular-shank pattern with a turned-down tapered eye, is consistent with general wet fly and streamer tying applications typical of mid-20th-century American and English trout fishing practice. The regular wire and regular shank length designation indicate a general-purpose trout hook rather than a specialty long-shank or heavy-wire pattern.
Named patterns specifically associated with this hook. Leave blank if none formally documented. Do not speculate — only include patterns with a confirmed association.
| Hook | Match Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mustad 3906 | Moderate | Comparable regular-shank forged wet fly hook with turned-down eye, though bend geometry and finish differ. |
| Partridge Model D | Moderate | English-made regular-shank wet fly hook of comparable period construction. |
Rated 65/10 — the hook specification itself is common, but the Ray Bergman name association on English-made packaging is uncommon and drives modest crossover collector interest; box condition and completeness are the main limiting factors.
Collectability is driven primarily by the Ray Bergman name association printed on the box, which links this English-made hook to a prominent figure in American angling literature. This crossover appeal to both hook specialists and Bergman-related tackle and book collectors is uncommon among period hook packaging and is the main positive factor supporting a rating above the baseline for a common forged trout hook.
Limiting factors include the mass-produced nature of the Blue Label line itself — a regular shank, regular wire, forged hook in size 8 is not an unusual specification and would have been produced in quantity. The box shows visible wear (toning, corner softening) which reduces condition-based value. No sealed or mint examples are documented here to anchor a high-end estimate.
The most desirable variant of this box would be one with the size field printed rather than hand-annotated, or an unopened box with hooks still sealed inside, though no such example is evidenced in this specimen.
Condition of the box label and lid seams are the primary value drivers; a complete, uncrushed box with legible label text commands more than a faded or water-stained example.
Two-piece cardboard box, cream colored, with a pasted blue paper label on the lid face. Label text is printed in black block letterpress-style type reading BLUE LABEL in quotation marks, followed by Regular Shank, Forged, Regular Wire, Tapered T. D. Eye, a blank Size line with a printed reference number 100 to its right, RAY BERGMAN, Nyack, N.Y., and MADE IN ENGLAND at the base. A pencil numeral 8 is handwritten over the blank Size line. Box shows general surface toning, corner wear, and minor label lifting at the edges.
Low ($15): Good condition — box opened, visible wear and toning to label and lid, hook count not fully verified.<br />
High ($45): Excellent condition — box complete with legible label, minimal soiling, full hook count intact.<br />
Premium factors: Ray Bergman name association, legibility of printed and handwritten text, completeness of hook count, absence of water staining or label loss.<br />
Platforms: eBay, specialist tackle auction listings for named-collaborator English hooks.<br />
Confidence: E estimated — no specific comparable sold listing data available for this exact box.
English and American vintage tackle dealers, eBay listings for named-collaborator or American-import English hooks, and specialist tackle collector forums focused on Ray Bergman or mid-century American fly fishing memorabilia.
Store the box closed and away from direct light to prevent further fading of the blue label stock, which is already showing edge toning consistent with age P. Keep the box away from humidity; the bronzed hook finish resists light surface oxidation but the cardboard box itself is vulnerable to moisture damage, foxing, and mold. Do not attempt to clean the handwritten pencil size annotation on the label, as period annotations of this kind add provenance value rather than detract from it. House the box upright in a display case or archival box divider rather than stacked, to prevent corner crushing of the lid seams, which already show light wear P. Avoid adhesive tape or modern labels on the box exterior, as these depress collector value.
A handwritten numeral 8 appears in pencil directly on the printed blue label, overlaying the blank Size line where the printed card left the size field open for hand-completion P. This is consistent with period retail or personal-inventory practice, where a dealer or the original owner filled in the size by hand after the box left the factory, since the printed card was evidently produced as a generic Blue Label template usable across multiple sizes. The numeral matches the size of the enclosed specimen P, supporting its reliability as a period-correct size record rather than a later addition.
Source: Box label text: BLUE LABEL, Regular Shank, Forged, Regular Wire, Tapered T.D. Eye, Size 8, RAY BERGMAN, Nyack, N.Y., MADE IN ENGLAND
The box label reads RAY BERGMAN, Nyack, N.Y. beneath the model specification block, associating this hook line with Ray Bergman, the American angling author best known for his book Trout (1938) V. The presence of a named American angling authority on an English-made hook box (MADE IN ENGLAND is printed directly below the attribution) indicates a marketing or endorsement arrangement between an English hook manufacturer and Bergman for the American tackle trade I. The specific nature of the arrangement — whether Bergman selected the specifications, licensed his name, or distributed the hooks — is not established by the packaging text alone and should be treated as inferred rather than confirmed.
| P | Photographically verified — Directly observable in the photograph(s) on this page. |
| V | Verified by documentation — Confirmed by manufacturer catalog, spec sheet, or published reference. |
| I | Inferred — A logical deduction from observable or documented evidence, not directly stated. |
| E | Estimated — An approximation based on visual comparison, proportional analysis, or limited data. |
| S | Speculative — A reasoned hypothesis that cannot be confirmed from available evidence. |
Claims with no notation are confirmed by multiple independent sources. All photographs on garrenwood.com are taken on a measurement grid where each square equals 1/10 inch (0.1″ / 2.54 mm).
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