Superfine Cast Steel Double Fish Hooks hook silhouette
Hook Reference › W. Woodfield and Sons › W. Woodfield and Sons Double — Superfine Cast Steel Double Fish Hooks

W. Woodfield and Sons Double

Superfine Cast Steel Double Fish HooksUndated

Evidence reviewed October 2, 2026. Marks: P photographically · V verified · I inferred · E estimated · S speculative What they mean

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Summary

W. Woodfield & Sons, a needle and fish hook manufacturer at Redditch, made Superfine Cast Steel Double Fish Hooks V.

The documented example is a box photographed with one hook. The label says double, but the hook shows three bends, so its link to the box needs confirmation P.

Photographic record

2 photographs

Box lid with a blue printed label in a black ornamental border, reading W. Woodfield & Sons, Superfine Cast Steel, Double Fish Hooks.
IMG-1W. Woodfield and Sons — New entry — image 1 Lid of the box with its blue label naming W. Woodfield & Sons and Superfine Cast Steel Double Fish Hooks. The size position after No is blank, and the label gives 1/4 Gross.

How to identify it

Identify the box by the lid label: the maker’s name, the grade line Superfine Cast Steel, then DOUBLE FISH HOOKS P. The last line gives a quantity, not a hook size.

The label gives no place name, date, finish or trade mark P. Those details need support from outside the label.

Technical profile and measurements

Features of the model, as recorded
FeatureRecordedEvidence
EyeBall Eye, Straight / Inline
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The photographed hook has a closed round ring eye in line with the shank. Its construction is not resolved in the photograph. P

OBS-1
WireStandard, Round
ShankStandard — Plain
BendStandard gap
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The photographed hook has three rounded bends: one toward the top of the frame and two nested toward the bottom. P

OBS-3
Point
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A cut barb is present on each of the three visible points, on the inner side of the bend. P

OBS-5
FinishNickelled — uncertain
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The photographed hook shows bright silver-grey metal where not rusted. No black, bronze or blue coating is visible; the plating type is not identified. P

OBS-6LBL-1
ConstructionDouble

In the trade, cast steel meant crucible steel: steel melted in a clay crucible and poured into ingots V. A 1903 paper describes hook wire as the best English cast steel. It describes hooks made by cutting wire to length, cutting the barb, filing the point and bending the hook on a form V. The label wording therefore probably refers to the steel of the wire, not to a cast hook I.

On the photographed hook, at least two shanks lie side by side and are joined behind the eye by a grey-green band of corroded material. Whether the join is solder, brazing or binding is not resolved P.

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Specimens, packaging, and label

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

Box lid with a blue printed label in a black ornamental border, reading W. Woodfield & Sons, Superfine Cast Steel, Double Fish Hooks.
Open full size

S1 · Box, 1/4 gross, size not marked

Container
Box
Hook condition
Heavy surface rust on the shank and outer bend. Points intact and bends not visibly deformed. No snell, gut or line is attached in the photograph. (P)
Packaging condition
Good — moderate wear, legible
Wear
lid paper, upper left and lower centre: Even toning across the lid paper, a few brown spots toward the upper left, and faint creases across the lower centre. No tears or losses visible. LBL-2
Wear
label paper, left of the 'Superfine Cast Steel' line: Pale blotch and a small orange speck on the blue label stock. Label edges and printing intact. LBL-3
Photographs
IMG-1IMG-2

Lid paper evenly toned, with a few brown spots toward the upper left and faint creases across the lower centre. The blue label is intact, with a pale blotch and a small orange speck; no tears or losses are visible. The interior, base and contents were not photographed. The hook is photographed apart from the box, and its link to the box is probable but not shown.

What the label says

LBL-1 printed · lid label, blue paper label centred on lid top from IMG-1
W. WOODFIELD & SONS'
Superfine Cast Steel
DOUBLE
FISH HOOKS,
No          1/4 Gross.
Trademark
No maker's trademark, logo or device identified. The label border is a printed twisted-ribbon or chevron ornament in black ink, with a small square fret ornament at each of the four corners.
As entered on the specimen record
W. WOODFIELD & SONS'
Superfine Cast Steel
DOUBLE
FISH HOOKS,
No          1/4 Gross.
Layout
Blue paper label centred on the lid top, with five printed lines. On the last line, No is followed by a space left unfilled, then 1/4 printed as a stacked fraction (1 above 4) before Gross.
Later marks
None visible on the lid or label. The size position after No is blank.

Pattern history and manufacturer context

Series

Collector reference pages show W. Woodfield & Sons snelled packets sold under other grade or brand wording, among them Superfine, extra quality and Rival Brand V. None of these packets is a Double box.

Design lineage

A 1903 paper in the Scientific American Supplement lists Double and Treble among the kinds of fish hook it names V.

Dating

Neither the lid nor the label carries a date P. The maker is recorded as W. Woodfield & Co in 1861 and as William Woodfield & Sons by 1865, so the wording of the maker line does not by itself narrow the date V. The firm became a limited company after 1912, and the label has no Ltd. V. Whether that places the label earlier is not established.

W. Woodfield and Sons — The firm made needles and fish hooks at Easemore Works, Redditch. Directories list it from 1861 as W. Woodfield & Co and by 1865 as William Woodfield & Sons. It became a limited company after 1912. Advertisements of 1946 and 1947 place it in Bournemouth and Christchurch. V Read the maker’s history →
Maker's Trade Marks. W. Woodfield & Sons registered a horse trade mark in 1874 and claimed a Greek cross mark in use since 1862. Most of its recorded patents and designs concern needles and needle cases. No mark is identified on this box. V

Use

  • Bait fishing
  • Sea trout

Primary application

The box label calls the contents fish hooks and names no fish, bait or method of use P.

Collecting and buying

5.5 / 10CollectabilityRarity: Uncommon

Rated 5.5/10 — scarce due to W. Woodfield's relatively limited production compared to Mustad or Allcock, and the specialized double-hook format with original snells. Collector demand is moderate among bait-fishing and pike specialists, and strong among Redditch tackle historians. Complete original packaging with intact snells significantly elevates value.

Basis: Collector reference pages show other Woodfield & Sons hooks and packets and no Double box; no count of surviving boxes or recorded sale exists.

Two collector reference pages illustrate Woodfield & Sons hooks and snelled packets, and neither shows a Double box V.

No source gives a count of surviving boxes or a sold price for this model.

Market value

Insufficient recorded sales data to estimate a reliable value.

0 sold observations 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.

No sold results are recorded for this model, so no value range is established.

Where to find

eBay UK and US (infrequent, typically listed as part of larger bait-hook lots); British tackle dealers specializing in Redditch makers (Google search: "vintage Redditch fishing hooks"); specialist auctions including Mallams (Worcester), Martel Auctions (London); regional British tackle fairs and country house sales; estate sales in southern England near Redditch manufacturing centers.

Modern equivalents and related hooks

Best matchRelated by Attribute

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

SilhouetteHook ModelMatchAnalysisCompare
35881 No. 1/0 — Double Live Bait Hooks silhouette35881 No. 1/0 — Double Live Bait Hooks65%Matches: Shank, Wire, Gap, Eye, Eye Orient. +4 moreDiffers: Point: Other vs Hollow Point; Finish: Nickelled vs Bronzed; Application: Bait, Sea Trout vs BaitCompare
02 No. 8 — Code 02 Double Wilson55%Matches: Shank, Wire, Gap, Offset, Shank Feat. +1 moreDiffers: Eye: Ball Eye vs Looped Eye; Eye Orient.: Straight / Inline vs Turned Up; Point: Other vs Standard / Spear +3 moreCompare
CS1A — V.B. Pike Hooks52%Matches: Wire, Gap, Forging, Offset, Shank Feat. +1 moreDiffers: Eye: Ball Eye vs Other; Eye Orient.: Straight / Inline vs Other; Point: Other vs Standard / Spear +2 moreCompare
7799 No. 4/0 — Mustad 7799 Double Kirby50%Matches: Shank, Gap, Eye Orient., Offset, Shank Feat. +1 moreDiffers: Bend: Other vs Kirby (offset); Wire: Standard vs Heavy (1X Heavy); Eye: Ball Eye vs Brazed Eye +4 moreCompare
3573 No. 4 — Mustad 3573 Double Fly Hook49%Matches: Shank, Wire, Gap, Eye, Forging +3 moreDiffers: Bend: Other vs Sproat; Eye Orient.: Straight / Inline vs Turned Down; Point: Other vs Superior +2 moreCompare

Sources, open questions, and record notes

Sources & Documentation

This specimen and its packaging — photographed, 2 images
Supports: size documentedquantity per packageeyebendbarbfinishmeasurements availablemeasurement methodmeasurement notesdating rangepackagingfun factmeta descriptionprimary search termssummarytechnical notesseries historyprimary applicationidentification

Entry last updated July 29, 2026. Entries are updated as new specimens, measurements, or documents come to light.