There is a particular sort of optimism involved in opening a 261-lot fishing-tackle catalogue and searching for old hook packets. Perhaps a forgotten Allcock box is sitting behind a reel. Perhaps somebody has described a tray of blind-eye salmon irons as “miscellaneous tackle.” Perhaps the photographer accidentally caught the corner of a Mustad label and we can spend the afternoon squinting at it.
That was the hope, anyway.
I checked all five catalogue pages and then reviewed the individual descriptions for all 261 lots in the Mullock Jones timed fishing-tackle auction. The sale runs from July 6 through July 26, 2026.
The short answer: no hook lots this time
The catalogue contains plenty of reels, rods, nets, gaffs, bags, tackle-box seats, books, and other fishing equipment. What it does not contain is a dedicated lot of fishing hooks.
I found no catalogued lots containing:
- vintage hook packets or boxes;
- loose collectible fishing hooks;
- fly-tying hook assortments;
- blind-eye or gut-eye salmon hooks;
- named Mustad, Allcock, Partridge, or Milward hook lots; or
- mixed terminal tackle explicitly described as including hooks.
That may not be the most thrilling conclusion, but it is better than turning a reel foot into a hook packet through sheer enthusiasm.
The catalogue’s lone “hook” mention
There is one result for the word “hook,” but it is not the sort that fits in a hook reference database.
Lot 1197 is a mixed group built around a 16-foot Charles Farlow greenheart salmon fly rod. The description also includes a Hardy Palakona spinning rod, an alloy wading staff, and a boat hook. Its estimate is £50–£70.
So, technically, the auction has a hook. It is simply the wrong hook, unless your fly box is large enough to berth a small vessel.
Why record an empty search?
Auction research is usually built around positive finds: a scarce packet appears, a label variation is documented, or a group sells for more than expected. Negative results are useful too.
Recording that a large specialist fishing sale contained no collectible hook lots helps establish context. It prevents the auction record from becoming a highlight reel in which every sale appears packed with rare hooks. It also tells us something about how unevenly hooks surface at auction. Rods and reels are easy to recognize, describe, and photograph. Old hooks are more likely to be tucked into drawers, mixed tackle boxes, or estate groups—and may never reach the catalogue as their own lot.
That is one reason collectors have to read beyond the headlines. The interesting packet may not be called interesting. Sometimes it is not called anything at all.
Auction details
- Auction: TIMED Auction of Fishing Tackle
- Auction house: Mullock Jones
- Dates: July 6–26, 2026
- Catalogue size: 261 lots
- Currency: GBP
- Buyer’s premium: 20.5%
- Online commission: 3%
- Hook-related lots found: 0 fishing-hook lots; 1 unrelated boat-hook mention
The catalogue and bidding information can change while the sale is open, so check the live auction page before bidding.
Final verdict
For the vintage-hook collector, this particular sale is a dry fly: nicely presented, but floating past without much underneath it.
I would not add any lots from this auction to a hook price-history database. Lot 1197 belongs in rod, wading-staff, or boat-hook records—not among collectible fishing hooks. The sensible move is to save the search, keep watching future Mullock Jones catalogues, and wait for the day somebody finally lists that dusty box from the back of the tackle cupboard.
