View Full Version : Polar Bear Hair
jenniferfate
06-09-2007, 04:17 PM
Hi there, I don't actually fish but I have a question about something that I think the board can help me with. I recently purchased a No. 100 Danielson Fly-Tying kit that looks like it's from the 1940's or so and I want to sell it on eBay. It has a package marked "Polar Bear Hair" (I'm not really sure if that's what it actually is) and my question is, does anyone know if it's legal for me to sell it, especially because I'm not sure that it really IS Polar Bear hair? Thanks in advance for your help!
Les Johnson
06-10-2007, 01:00 PM
Danielson Company did at one time years and years ago sell polar bear hair in individual packages (white and several dyed colors) and also in their fly tying kits. It seems to me that your tying kit would have to be from the mid-sixties to mid-seventies, but that is a guess.
Les Johnson
speyfisher
06-10-2007, 01:13 PM
Just ebay it and dont itemize the materials.
If you have the receipt proving you bought the kit and that it had what you think is polar bear in it when it was originally purchased, you can legally sell it. However, if you don't have something to show that what you think is polar bear was in it when originally purchased, you could have a problem. Like Les, I know that the Danielson Company sold polar bear both in kits and in separate packages. Chances are if you have it in the complete kit form, you won't have a problem.
jenniferfate
06-11-2007, 06:01 PM
Thanks for the help! I have no receipt (bought the thing at a garage sale) so I will just list it without itemizing what the kit contains.
kodiaksalmon
06-11-2007, 08:20 PM
Man, I'd look to see if there's a way to legally "part-out" the polar bear. You could probably get as much for it, as for the whole kit. Is there any seal in there?
Just a thought before you sell the whole thing for $30.
jenniferfate
06-15-2007, 07:19 PM
Man, I'd look to see if there's a way to legally "part-out" the polar bear. You could probably get as much for it, as for the whole kit. Is there any seal in there?
Just a thought before you sell the whole thing for $30.
There isn't any seal, only the Polar Bear. And for what I paid, I'd be thrilled to get $30. Thanks for the tip, though!
kodiaksalmon
06-17-2007, 05:39 PM
I've legally paid $20 for 2"x6" patches.
Ned Wright
06-18-2007, 03:36 PM
Boy, now that you spilled the beans and have a user name, maybe you should sell it here in the classifieds with pictures and no itemization.
Just a thought.
Ned
David Prutsman
06-19-2007, 01:33 PM
St. Peters fly shop in Fort Collins, Colorado sells polar bear hair. It comes from Joan Wulff, who cut her late husbands (lee) supply into small pieces. The package is signed by Joan and comes with a certificate of authenticity. A package sells for about $15 and all the proceeds go towards conservation efforts, I believe.
jenniferfate
06-20-2007, 09:00 AM
St. Peters fly shop in Fort Collins, Colorado sells polar bear hair. It comes from Joan Wulff, who cut her late husbands (lee) supply into small pieces. The package is signed by Joan and comes with a certificate of authenticity. A package sells for about $15 and all the proceeds go towards conservation efforts, I believe.
That's very cool. Thanks, everyone, for all of your help.
kodiaksalmon
06-21-2007, 10:07 PM
How big are the pieces? $15 is a good price.
David Prutsman
06-22-2007, 04:31 PM
They are small pieces, enough to make a few sparse flies. But, I don't know why you'd want to use something like that anyways. Here is a link for St. Peters fly shop, great place to stop in if you are in the area.
http://www.stpetes.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
BallardFred
07-20-2007, 11:40 AM
I bought a bunch of polar bear hair from Ben Paris in downtown Seattle as they were closing down, somewhere around 1972.
But, I don't know why you'd want to use something like that anyways.
http://www.stpetes.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
iagree not the best material for steelhead patterns
ak_powder_monkey
08-08-2007, 02:33 AM
Mountain Goat Hair make an excellent substitute for polar bear hair BTW
Jerry Arlington
08-10-2007, 12:43 PM
You can legally buy Polar Bear hair from dealers who have leagal rights to purchase and sell. I friend of mine from Spokane bought some for me last year. I haven't tied any flies with it and have misplaced it and can't find the darned stuff. It was a small, like 3X2 inches, for $10.
dominic7471
08-10-2007, 04:41 PM
its before the ban of the polar bear selling so you should be fine.... sounds like a cool kit.... it probably has cuban cigars and an ak 47 too! ahahaha
Les Johnson
09-20-2007, 07:23 AM
Danielson's polar bear packages contained a rather small patch of hair but it was of pretty good quality; no broken tips, urine stains, etc. Shoff's Sporting Goods in Kent (back when it was a fine fishing and hunting emporium operated by Clarence Shoff of Polar Shrimp fame) carried a full range of Danielson's polar bear. I don't remember how much it cost.
Cheers,
Les
Speydee
10-10-2007, 08:05 PM
Just got registered on here a couple weeks ago and was going through some old posts about polar bear hair, in particular a query about a piece going on ebay posted in late August which apparently sold for about $170. I thought polar bear skin is black, not tan like the picture shows. PB skin is black to maximize warming when out in the sun so buyer beware.
It is a common misconception that polar bear skin is always black. Most of the time it is some shade or brown or tan. These bears don't get their warmth from the sun, they, like other mammals, produce the heat themselves from burning food and their fur insulates and keeps the heat in. Also, polar bear hair can be white or any shade or cream up to what is like a very light tan, and can have all these various shades present on one bear.
ak_powder_monkey
10-12-2007, 11:44 PM
I've seen quite a lot of polar bear (skin) living up here and all of the polar bear I have ever seen has black skin, thats how you tell. And it is black to absorb sunlight, even though they are warm blooded they need all the help they can get.
Marty
10-13-2007, 12:18 PM
iagree not the best material for steelhead patterns
What are you basing you opinion on your own experience or was it something you have read? And what have you found that works better?
Marty
10-13-2007, 07:56 PM
PB and seal are hard to get but well worth the effort
sharpshooter223
10-14-2007, 11:45 AM
its before the ban of the polar bear selling so you should be fine.... sounds like a cool kit.... it probably has cuban cigars and an ak 47 too! ahahaha
id just like to say, ak-47's are not illegal. anybody can buy the semi automatic version and for the fully automatic you just have to have the permit that allows you to buy fully automatic weapons.
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