The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

If anyone has any further pictures or information on dates etc relating to the Allcocks Anglers Guides from the 1960's please let us know.

Thanks to dgc2011 and pduffield for some of the information below.

1961 1962 1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

Weyfarer wrote:1966 picture

Thank you weyfarer, I have added your picture to the list above. :thumb:

I've come across a bit of an anomaly. and haven't so far managed to work it out.

The first image above, the one with the thin orange stripes I had thought to be 1961. The first page offers insurance for rods purchased after Ist. Jan 1961.



But I have now aquired this book, sold as a 1961: It too has the same insurance on the first page with the same date.

So which came first?


There are no different fish records, sadly.


But there are a number of differences, though precious few:

Most importantly, the 'stripey' book has a 'surcharge' on Purchase Tax. However neither 1959 books, nor 1963 books have purchase tax surcharges. So if anyone is ever able to access purchase tax, or budget details for this period ( I've tried and failed ) they might be able to set the record straight.


Purchase Tax in 1959 was 20%, or 1/5th. or 4/- in the pound !!



In the 'stripey book' it's 1/6th plus 4d. in the pound Surcharge.


In the 'A' book it's 1/6th, but without any surcharge.



We are used to prices going up and not down these days, but sometimes prices did drop after the war. So the simple assumption that a price increase intimates a later book might be flawed, but here goes.........


1/. Stripey Book:

160 Pages, including the illustrated 'Float Lore' by Bernard Venables and articles on fish identification.


Purchase Tax of 1/6th. plus a 4d. in the £ surcharge.

New DAM closed face reel.


New Allcocks Record Breaker reel.

Allcocks Duco reel at 113/6d.

Plastic boxes of fly sets.


The Peerless match rod in Spanish reed ..price increased by 20% !


A new Black Knight match rod having extra sections to create 3 different lenghts of rod.

C791 felton Crosswind reel seeming to have newly gained a 'flexible pick-up' in the manner of the Ambidex FP reels.


No mention of the C810 Easicast reel.



2/. The big 'A' book:



Only 129 pages.

Purchase Tax at 1/6th, with no surcharge.

No mention of DAM or Record Breaker reels.


Cardboard boxes of flies with type-print names.


Cheaper Peerless match rod.

No Black Knight rod.


C792 Felton Crosswind with one-piece wire bale arm.

OK, the Felton Crosswind numbers seem to go backwards, not forwards, but on the whole I'm inclined to put the big A bookas prior to the 'stripey' book.


I did all of the above without checking with Peter Carman's list, lest it influence me. On going to the list it indicates that there is a book from 1962 and its proof of date is on page127.

Sure enough, the 'A' book has the Three Star fly rod there and mentions in the fine print changes for 1962.



So..the 'stripey' book is an extra book published by Allcocks in 1962 to reflect changes in Purchase Tax and some line up changes.

Not too important....unless you own a rare Black Knight or want to date a Felton Crosswind with a solid bale arm.


Who'd have thought it pre-dated one with a flexible two part bale arm? Not me.


So once a Government did drop Purchase Tax...and wasn't it high in those days? That must have done a bit to curtail public spending....just as our tackle companies are feeling the pinch of those foreign imports......


I need a little lie down now


And we need to change the date on the 'stripey' image above to 1962.

Purchase tax in the late '50's early '60's was changed many times, and at varying rates for different items based on the perceived 'luxury' of the item concerned. Reductions seem to have been made at times to increase exports or control home expenditure, like the reduction of the tax on new cars from 60% to 50% in 1959, and on records (vinyl discs) the tax was reduced in 1959, increased in 1961, reduced again in 1962 and in 1963, and increased again in 1966 and twice in 1968 (March and November), apparently.

Hansard mentions an increase in purchase tax in 1961.

Another site states "In April 1961 the new instrument was introduced. It allowed the variation (up or down by up to 10 per cent of their existing rate) of a range of purchase taxes and excise duties. The new regulator was used, to its full extent, in the July 1961 sterling crisis."

I can't find a specific mention of fishing tackle, but assume it was subject to variation in a similar fashion.

It must have been a nightmare trying to keep a catalogue up to date.

My head hurts now. :brickwall:

Good work Sherlock! :hat:

Thanks Nobby, so both guides are 1962, picture post above now amended.

My mistake Mark, and I've amended my earlier post..the stripey book is 1962, the 'A' book is the 1961.

Agggghhhhhhh!


That's better!


So there was a Pound crisis in 1961? I had no idea.
It's interesting then, that nearly all the prices in the '62 catalogue stay the same, apart from those I mentioned. So rather than put Purchase Tax back up, they added a temporary surcharge to it..

I have tried to post Pete Carman's list here, but as it is a Word document I can't manage it. If I try and turn it into an image it goes berserk!



Thanks Ashbycut for your input.

Sorted Nobby, thank you. :thumb:

The young man on the cover of the '67 catalogue is Dick Tallents, later to become head of Masterline tackle (source Angling International magazine Aug 2013)