FLOATS & HOOKS PURCHASE

[John Harding]

Good evening all,

I purchased a small amount of floats and hook packets in an auction at the weekend.

The items :-



As you can see there's nothing exceptional, just the usual porcupine quills and harcork type floats and also the usual hook packets. There was though a couple of items that are not familiar to me.

The first one was one of the floats which has a name on it, it's a plastic bodied float with a plastic stem running through the body of the float and the coloured tip is balsa wood which pushes on to the top spigot of the stem. The name on the float is ONDINE, which is a name I have not come across before, maybe it is a continental float, possibly French ?





The other item not familiar to me was one of the hook packets, the brand is Hewitts of Redditch and the range of hooks is called the "Populaire". As I say I have not heard of this brand/manufacturer before and the other aspect a bit unusual is that on the back of the packet there is a sticker which says MADE IN MALTA. The cardboard outer packet says that they are Hewitts of Redditch but on the inner cellophane packet it says Hewitts (Malta) Ltd and shows the Maltese Cross. I haven't heard of Hewitts in connection with any other types of fishing tackle, has anyone else ?





Hope it's of interest.

Regards,
John.

[Coral Maestro]

That's a new company to me as well. A quick look on the internet suggests that the company was registered in Valetta, Malta and was most active between 1968 and 1978. I'm wondering if they bought in the Platil line and hooks from a Redditch based company and tied the hooks to nylon and packaged them in Malta.

[John Harding]

C.M.

Well done with the research, perhaps they had a manufacturing base in Malta and a sales base in Redditch, but perhaps that's a bit strange when Redditch has always been known as the home of hook manufacturing.

Regards,
John

[Nobby]

I've seen some lures named Ondine, but not floats. I have some Hewitts hook packets too, but they are from Redditch, not Valetta! Bright purple they are.

[Olly]

Named after this vessel perhaps:-
PARIS, Oct. 13 (AP).--The submarine Ondine, which was turned into a steel coffin for forty-three young officers and sailors of the French navy when she was rammed off Vigo by a Greek freighter, seems to have... VIEW FULL ARTICLE IN TIMESMACHINE »

Occurred in 1928.

[Wallys-Cast]

Ondine was a naiad or water nymph so quite apt for a float.

Wal.

[John Harding]

Nobby, Olly, Wall,

Thanks for all of your comments, some very interesting facts and possibilities. That's what I love about coming across these odd items of tackle, it leads to all sorts of avenues of exploration and adds to the enjoyment.

Regards, John

[Nobby]

Wow. Good finds gentlemen!


An image from a Dutch version of the story, Also spelt as Undine and Ondina


Made as a film at least twice, Audrey Hepburn as the heroine