Hardy Brothers “Zephyr”
The Hardy “Zephyr” pocket bottle is simply ingenious …or, perhaps I should say ingeniously simple. Whichever the case, it has long been one of my absolute favorite vest pocket collectibles. The “Zephyr” is a fly oil bottle which is incredibly easy to use. The 1908 Hardy catalog states that the “…stopper is detached by gripping the reservoir at the shoulder with the first and second fingers (one on each side) and pressing the bottom upwards with the thumb.” So, the “Zephyr” can be opened, used and shut with one hand …as opposed to a bottle with a screw-cap, which is a two-handed affair.
~ Click On Pictures To Enlarge ~

The Rare First Version Of Hardy’s “Zephyr” Pocket Bottle, In Nickle Silver With A Glass Inner Bottle, As Pictured In The 1908 Catalog. My Guess Is The Glass Version Was Very Short Lived.

Some Of The Early Zephyr Pocket Bottles Were Not Marked On The Outer Bottle, But Were Instead Marked On The Arm That Held The Cap

This Early Version Is Made Of Brass, Rather Than Nickel Silver, And Is Stamped “Hardy Bros. Ltd, Alnwick, England”

This Particular “Zephyr” Pocket Bottle Raises Some Questions …Or, Perhaps Answers Them. As Mentioned Above, The First Version Zephyr Pocket Bottles Are Found With Glass Inner Bottles, Which Coincidentally Are Exactly The Same As The Original “Sunshine” Dry Fly Oil Bottles, But With No Label. So, Which Came First; Zephyr Dry Fly Oil, Or Sunshine Dry Fly Oil? Perhaps The Earliest Zephyr Pocket Bottles Were Originally Sold With Labeled Sunshine Bottles? This Makes Sense As It Would Make Replenishing Your Dry Fly Oil Far More Simplistic Than Pouring The Preparation From The Much Larger Glass Bottle Of Zephyr Oil Into The Smaller Pocket Bottle. Instead, Anglers Would Simply Insert A New Bottle. Maybe Someone In The Marketing Department Just Didn’t Like The Sound Of “Sunshine Pocket Bottle”.

The Small Bottle Of Sunshine Oil Was Short-lived And Replaced By The Larger Bottle With A Screw Cap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Buy Old Tackle ~ Click Here
reelsmith@aol.com
©
All Rights Reserved

The Rare First Version Of Hardy’s “Zephyr” Pocket Bottle, In Nickle Silver With A Glass Inner Bottle, As Pictured In The 1908 Catalog. My Guess Is The Glass Version Was Very Short Lived.

Some Of The Early Zephyr Pocket Bottles Were Not Marked On The Outer Bottle, But Were Instead Marked On The Arm That Held The Cap

This Early Version Is Made Of Brass, Rather Than Nickel Silver, And Is Stamped “Hardy Bros. Ltd, Alnwick, England”

This Particular “Zephyr” Pocket Bottle Raises Some Questions …Or, Perhaps Answers Them. As Mentioned Above, The First Version Zephyr Pocket Bottles Are Found With Glass Inner Bottles, Which Coincidentally Are Exactly The Same As The Original “Sunshine” Dry Fly Oil Bottles, But With No Label. So, Which Came First; Zephyr Dry Fly Oil, Or Sunshine Dry Fly Oil? Perhaps The Earliest Zephyr Pocket Bottles Were Originally Sold With Labeled Sunshine Bottles? This Makes Sense As It Would Make Replenishing Your Dry Fly Oil Far More Simplistic Than Pouring The Preparation From The Much Larger Glass Bottle Of Zephyr Oil Into The Smaller Pocket Bottle. Instead, Anglers Would Simply Insert A New Bottle. Maybe Someone In The Marketing Department Just Didn’t Like The Sound Of “Sunshine Pocket Bottle”.

The Small Bottle Of Sunshine Oil Was Short-lived And Replaced By The Larger Bottle With A Screw Cap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Buy Old Tackle ~ Click Here
reelsmith@aol.com
©
All Rights Reserved