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I was perusing eBay, a $100 a month habit, when
I noticed a Renzetti Salt Water Traveler vise up
for auction. I already own a Renzetti Traveler,
a nice vise that is a true rotary, and I didn't
have any intentions of purchasing a vise during
this foray into eBay; more just killing time at
work (but that's between us). However, there was
something exceptional about this vise. No, not
the make, nor the price, but the seller-more
specifically the seller's location.
Usually I don't even notice the location of the
seller, just giving it a cursory glance to make
sure it is in the United States as my experience
with foreign sellers, especially those from the
U.K., is that they grossly overcharge for shipping.
But the location of this seller raised a flag. He
was located in Winthrop, Massachusetts, not exactly
a fly fishing Mecca, and I happened to know that
author, fly tier, and raconteur Jack Garside had
recently moved to Winthrop. I decided to do some
sleuthing.
If you're just an eBaby you might be surprised
to learn that you can very easily discover a
heck of a lot about a buyer or a seller with
just a few clicks of the mouse-things like
other items sold, items purchase, and comments
from both sellers and purchasers. With only
the location pointing at Gartside, I delved a
little deeper. I checked the other items he
was selling-an old Orvis 5/6 multiplier, an
aged Orvis hat, and some boat rod holders-maybe
the kind of thing you might part with shortly
before or after a move. Next I checked what he
had sold in the past, which was mostly fly tying
material. The puzzle was coming together. Then
I looked at items he purchased. Only one was
recent enough that I could still access the site,
and it was an ashtray painted with a Picasso
style fish, just the sort of thing Jack might
own. And although I couldn't access other items
he bought, I could see the sellers of these items,
and one provided the largest clue. This seller
specialized in, of all things, antique nude French
postcards, and I knew from Gartside's website that
he sold similar postcards, only with large fish
superimposed, an odd item that is wildly popular
in Japan (just what is with these Japanese?)
Now I'm 95% certain this is Gartside's vise,
and the final piece of the puzzle comes from a
buyer's feedback. "Great service," it reads.
"See you in Wilmington." Wilmington is
Wilmington, Massachusetts, home of the annual
fly-fishing exposition, and Gartside is always
a featured speaker. With the puzzle complete
I start to bid, smug in my conviction that I'm
about to make one of those rare eBay coups.
I bid on three of the four items, eliminating
the boat rod holders because I don't own a boat.
I don't think any of the remaining things will
be as valuable as, say, a rod owned by Theodore
Gordon or a streamer tied by Carrie Stevens, but
they are a little piece of fly-fishing history,
and I hope the hat is the one Gartside wore on
the now infamous photo of Jack fishing from an
inflatable giraffe pool toy that graced the cover
of Saltwater Fly Fishing magazine.
The bids escalate, and I'm wondering if someone
else has made the same astute deductions I have.
I really only need one item but the timing of
the end of the sale is such that I can't just
choose one and run the risk of losing it. The
bidding on the reel goes past my max, so I drop
out, but I continue to bid on the vise and the
hat, and when the bidding finally closes, I'm
the proud owner of both. I spent $100 on the
vise, which for a used Renzetti Salt Water Traveler
isn't a bad buy even if it isn't Gartside's. I
pay $20 for the hat, which is more than I intended
to pay for an old hat no matter who owned it, but
I tell myself it is interesting fly fishing
memorabilia. And I'm pretty excited about the
whole thing, thinking, wow, I'll be tying flies
on Jack Gartside's vise. I sent an email to
Jack inquiring about payment and shipping, and
I brag to colleagues at work of my shrewd purchase
even though they don't know who, or what, I'm
talking about.
You've probably guessed by now, but my sleuthing
turns out to be less like Holmes and more like
Clouseau. When Jack responds it isn't Jack but
another fly tyer from Winthrop (who apparently
also likes antique French nudie postcards-what
are the odds?), and though I want to bail on
the whole deal I feel honor-bound to keep up
my end of the bargain so I do. And, like Marcia
Clark and Christopher Darden, I learn a valuable
lesson: even when the evidence is overwhelming,
the outcome isn't assured.
Anyone want to buy a fishing hat?
~ Dave
About Dave:
Dave Micus lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts. He is an
avid striped bass fly fisherman, writer and instructor.
He writes a fly fishing column for the Port City Planet
newspaper of Newburyport, MA (home of Plum Island and Joppa Flats)
and teaches a fly fishing course at Boston University.
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