Considering Selling

My Dad's 1960 Kodiak De Luxe Bear Bow

Serial Number 1A221; 60” 41#

1960 Bear Kodiak De Luxe

Sometime in 1960 my Dad won this Bear Kodiak Deluxe bow as a door prize at a convention he attended. I was 9 at the time. He was not a bow enthusiast so it was never used for hunting. My older brother remembers using it for target practice up through 1964. I inherited sometime after 1976 when I got out of the Navy. I’ve never used it and in those years since I have only strung it up a few times including last week when I found it in the garage. It has been in my garage in its original bow sack all that time along with the Fred Bear care pamphlet and probably what is the original string. I was cleaning stuff out and decided to check its value before disposing of it. I had forgot how beautiful it is and it looks like it might have some value to the right collector. My quick internet research shows that this model was only manufactured in 1960 and the clear fiberglass finish was also referred to as Cristalight. It has a copper Bear medallion embedded in it.

I have not been able to find any 1960 Kodiak De Luxe bows selling on ebay for a value determination. Consequently I’m not sure what I want to do with it right now. For now I’m just going to make it known that I have it and see what type of interest is generated and what information I might collect. The Kodiak Special De Luxe also offered that year seem to be more common and recently a well used one went for $325. 

This bow probably has not been used in 45 years! The feather rest is slightly damaged and there is a light crazing in the fiberglass in the high stress areas but otherwise I would think this bow would be considered in excellent condition. There is a partial fingerprint impression in the glass next to the medallion perhaps from manufacturing sloppiness. There is no delamination or vertical stress cracking.                                                        (3/10/2010)

E-mail: kodiak60@ponart.com