# Old Jennings Compound



## pofarm (Apr 2, 2006)

I still own my very first compound bow that I purchased in 1972 or 1973, right after I graduated from High School. It is a 4 pulley bow. There is a sticker on the bow that says Bow Of The Future Jennings Compound. Is it possible that this is the first compound that was ever made. I do remember that there wasn't any others at the archery shop to pick from. The Bow is in very good shape, and is very shootable. Was just wondering if it has any value .


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## gpalma (Oct 3, 2007)

It is not the first compound made.


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## archerm3 (Jan 4, 2007)

yes it has value. How much, that depends how badly someone wants it in their collection.


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## thewitchdr (Dec 12, 2010)

*Finally!*

A lead, as to what this bow is that I picked up at a yard sale this summer!
I can see that it is mostly wood construction, beneath the camo spray paint.
Four pulleys is the only other feature that stands out.
This guy also said it was his first bow, that his father bought for him when he was a boy. So, I would estimate it to be of hte same vintage as the Jennings in this thread. 
If anyone can help (this is my first bow, and I'm just starting to learn about them) I sure would appreciate pics to compare, or any other kind of info.
Thanks all

-Thewitchdr
[email protected]


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## jmoose77 (Apr 3, 2004)

Your Jennings look like one on the left thewitchdr?


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

The best way to assess value is to check ebay and see what they are selling for. There are many old, vintage bows, that are getting very little, if they sell at all. I was recently reading a website of a collector that said that ebay provided the highest price, that he ususally obtained his bows from pawn shops and individuals where the price was generally lower. Maybe others can provide some better info on where to sell if there is truely collector value for this bow.


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## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

My dad lived in billings missouri where allen and jennings lived and we had some of the original allen compounds. Over the years they vanished but they were really crude.


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## redboyd7 (Nov 5, 2010)

Some are still showing up at this site. I have not seen any on ebay. (Alan) There is a very old Jennings for sale now on ebay. Jennings co. had to go out of business when the court case was finally settled. He died in a car crash going home to Arizona from San Diego. All companies that were producing compounds at that time had to pay Mrs. Alan for every bow that they had sold up to that time, including Jennings. But since that last court case was about Jennings patents on the Alan Patent Mrs Jennings would not allow him to produce any more compounds. A lot of small bow companies could not pay up and went bank rupt. Hoyt and Bear and Darton had been putting aside money because they knew that they would have to pay someone. I am not sure when the Patent for Alan finally ran out but Jennings didn't get back into Archery for a long long time.


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS (Jan 5, 2006)

redboyd7 your info is mostly all wrong,


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## redboyd7 (Nov 5, 2010)

What part?


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS (Jan 5, 2006)

1. its allen not alan / allen the original compound bow co, not to be confused with the now allen archery co.(just that the last names are the same).
2.hollis allen did not live in arizona,or san diego.
3. it would be mrs allen.
4.mrs tom jennings had nothing to do with or on the production of his tom (jennings compound bow co.).
5. which small bow companys went bankrupt,because they could not pay-up?
6. jennings never lived in billings mo. as some one wrote. (padget)
where are you getting you info from?


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## redboyd7 (Nov 5, 2010)

Hi Two Switchbacks:
Let me respond to your reply by number. (I requested two switchbacks to tell me where my info was wrong) 1. You are correct that I did not spell Mr. Allens name correctly. But then I don't think that you did either. The man's name who recieved the original patent on the compound bow (patent # 3 486 495) was Holless Wilbur Allen. This spelling is also on his burial records at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens located in Springfield Missouri. 2. I do not really know if he ever lived in Arizona. I was told this story in the early 1970's. I do know he was born in 1880 and lived in the Billings Missouri area. (he shipped his compounds from Billings mo.) I only mentioned San Diego because I was told that was where the lawsuit against Jennings wound up being heard. Since I am recalling this from a dinner meeting in Las Vegas in 1972 I could be wrong. 3. You are correct again that my post should have said Mrs. Allen instead of Mrs. Alan. 4. This is a typing error on my part because I meant to say Mrs. Allen instead of Mrs. Jennings. 5. I will not tell you the names of the co's that went bankrupt. You would probably not have heard of any of them anyway. I will say this that there were several companies that were producing compounds from 1972 to 1975 that disappeared never to be heard of again.6. I did not say Jennings lived in Billings Missouri. (not in my post) I must remember to Verify,Verify,vereify and above all hit spellcheck before I post. Happy New Year to all.


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS (Jan 5, 2006)

1.greenlawn memorial gardens lists holless wilbur allen as his birth april 20 1880 death nov 1965?= 85yrs old yet his sons article says he died in 1979 making him 99 yrs old since i inquired geenlawn,they have removed there info it was recorded & added feb 9,2006? and now where is he? another story by doug allen says he was hunting with son greg in the fall of 1965.


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS (Jan 5, 2006)

TWO SWITCHBACKS said:


> 1.greenlawn memorial gardens lists holless wilbur allen as his birth april 20 1880 death nov 1965?= 85yrs old yet his sons article says he died in 1979 making him 99 yrs old since i inquired geenlawn,they have removed there info it was recorded & added feb 9,2006? and now where is he? another story by doug allen says he was hunting with son greg in the fall of 1965.


redboyd7 you also state that you met mr.allen in 1966 on his way to see fread bear about intrest in his co.? but he died in 1965 remember! and the story goes on happy new year all!.


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## redboyd7 (Nov 5, 2010)

Two Switchbacks. I was the Asst.Manager of the first Ben Pearson Automatic Archery Lanes, in Dearborn Michingan. from 1962 to 1965 and Manager until 1969. A Mr. Allen came in one day and introduced himself and said he was on his way to see Fred Bear. He also said that he was trying to find someone to invest in his Archery Company. I do not remember him being an old man. He would have been at least 85 then, and I definately would have remembered that. I have seen several google sources that give his birth as April 20 1880 to November 6 1966. His Patent was applied for in June 1966. I will try and find out who it was that I met that day and who died in 1983. I do have two more people to contact that could shed some light to all of this. Both of their Archery Companies were closed for the holidays until Jan 3 2011. I do remember that he said that he would sell 10% of his Company for $25000.00 I would not have invested any of my money in the co. (It was an easy dicision, because I didn't have it to invest.)


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