The Price is right for darts, or should that be Pryce?
In a year like no other Gerwyn Price became the first-ever Welsh PDC World Champion but the “Pryce” was right long before.
Almost 50 years ago when eccentric engineers John Bluck and his brother David started the world’s first-ever darts mail-order company, in 1975, Red Dragon Darts followed a model initiated by Welsh flannel supplier Pryce Jones in the late 1800s. Pryce pioneered delivery systems, mail-order catalogues, in order to fulfil his dream of seeing his product reach the wider world.
With the latest internet shopping boom, it’s easy to imagine Amazon paved the way for all leaving retail businesses in its wake, but it was the industrious Pryce Jones that started the World’s first mail-order company, and with it, forever changing the global economy into now what is a £75bn space (Source BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55244397) changing the face of shopping forever.
So, where is the serendipity of this event in view of darts and its place in the world? Well, before Red Dragon launched darts first ever mail-order company the industrious pair pioneered making their own tungsten billets before turning them into finished darts, still unique in the industry today.
Fast forward 114 years from Pryce to today and what the pioneering brothers started, inspired by another great Welsh entrepreneur, is the world’s fastest-growing darts brand with exports to over 150 countries and growing - with a little nudge from the newly crowned World Champion, Gezzy "The Iceman" Price whom they’ve sponsored since his first ever day on tour.
One of the early venues for Red Dragon’s adverts was the pages of the nascent Darts World magazine starting in 1972, so we too are proud to have played our part in this phenomenal darts success story.
The next time you order a ‘widget’ online or set of replacement shafts off any channel over any mobile, laptop, or other device, spare a thought for the world’s most forward-thinking businessman Pryce Jones and how his wild idea help shaped the global darts market into what is now a multi-million-pound superstar laden industry - we all tip our hat to you Mr. Pryce Jones.