A very, very long time ago. I'm not even sure if anyone still makes the post style doll eyes. The true moral of the story is that you can find some amazing fly tying products at surprising places (including hobby shops). I had a good friend in the 80s who worked in R&D for a fly and tying material company in Eugene. He was always on the look out for new and unique materials so he cruised the fabric, hobby and craft stores. Once in awhile he'd send me something he found and asked if it looked like something I could use for fly tying. In those days flash materials and craft fur were available in craft stores before they became popular for fly tying.