Lumb's had an international reputation for the quality of its worsted yarn. By importing Australian and South African Merino wool from 1870 onwards, Lumb's established an early reputation for the silk-like quality of its product.

To encourage sheep farmers to produce even better wool, Teddie Lumb introduced the 'Golden Bale' medal, awarded each year to the farmer whose wool achieved the desired gossamer quality.

The 'Golden Bale' is still an internationally recognised standard for worsted.

These images were donated by Brian Exley, taken on a trip to Tasmania and New South Wales in the early 1950s. Brian describes wool production in very similar terms to wine production. The climate in each year has a profound effect on the quality of the wool. Experienced wool sorters can even tell if the sheep has been ill from marks in wool strands.

Lumb's even had a vintage store of the finest wool, kept in reserve in order to balance the quality of yarn produced from one year to the next.