Question
Defiance in pics
Thank you in advance for the ear. A lot of info has been available on your site which has helped my $5 quest. I acquired an old steel rod recently and began research to find it's beginning in manufacturer and date. The older gentleman that had it had no stories of it's experience for me ={ . I am aware that, to start, steel rods are not highly respected (yet) as collectibles and I am not looking for my fortune here.
Marking/lettering on the reel seat : DEFIANCE, alloy lined steel joints, made in USA. Slight knurl design in metal(s) but no other markings (patent/etc.).
The rod : 4-piece, steel, nickle-solder guides w/amber glass, cork handle (NOT removable for "combo"), brass ends for section joints. Approximately 6'-4" when assembled.
Sections from butt, to tip(respectively), OVERALL lengths:
Handle: 13 1/2". Next: 22 1/4", 22 1/4", 22 3/8"(tip). Rod diam. just above base : 5/16" on brass end.
Eyelets/guides are original and in great shape.
Flaws : Cork handle chipped, handle bent slightly, rod paint has chips.
I have been stuck in 1907 with Clark-Horrocks Co. (later, H-I) due to a fishing-reel-research.org listing of trademarks. I am headed to a book store, library, antique shop(s) to try and find a listing of this rod. It is OK be me if it's only worth the 5 bucks I paid for it.
Do you have any information/leads for me?
I am hoping the pictures I have sent are clear enough to view. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
John in AK
AnswerHi John,
These are pretty nice old rods. I have a couple like this one myself. The guides are agate lined.
Private label rods are rods made by one company under contract to and labeled with the name of another company. The receiving company can be a rod manufacturer or a retailer or speciality company that sells the rods as their own.
Most of these older steel rods were made by a few companies with the facilities to manufacture rolled or extruded steel cylinders with graduated tapers. Companies like American Fork & Hoe (True Temper), Gephart Manufacturing, Orchard Industries and Horton Manufacturing (Bristol) were some of the producers of such rods.
Various labels and various model names and numbers would have been built into the rods or stamped into rod components as specified by the purchasing company.
If this rod carries a trademark that you can trace to Clark-Horrocks, it is doubtful to me that C-H actually made the rod. They probably had it made as a private label rod by one of the prominent steel rod makers of the time and their trademark/model name attached to the rod. I would look into contracts between C-H and other companies to provide private label rods (or trade rods) around the turn of the century.
If you discover that C-H or H-I did actually make steel rods, I would appreciate knowing all about what you find.
Value on similar H-I rods is in the $5-$30 range depending on actual condition. Yours appears to be in good shape so it is probably toward the middle to higher end of the range.
Good luck with the search. Let me know what you find.
Joe
