value and history of an old king fisher pole

Question
Joe, My brothers and I just found an old fishing pole in the rafters of our deceased dads basement. Would you tell us about it? No one seems to know in our family. Its about 6ft. 2 piece bamboo with a double eyelet and is in an old cloth. Its in good condition and has a Kingfisher label on it. Thank you kindly, scott  

Answer
Hi Scott,

Sounds like an old boat rod.  The Kingfisher label was used by the Edward K. Tryon Company in Philadelphia.  Most of their rods were built by Montague in Massachusetts and I suspect this one was a rod built by Montague, probably in the 1930s-1950s time frame.  Value on this rod in Good-Very Good condition would be in the $45-$60 range.

The rod should come apart at the reel seat into two parts for easy transport.  Also, the double eyelet exists to allow you to reverse the rod from time to time to avoid getting a permanent bend or "set" in the bamboo shaft.  The tiptop guide should be designed to accept line from either side to facilitate using the rod from both sides.

Thanks,  Joe