vintage fishing pole

Question
I bought a fishing pole at a garage sale and the man that sold it to me said it was a tonkin cane pole circa 1940 or 50 It says wards westerner on it and there is no other mark , the handle is wooden, the rod part is 60 inches long and is about 3/4 inch thick at the base of the rod part, what could this be worth and did I get a great deal at 23.00 dollars? thank you from not a fisherwoman in olympia wa.

Answer
Hello

Wards carried the lower end quality fishing tackle. Which translates into the value of the rod you purchased.

The value depends on what kind of rod (flyrod, spinning, bait casting, trolling, surf) and the condition. Bamboo rods drop very fast in value if they are not in near perfect condition.

Tonkin is the type of bamboo used to make the rod, its noted for its straightness.

If its a Wards fly rod in perfect condition with the original bag, might be around $50-75.

The greater interest is in the custom built fly rods made in the US, much lower volume, higher quality.

regards

Bob Vermillion