QuestionDear Mac:
I think I have a vintage FRED DIVINE - BAMBOO FLY ROD here. Why? Because it was in a DIVINE FLY ROD cloth SACK ?Marked/labeled as such. And I have been told - by some fairly knowledgeable folks - that it is ?in there opinion - a FRED Divine Fly Rod. I was also told that it could very possibly be a Divine 揟ournament?Model. Obviously Mac, I抦 NOT an expert on vintage bamboo fly rods so I would greatly appreciate your valuable input regarding the I.D. of this vintage fly rod.
Mac...The rod is stamped on/into its - light weight - nickel silver reel seat ?the number - 揜6363? This letter/number - I was told but cannot 100% verify ?designates a 1927 mfg date. Does that make any sense to you? There is Nothing on the butt end cap or elsewhere on the rod to help I.D. the maker/model.
The rod weighs about 5.5 ounces. I believe this to be a 9 foot fly rod when assembled.<p>
Overall it is in beautiful condition with NO sign of abuse other than ONE of the TWO tip sections has been broken close to the tip ?about two/three inches short (no tip GUIDE included.) The bamboo is a beautiful "honey" colored.
Mac....This rod is a three-piece rod ?with two tips. Finish/varnish overall is incredibly excellent, shiny, and very, very clean ?see photos. Almost 搇ike new?condition (?). This fly rod could very well have been ?and probably has been - refinished/restored some years ago (?) ?as it looks to me to be in surprisingly good/excellent cosmetic condition for its probable age - what do you think?
Since I抦 certainly NOT an experienced rod builder I do not know whether this has been refinished/restored or not, I tend to believe that it 揾as?been REFINISHED/RESTORED....? <p>
MAC....after careful examination of this fine rod...I think that this fly rod ORIGINALLY had thread wraps (2 or 3 single threads) every one/three inches ?ALL along every fly rod section for extra reinforcement. The extra thread wraps are NOT obviously present NOW - as they were more than likely removed during refinishing/restoration. The location of the old "secondary" thread wraps can be seen oh so very faintly running all along EACH sections. You cannot 揻eel?the locations of these old "secondary" thread wraps with your fingers ?you can only 搒ee?them faintly.
The butt section is 36.75?long. The middle section is the same length as the butt and the tip section(s) are the same except for the one tip section that is broken ?at the tip ?about 2/3 inches short. All sections are reasonably straight and nice ?but NOT absolutely perfectly 100% straight.
The diameter/thickness of the six-sided bamboo is 11 mm ?measured directly in front of the cork handle.
The fine quality ferrules and guides appear to be tight and possibly original (?) ?see photos. The guides and wraps appear to match each other and are intact (except the busted end tip guide). The cork grip was lightly soiled but has been wiped/cleaned to remove some light soiling. - see photos.
THE rod Mac, comes in what appears to be an original, somewhat soiled - FRED DIVINE FLY ROD - old brown felt cloth storage sack. The sack fits into an unmarked aluminum rod tube that has a tiny crack in the threads that you can barely see. This tiny crack prevents the cap from being tightened down 100%.
Thanks Mac....I look forward to your input...
Regards,
Dan
AnswerDan,
Classic & Antique Fly-Fishing Tackle: A Guide for Collectors & Anglers by A.J. Campbell has several pages on the Divine Co.
Constructing Cane Rods: Secrets of the Bamboo Fly Rod by Ray Gould and The Technology of Fly Rods: An In-Depth Look at the Design of the Modern Fly Rod, Its History and Its Role in Fly Fishing by Don Phillips and Ernest Schwiebert; both mention Divine.
Michael Sinclair has a book on Divine. I don't own it and it is not in the Colorado Library system.
Sinclair in Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook, tells us the R in the serial number means 1927. He does not mention the Tournament model.
Homel price book does not have Divine in it.
Picture IMG_1207.jpg shows lines on the rod where there was a decorative wrap. I agree the rod has been redone and they removed the labels.
The Divine Rod Company hand built fishing rods from the late 1870's through the mid 1930's.
A web site on Divine Rods.
http://home.pacbell.net/burlltd/knownrod.htm
About the Tournament model:
A rare treat for collectors is the Divine Tournament rod. These special purpose rods were built to be as powerful as possible within a given weight and length for casting competitions. Therefore they are very minimalist in style. The two examples I've seen omit intermediates, and use a special lightweight reelseat (See the reelseats* in Identifying a Divine). They are usually blond bamboo with all red wraps and are marked 'The Divine Rod Tournament" in ink on the shaft.
* http://home.pacbell.net/burlltd/seatsand.htm
The fact that it has a broken tip and been redone with label loss lowers the value. That label could add 300-500 US. As a restorer who know how to refinish a rod retaining labels as well as original wrap colors and placement , I am not impressed with the restoration job.
I found 3 completed auctions on ebay ranging from 31 to $ 84 but they were poorly presented and photographs were blurry.
Collectors are going to avoid this rod because it can't be authenticated properly.
You might get $400 for it but that's just a guesstimate. Please email me the outcome of your rods i.e. Did it sale and for how much.
You might check in with the person asking for Divine serial numbers at :
http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/topic/457/t/Divine-Rod-Serial-numbers-r...
Luck,
Mac
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