Vintage Hardy Fishing Rod

Question
Hello.  I inherited a vintage Hardy fishing rod from my grandfather.  It is a fly
rod in 2 sections.  Each section measures 52" and assembled it is 8.5'.  The
rod appears to be a hollow non-wood material.  The silk thread is gold with
white at the boarder.  The rod is brown and has no writing on it (there is an
area that may be writing but I can not make out any letters).  There is a Hardy
logo on the rod, the one of the stylized hook inside of the crenelated tower.  
With the rod there is a brown canvas bag with 2 sections for both parts of the
rod.  There is a yellow cloth label on the bag that reads:

BY APPOINTMENT to the late King George V. and to the Prince of Wales 1931-
1936

"Hardys" The worlds angling specialists Alnwick ENG.

There is also an aluminum tube with the rod that has the same yellow label
on it.

I have had trouble finding out a date for this rod or a model name.  Any
information you can give me would be much appreciated.  

Answer
Hi Liz,

Old Hardy advertisements also indicate the King of Spain and the King of Italy among their endorsements.  This English company is well known for winning dozens of Gold medals in international shows for their rods and reels.

As a rule, Hardy rods do have a model name written on them to help with identification.  It sounds like it has rubbed off on yours.

If the rod is split bamboo, it will have six sides (hexagonal) and should have two tip sections.  If the rod is greenheart wood, it will be round, made of a single piece of wood and will probably have two tip sections.

If the rod is not split bamboo or greenheart wood, it is likely fiberglass.  Fiberglass rods as a rule have only one tip section and may be a variety of colors...brown being a popular color as it resembles bamboo.  

Hardy made fiberglass fly rods and spinning rods in the 1960s and 1970s that are listed in my vintage rod value book (Homel, 2003).  There is no 8.5' model listed, but it is not an exhaustive list.

Assuming the rod is fiberglass, I would guess it is from the mid-1960s and in good condition could be worth $100-$160 with the bag and tube all original.   Perhaps another $75-$100 if in excellent condition.  The actual value depends on condition and on any negotiation you might have with a potential buyer.

It is possible the rod is a "Jet" model.  However, there are so many Hardy models that it is not really possible for me to say for sure without at least a partial inscription on the rod.

I hope this rather vague response, full of assumptions, qualifiers and guesses, is helpful.  You likely have a nice fly rod that is of moderate collector value and would be fun to fish with should you wish to do so.  You might also try doing some internet searches on the Hardy Company and its various vintage product lines.

Thanks,  Joe