Horrocks-Ibbotson fishing rod

Question
Hello Marc, I have read what you had to say about the brand Horrocks-Ibbotson.  I have one that is in excellent condition never used I believe. It says Crown Imperial made exclusively for Sporting Goods Inc.  Chicago Ill.  hand written numbers...reg. 142  410-4000 Is this rod also valueless?  Thanks for your info.  I can send pics if it is helpful.  Jan

Answer
Hi Jan,

I don't want you to think they are valueless.  H-I rods are very nice rods and the one you have is very unique that it was never used. That adds some value.  The fact that is was a private label for Sporting Goods Inc. makes it a little more unique.  

That said, H-I was a major manufacturer of rods in this era and made thousands and thousands of them.  So, there are quite a few out there.  You can go on e-bay at any given time and they are listing 10-25 of them from $30-$50.  Many of them never get a bid on them.  

Somewhere there could be a rabid H-I collector looking for a Sporting goods Inc. to complete his collection and offer you $100 or $150 for it.  But that is unlikely.

Unfortunately, no matter how mint it is or how unique it is, there is no demand for them because there are so many out there.

It's a beautiful rod.  Display it and enjoy it.  But, you wont be able to retire off the sale of it!

Good fishing!