rods, reels & creels
Question
Recently I was at a garage sale looking for "girlie" stuff. Instead I found 3 bamboo rods, 2 reels & 2 (wicker?) creels. What I know about fishing is nothing. One rod has blue metal on the heel of a cork handle, there is a gold football shaped label: "Montague clipper with fish in center". fish is on red background 3 piece rod each about 34.5 inches.
It is in a heavy canvas bag ( "cover, spare barrel M8" sounds like a machine gun barrel from WWI or II to me.) Pole #2 is by H-I according to its green & gold label Genuine Tonkin Cane Fish Rod Horrocks Ibertson Utica, NY & written in white the word "Beaverkill". it is the same length as #1. #3 rod is bigger, only 2 sections but the eyes ? (round things the line goes through) are larger. each piece is 42.5 " long the big one is in its own cardboard tube with a padded bottom . Reel #1 is silver, H-I & probably goes with the H-I rod. #2 Reel is pretty irridescent blue-green Shakespeare Silent Tru-Art (picture of a fish) Automatic. The 2 fish baskets are woven, round stuff on the big one is about 14-9-7" with a wood slide catch/closure the other one is cute (yeah I know a bad choice of words) I'd say it's older, much smaller weave of flat stuff, 12-5-8 & has a metal & leather closure with Pat 66289 on it. The big one 's weave looks like wicker furniture. The small one's weave looks like woven flat spaghetti. I am hopeful that something is worth something. The roof is leaking & the single pane windows need replacing so I am looking for $ to get ready for winter.
Answer
Okay lets start with the creels. I don't think anyone but restaurants (i.e. Black Eyed Pea for their walls) is collecting them.
Reels:
HI probably = about $5
Automatic if really working, might get you 20
Rods:
General comments:
HI and Montague rods are shunned by collectors often with reason. They were mass produced , rather heavy and very slow. All your rods are at least 9 feet. Collectors really look for shorter rods.
You can read about the history and get an idea of their value in the following books:
Antique & Collectable Fishing Rods: Identification & Value Guide Homel, Dan. 1997 nor
Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook -Michael Sinclair
Specific comments on rods:
Depends on condition- I have to see them to get their condition. I am in Denver and you ?
1:Montague Clipper dated by your description of decal as 1939-49. It was one of cheapest models sold at that time for 4.50 . The models start at $3 and go up to 6. A measurement of the diameter above the cork handle will probably confirm this rod has earned the reputation mentioned above ; Heavy and slow. I restore rods to fish , and I doubt if I could sell this rod to get enough to pay for my time.
2: Horricks-Ibbotson (HI) Beaverkill 30s to 50s . The cheapest model through all those years. In the 50s for instance, it sold for $9, with rods going up to $50.
#3:not enough info to evaluate. I could even be a casting rod which sell for less than fly rods.
I recommend you sell these on ebay as a lot and ask for $100.
Good luck
Mac
fish under the ice
Kiraku split bamboo rods