question on two different rods

Question
1st i recently received two rods, i would like to know their worth.
the first is a J.L.Higgins 9ft. telescopic rod the number 3026 is stamped into the metal shank. this rod is in excellent condition.
the second rod is a union hardware of torrington con.81/2 foot 3 piece rod that from comparing to rods on e-bay is a vintage 1950 montague hexegonal bamboo shaft rod.
My second question has to do with the union rod it came fed ex and the rod is fractured about 4 inches from the end.If i am going to go back on fed ex i need an idea of the value of the rod. It too is/was in excellent condition. Also feel free to offer any suggestion as to repairing or replacing the broken extension. and lastly thank you for being out there as i must of spent an hour on line trying to get info or find anyone who would help. Mike....

Answer
Hi Michael,

The telescoping metal (usually steel) rods do not have great collector value.  They were made by a small number of providers for the various rod companies and are all pretty much the same. They are also found at just about every sale, swap meet and auction.  Value is typically in the $5-$25 range depending on actual condition of the rod.

The Union Hardware rod is a trade rod (private label rod) and was probably made by Montague; or possibly Horrocks-Ibbotson...I don't recall at the moment...it was definitely a mass production rod.  Some of the mass production rods are decent fishing rods.  You more or less have to give each one a trial and you are frequently pleasantly surprised by the so-called cheap rods.

To be complete, the Union Hardware rod should have two tip sections.  If not, the rod would not be rated much above Fair and the value would reflect that rating (i.e. lower than a similar two tip rod).  Value ranges for this rod, in the following conditon categories, would be:  Poor-Fair $40-$60; Good-Very Good $80-$120; Excellent-Mint $150-$180.

I assume you mean 4" down from the tiptop.  It is possible to scarf an extension into the tip section, but I suspect that would cost more than the rod is worth.  You can also simply install a new tiptop guide and use the rod 4" shorter than original...this assures a rating no better than Fair.  You can start going to all the garage sales, swap meets, flea markets, auctions and antique stores (like the rest of us do) and look for tip sections that would be suitable as replacements.  The length and ferrule sizes are critical, but don't pose an insurmountable problem (you can buy new ones, or new old stock) to fit the tips to the rod.  Changing the tip sections (replacing them with "found" parts) does change the rod and you are then selling (or fishing with) an older bamboo rod of various parts...sometimes called a Frankenstein rod...that may actually perform quite well, but won't have collector value.

Thanks,  Joe