QuestionMany years ago I was given this very short two section casting rod made by The Heddon Co.Made in the U.S. A. stamped on the reel receiver......The finger grip which was soldered on to the ring is missing......The overall tip to tip measurement is 35 3/4 in. ....At first i thought it's a ice-fishing pole....only because of it size...it's very stiff....writing on the pole tells me who it was made for.....with his address.....Can you help me with this pole.....can you put a value on it.....By the looks of the pole, it only had one guide on the front section of which measure 18".....Thanks in advance jmw.....
AnswerJohn Williams,
I am not sure it is a custom rod. The had a charge for putting you name on a rod.
I don't think it is custom in the sense that is special and more valuable.
I have the book, Heddon the Rod with the Fighting Heart by Michael Sinclair. There is a whole chapter on spin rods.
In the 1922 catalog is a 36' spin rod, model #4 , it mentions a 1 piece made to custom length of 3.5 to 6 foot.
I can help you a little more if I knew what it was made of , bamboo comes in an early variety called Calcutta , in the 30s they changed to Chinese bamboo called Tonkin. The Calcutta has a stripped, tiger like appearance. I would need pictures to verify , it would help us age it.
Value
I am amazed to find any written information on spin rods, they are not collected like fly rods.
Price Book:
Antique & Collectible Fishing Rods: Identification & Value Guide Homel, Dan. 1997 #2nd edition 2000# add about 30% for age of book.
Homel mentions only one Heddon bamboo spinning rod 5 1/2' model #212#, giving the value of $40, 80 and $165 for poor, good, excellent condition respectively. That gives me a feeling for what you can expect , which is not much. The rod is too unusual , might get more as a tax write off by donating it to a rod museum.
Send pictures to
[email protected], love to see it . I will look more closely at my book when I have a date.
Luck,
Mac
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