Conolon 7102-9

Question
Could you tell me what year this rod was made?  It has a metal screw top container.  It states on the label Conolon Falcon 7102-9'  live fibers.    And perhaps a value on this rod?  I belive it is made of Bamboo.  It is a dark brown color.   Thank you so much!   Jamie

Answer
Jamie,
People should but they don't search answers given on all experts.
Here's what I found on one of Joes answers:
The following was submitted by Wallace Carney as a follow-up to an answer I gave in 2008 to another question about NARMCO/Conolon.  Clearly, he knows more about this company than I do.

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Wallace Carney wrote at 2008-11-06 20:02:05
An American company named NARMCO invented the first hollow fiberglass fishing rod blanks in 1946. Dr. Glenn Havens, head of research for NARMCO, is credited for the invention. Though fibers made of glass can be traced back to the 1890s, Owens-Corning is credited for the invention of fiberglass in 1938.

NARMCO was a WW 2 weapons manufacturing plant that used fiberglass in some of their parts. Their name was an acronym for the National Armament Company.

NARMCO became the Narmco Conolon Company at their factory in Santa Ana, California and fishing rod production began in 1947. Armed and ready (pun intended) they quickly became the world抯 largest producer of fiberglass rods. Prior to this invention; all fishing rods were made of split bamboo, wood or steel.

Narmco Conolon maintained the lead by covering the full spectrum from ultra-light spinning, bait casting and fly rods to powerful heavy-duty sea rods.

In the early sixties; The Garcia Corporation became the new owner and changed the name to The Conolon Corporation with Howard Ashby as President. Mr. Ashby was also a Garcia Vice President.

Notes:
Early rod materials were just called 揻iberglass? then 揗issilite?(a chemical bonding finish they had used instead of rivets on their old products such as bombs and guess what, missiles!) to seal the fiberglass rods, then quickly changed due to the negative implications to 揅onolock?then to 揕ive Fiber?in the fifties.

All of these 搒urnames?were no longer used when bought by Garcia.

The Conolon Corporation closed in 1982
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Sounds like your rod was made some time after the switch to the "Live Fiber" name in the 1950s and before the Garcia takeover in the early 1960s.

I am guessing it is fiberglass but if it is round not flat sided then it is not bamboo. Color can be brown and still be graphite or fiberglass.

I don't understand "It states on the label Conolon Falcon 7102-9'  live fibers.  " , do you mean the label on the rod or the tube. Sorry tubes don't count - only rods.

So if it is a fiberglass rod: have no specific history or books on fiberglass, I believe they don't exist, but here's two web sites that on fiberglass:
http://fiberglass-fly-rods.pbwiki.com/
http://www.fiberglassflyrodders.info/

Be wary of people saying a rod is worth thousands on the internet but not offering you the same.

If I have to guess 25 to 50. They don't just resale like bamboo


Luck,
Mac

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