Appraising an antique fly-fishing rod?

**sydnie7** · 23rd June 08, 09:11 AM

Thanks for both the cautionary note and the clues to factors that affect value. I'll do some Googling, hoping to find "visit your local chapter of Fly Fishers Anonymous to locate a reputable dealer" or some such easy way out

but I will dig it out and take pictures for this thread later on today (maybe) or tomorrow.

**auld argonian** · 24th June 08, 06:33 AM

PD's suggestion that there are "good" ones and "average" ones is quite astute.

I have a "guy"...I use quotes because he's not just a guy but the fella who searches all of the yard and estate sales around here and has several "clients" like me who he knows are looking for certain specific items and from whom he can make a decent mark-up by finding these items for us and buying them up to re-sell them to us. I'm his "old camera client" but he knows that I fish and one day showed me some bamboo rods that he had put aside for his "old fishing gear client". He explained that these rods were just average production types and not handmade specials so while they looked impressive, he didn't expect to make much money on them.

Thus, it pays to research those rods so that you can get what they're worth. If they're the hand/custom made type, they're worth beaucoup bucks.

Best

AA

**Oldhiker** · 24th June 08, 04:29 PM

What fun to fly fish in a kilt on a little brook. I must try that one day.

**auld argonian** · 24th June 08, 05:49 PM

Darn...looks like you missed the closest stop:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/ontheroad.html

...that's where you really want to be told that you have the "Big Tuna".

...we always refer to the one highest price item on any individual Antiques Roadshow as the Big Tuna.

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**sydnie7** · 24th June 08, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by auld argonian

Darn...looks like you missed the closest stop:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/ontheroad.html

...that's where you really want to be told that you have the "Big Tuna".

...we always refer to the one highest price item on any individual Antiques Roadshow as the Big Tuna.

Best

AA

I did apply for tickets using three different addresses. One got chosen (a sister) but it turned out that we sisters were all in Wyoming at the time, closing out my mother's house. So the fishing rod had not yet been discovered. Two brothers-in-law used the tickets, stood in line for hours to get an appraisal on their respective #1 items, decided not to stand in line again for the #2 items. They did have fun, just wish it had been me!