Posted 14 years ago
finchave
(18 items)
Recently I acquired this old hollow tube glass rod, 6' in length, two pieces. Can someone date this rod and maybe place a value on it? I noticed the handle and the rod have separate patent dates. Also the ferrule that locks into the handle is marked, No. 1186XL FEG. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
You're right on about the Howald process - Shakespeare I think was the first to use it after it was used for aircraft radio antennas in WWII. I would guess late 40's to early 50's and $50 to $100.
I've got a matching set of white Shakespeare casting and fly rod. The fly rod still has the plastic wrap on the cork grip. I swapped a custom spinning rod for the set - retail price of $150.
Fishrod
Thanks Fishrod and BELLIN68.
Ah the Wonder Rod. I was given my uncles spinning and bait casting Wonder Rod when I was 12-14 years old (1967-69) and fished with the spinning rod until worn out and the rod was shortened due to being slammed in a door on a Boy Scout trip. The bait caster was later equipped with "sinker line" for stripped bass. Recently I acquired a Wonder Rod 8 weight fly rod and this year got a new fly reel from Cabelas for Father's Day. I'm teaching me 8 year old daughter about fishing using Bergmans "Trout" and this Wonder Rod will soon bring another generation into fishing going after bass and sunnys. 15-20 years ago I was able to buy another Wonder Reel spinning reel which was unique in that to release the line of a Wonder Reel you reversed the handle. This reel wasn't nearly as good as the original. Great equipment and great memories!! I have been trying to find another rod with the feel of my old Wonder Rod for 30 years!! I think this weekend I'll dig out that old stuff and see if I can get it going again.
I love this commentary and would like to reproduce it in the glossary of an interactive, multimedia oral history iBook that I am about to publish. The title is Memories of a Mountaineer, and the subject is Sterling Spencer, an extraordinary woodsman, soldier, philosopher and self-taught woodcarver who grew up and lived most of his life in the remote Cranberry Wilderness area of southern West Virginia. The connection with Sterling is a quote from his son Sam, "When a boy turned 13 or 14, he received a pair of L.L. Bean boots and a Shakespeare Wonder-rod. They called it the West Virginia Bar Mitzvah." Your comment is the perfect footnote to Sam's recollection. You can write me here or at bill.kuykendall@umit.maine.edu. Thanks for considering my request. BK