The Alternative Angler – Good Buy?

The Alternative Angler – Good Buy?

I have been looking in particular for old as opposed to antique, or vintage, which apparently doubles the price, fishing tackle for the ‘Ancient and Modern’ series I am supposed to be writing. Currently I am after a fairly usable specimen of what would have been referred to as a ‘bottom’ rod. Condition not that important, as I am quite happy to ‘refurbish’ it if necessary.

Now in the eBay listings of ‘Split cane fishing rods’ there is a fair bit of wheat and chaff to sort though. To begin with there are some rods that are obviously, and perhaps sadly, only fit for kindling (sorry, Peter!). Then there are those with recognizable ‘names’ and provenance that change hands for quite staggering prices, and again, possibly sadly, get wrapped in cotton wool and put away as investments.

And in the middle of it all there is a quite staggering array of kit whose descriptions and owners valuations leave you open-mouthed. To begin with, I have grave doubts about just how many of these rods ‘belonged to my granddad, and/or was ‘found in the back of the loft during a clear out’ and the number of sellers who profess absolutely no interest or knowledge of fishing or fishing tackle, but still manage to concoct quite expert descriptions of said rod and therefore insist on the highest of prices.

My eye was recently caught by a Millwards ‘Swimversa’ that was offered up for sale. At first glance it appeared to be in a very reasonable condition, and I put a watch on it for a few days.

On the last day of the auction I came back for a proper look, with the firm intention of buying if the price didn’t go too high. After a good look at the pictures, the doubts started to creep in.

The first thing of note was that the rod appeared to have a mixture of rings, some High Bells, and some low bridge. Closer inspection showed that the butt section and tip had the stand-off rings, with the middle section having the low bridge rings. More curious still was that whilst the butt and tip were split cane, the middle section was whole cane. Not a combination I’ve seen before. Butt and middle whole cane with split cane top, butt whole cane with middle and top split cane, but never this mix. Hmmmm……..

Then a thoughtfully provided close up of the rod showed that not only were the ring whippings of unequal length, they certainly weren’t silk or any other quality whipping thread. Given that you could quite clearly see every turn of thread and the tag sticking out where they were whippings were finished off, I suspect they were probably done with what appeared to be red coloured spinning braid. And the shiny appearance of the rod highlighted by the flash used for the photographs betrayed a finish brought about by a very recent and copious application of polyurethane varnish, I wouldn’t mind betting.

A starting price of £ 50 was enough to put me off, particularly for something that obviously wasn’t ‘right’ But then I began to wonder how much ‘refurbishment’ should be allowed before a rod isn’t really classed as original any more? I am quite prepared to accept that the replacement of a broken tip ring by a professional, or at least competent repairer should be considered fair wear and tear, and not detract from the value. But here we appear to be in the realms of the faithful old broom with three new heads and four new handles

When non-standard sections are added and the re-ringing is botched, how can that rod be put up for sale as an example of the marque? And more to the point, how is it that in all the dubious refurbishments I have seen, despite complete stripping and re-varnishing, the makers label or identification mark always manages to survive, as a shining guarantee of the rod’s provenance?

I’m not suggesting that there is some kind of Arfur Daley type ‘ringing’ operation going on out there, but the chances of getting something original at an acceptable price are diminishing, to say the least.

Vintage sign

I suppose the only reason that Trading Standards haven’t been round mob-handed is because they do use ‘real rust’ instead of the ‘artificial rust’ some less than scrupulous traders appear to try and palm you off with……..

• Each Vintage Style Sign you order from The Vintage Sign Co. is unique because each tin sign is hand distressed creating the look of aged metal and paint.
• Do not be fooled by other Tin Sign dealers who simply add artificial rust to the image.  Our Tin Signs are handcrafted and have real rust for a real Vintage feel.
• Signs are 100% made in the U.S.A