Are Old Fishing Rods Worth Money? 2024

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Last Updated on September 10, 2024 by Paul Clayton

Are Old Fishing Rods Worth Money?

Did you know that some antique fishing rods are worth up to $2000 or more? You may wonder, what exactly makes them that special?

Does it look? The accessories? The sentimental feel? Or just because it is one of a kind?

Whatever the reasons are, it’s not that hard to come across people who are passionate about collecting old yet precious stuff.

So if by any chance you have an antique fishing rod lying around in your attic, you might as well take it out and assess its condition. Who knows, you might end up getting rich if you are lucky.

If you collect classic, old fishing rods, you need to be sure you’re paying for a valuable piece.

Are old fishing rods worth money? Yes! But only if they are valuable. And what brings value to them? Let’s find out.

Key Takeaways:

1. Value Factors: The worth of old fishing rods is influenced by several factors including the maker (e.g., Everett Garrison rods can fetch up to $20,000), type of rod (bamboo is generally more valuable than fiberglass or graphite), and condition. Classic and antique rods, particularly those from well-known makers or in excellent condition, can be worth significant amounts.
2. Material and Construction: Rods made from bamboo or high-quality hardwoods, especially those from earlier centuries, are often more valuable. Modern materials like graphite and fiberglass are less valuable unless made by renowned contemporary builders.
3. Condition and Rarity: The condition of the rod plays a crucial role in its value. Rods in mint or near-mint condition, with original labels and minimal wear, are worth more. Rarity and collector demand also impact value, with some rods being valuable due to unique features or limited production runs.

Related content you may be interested in reviewing.

Old Fishing Rods vs. New Fishing Rods: What’s the Main Difference?

Before getting to the main point, let’s discuss the difference between old and new fishing rods. It’s mostly the composition that brings the change.

Rod Material

Fishing rods are composed of different types of materials. This is why you can find variations in the use and value offered.

Old Fishing Rods

In earlier times, long rods were made using a native plant of the Mediterranean area, the Arundo Donax (Spanish cane). Remember that you need a shorter rod for fast and accurate casts(it depends, though). Later, shorter rods were made using the Ferula plant.

These old fishing rods were also crafted using cornel wood, juniper, and hardwood.

However, they were made using Bamboo and Heavy European woods, such as lancewood and greenheart, which were tough yet elastic-like in the 17th/18th Century.

New Fishing Rods

Bamboo(yes, it is still used), Graphite, Fibreglass, and Composite are the basic raw materials to make contemporary rods from the 20th Century.

While Graphite and Bamboo are from the more expensive categories, Fibreglass is comparatively less expensive.

Okay, that was a short overview of the materials used for fishing rods. Let’s move on!

What Makes a Fishing Rod More Valuable?

We will dig deeper and see what’s essential in an antique fishing rod collection.

While determining the worth of your fishing rod, you have several boxes to tick and a few things to keep in mind.

What is it that antique hunters want?

Maker

Your old fishing rod should have a good reputation. If a well-known maker builds it, its value will automatically double.

The most valuable fishing rods were made by Everett Garrison, as per Carmine Lisella (Expert fly tackle dealer and fishing enthusiast)

His work produced one of the finest, sturdy rods known and recognized for their integrity and quality.

Garrison Rods has a market value of up to $20000 at present. Isn’t that shocking?

However, there’s plenty of fish in the sea (pun intended). Here are some other remarkable rod makers you can look out for:

Marty Karsetter
Lyle Dickerson
Thomas and Thomas
E.F Payne
Thaddeus Norris
C.F. Murphy
F.E. Thomas
H.S. Gillum

Type

Another important thing in determining the value of your fishing rod is its type.

Bamboo is the most valuable collectible fishing rod out of bamboo, fibreglass, and graphite (we will discuss the reason in the next heading).

Depending on the maker, some Fiberglass rods are collectibles. However, it’s very rare to see a valuable graphite rod.

Most are not very valuable and only offer aesthetic value, which antique collectors don’t really care about.

Composition

You must be familiar with the phrase, “It’s what’s inside that matters.” Similarly, in this case, if you consider an old fishing rod, the composition matters.

We know that Bamboo rods cost more than Graphite and Fibreglass rods. The most expensive contemporary rod is the Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod. But why is that so?

Now, you must remember that Bamboo was also used for market rod production in the 1980s, so it’s not always a unique piece to own.

But still, what you have can be a collectible. Let’s quickly review the points to see why Bamboo is so valuable.

It gives the organic, casting feel of Bamboo, which people like
Quite a few raw materials are used for one rod
It has a good performance ability
Its production required more labor
To preserve and appreciate the word of old rod makers

Construction Time

The cost of raw materials required for making Bamboo rods is almost the same as Graphite or Fibreglass rods.

So why are the old bamboo rods more expensive?

According to Len Codella, a well-known rod designer, proprietor, and owner of Len Codella’s Sporting Collectibles, bamboo rods are expensive because they require far more time to construct—many more days than other materials like glass or graphite.

It’s simple: the more the time needed for construction, the costlier the product.

Size

How do you know if your rod length will add a few hundred bucks to the price?

Generally, it’s a rule of thumb: the smaller the rod and the lighter the line size, the greater the value.

The more desirable and handy rods are under 8 feet long because they give you better control.

Remember, a 7-foot or 7-foot 6-inch rod will likely sell for a higher price than an 8-foot or 9-foot rod.

The only similarity, though? The maker.

Age

Since you know that Bamboo rods are the most valuable, I suggest you try to find out their age and the period they belong to.

Let me discuss the four ages of old fishing rods to make it easier, which can help you determine their value.

Classic

Considered the Golden Age of Bamboo rod making, any rod from this period (1920-1960) is a high-value rod with a good price.

Vintage

Old fishing rods dating back to 1920-1960 come under vintage rods.

Now, vintage does not necessarily mean it’s worth a good price because it is often old.

Nevertheless, old fishing rods from a bygone era are valuable and may go for a good price. It mostly depends on the maker.

Antique

An antique rod was made between 1850 and the 1920s. Antique rods are usually sold for higher prices compared to vintage and classic rods.

For instance, in 2007, an 1860s Norris antique rod sold for $17,920 at a Lang’s Auction. Sounds unbelievable, right?

So you can tell how unique and valuable it must be.

Contemporary

Last but not least, contemporary fishing rods were made after the 1980s.

I know what you’re thinking: are they collectible?

These fishing rods can be collectible if the maker has earned a reputation for quality. So you have to look for that.

Since every maker makes a certain number of rods in their lives, a rod from one good maker can become very valuable.

Condition

No matter how valuable your fishing rod is, it has to be in one piece. The condition of an old fishing rod is the prime factor for determining its worth.

Changes and alterations in any one of the specifications can downgrade your rod.

So, the question here is, how do you assess the condition of your rod? Well, it falls into the five categories we discussed in detail.

Near Mint/Mint (Nm/M)

Simply put, Near mint/Mint is an old fishing rod’s best, untouched condition. Let’s say the rod you have has:

original packaging
decals
labels from the manufacturer
the body is devoid of any scratches/marks
no sign of air exposure

Well, that’s good news for you because you might have a valuable mint-condition fishing rod worth a lot.

Excellent (Ex)

What makes a rod an ‘Excellent’ rather than ‘Mint’?

The label and the intactness. Yes, you read it right. Other than that, an excellent-level fishing rod should have :

original packaging
proper varnish (not soft or tacky)
Intact hardware and ferrules
There are no tears or breaks in the thread
Inevident or no repairing signs
unbroken tips (a difference of even half an inch less than the original can bring down the value)

Very Good (Vg)

If a rod does not come with its original label and varnish, it might be in a VG condition.

A Very Good condition rod has the following features:

does not show any signs of abuse
has a bag or tube accompanying it
has all original components

Good (G)

A proper, previously repaired fishing rod comes under the Good(G) category. It can have broken tips and show signs of wear and tear.

Fair (F)/Poor (P)

Collectors and rod builders usually don’t want such rods. They are not in any way close to the originals, so they’re not valuable.

But people still keep them. Why do I say this?

That’s because they want to keep it as a memoir or just for the sake of keeping it, not for the money but for sentimental value.

Looks

Unlike reels, rods generally don’t do well at auctions.

They don’t make much at auctions because most people believe they are not ‘easy to display.’

However, the presentation can play a huge role in determining your rod’s worth. It depends on what collectors are looking for.

The magic trick here is the engravement. Old fishing rods with initials tend to make good money.

Mr. Charles Graham Campbell, a fishing tackle specialist in Glasgow, mentioned a smart-looking rod in one of the auctions decorated with green marble.

Believe it or not, this was sold for £920. Crazy, right? An old fishing rod, usually worth no more than $100 or $200, gets a breakthrough like that.

Mr. Campbell also claims that US fishing rods tend to be more valuable. Why so? Because collection over there is much more advanced.

Collector’s Choice

An avid collector wants the best of everything. Reputed builders often make the most valuable fishing rods.

Here are three areas of rod makers explained for your help:

Classic makers: Their rods are the most expensive and valuable.

Modern makers: They have good-quality fishing rods with a high market value.
Contemporary makers: They produce rods according to the current demands. Value mostly varies with each type of rod.
High-volume production makers: They made for the masses in the past. Yes, they were quite famous. Although their production quantity was high, their rods were only collected because they were not manufactured anymore.

Demand

You can have the best old fishing rod in your hand, but what’s the point if it’s not in demand? In most cases, demand is proportional to its cost.

So if a certain type of old fishing rod is not in demand in the market, it may not be worth much money. However, trends don’t always remain the same. Just because it’s not in demand today doesn’t mean it’s useless for a lifetime.

That was too much to take in, right? Well, you don’t need to hurry. Take everything step by step.

Final Words

To sum up, we hope you understand the points you need to consider when determining the value of your fishing rod.

If it ticks all the boxes for you as an enthusiastic collector, it is definitely worth the money and will only enhance the quality of your growing collection.

Who wouldn’t want to own a rare variety of collectible antiques and take their passion up a notch?

As a seller, though, if your rod meets the standards and is in the conditions mentioned previously, you might get an excellent price for it.

They may not be worth a fortune, but they are better worth something than nothing. What say?

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