Ebay prices and vintage/second hand tackle

[Haydn Clarke]

Has anyone else noticed that the prices on second hand and vintage tackle seem to be on the march? It seems like only a short while ago that MK IV rods were fetching between £150 to £200 for good'ns. Just watched one tick down, that I naively thought I might nick for just over a oner, fetch £265! And it weren't even close to being a minter. Then there's the Avocet a while back that bagged over a grand, and a Garry Mills' Barbel Catcher, that almost acheived it's brand new price - though waiting time probably had some bearing on this, but still.

Looks like it could be time to put some money into the vintage stuff, as an investment perhaps, with a plus side that you get to enjoy ownership too. But then again, as James Goldsmith once said: If you see a bandwagon it's too late.

All the best,
Haydn

 

[Paul Boote]

But then again, as James Goldsmith once said: If you see a bandwagon it's too late.

Indeed.

 

[Colin Gordon]

Its just a fad, trend or if you prefer a fashion! The shrewd money would wait until all the fools are spent out on their various pieces of angling heritage.
And the over priced bits of memorabilia are set above the mantelpiece in there walnut display cases.

 

[Jon Berry]

Lots of fools Colin, in different guises - be it the man who has to have the latest baitrunner because the decals are different from the last one, the man who replaces his pit reels because the new ones are available in camo, or the one who pays silly money for bamboo. They are all happy fools, however, and good luck to them.

As for ebay prices, and those at the last two vintage angling fairs I attended, they are on the up as collectors horde their aqcuisitions. A shame, but not surprising. My own modest collection of panda food was acquired before prices got silly, years ago most of it, and is for personal use only - and not for cases, walnut or otherwise. Would I pay current prices? Not a chance.

And, if you avoid the latest 'in vogue' names (Avocet and Wizard being two examples, B. James Mk IVs another) and realise that equally good and often better models came from the likes of Cliff Constable, A. E. Rudge, FT Williams, Aspindales and others, there are still bargains to be had.

Anyone after a Wizard? Sensible offers only, and it's straight as the M25...

Jon

 

[Paul Boote]

Just posted this Panda Food story on another site:


-- Sunday, February 28, 2010 9:43pm:

Once a year I take out and fish the B. James of Ealing R.W. Mk IV Avon that I received at the age of 11 as a combined Christmas and Birthday present from my parents. Not only does it remind me of many places fished and even more fish caught, it also bears the scar of an encounter it had with a Dorset Stour-based bovine sometime in the early 1970s. I had propped it, my sooper-dooper leger rod, on the barbed-wire fence behind me as I ran a float through the swim with my Billy Lane Match rod. Then I heard a woody crunching coming from somewhere only short distance behind my right shoulder...

I turned, only to see an almost thoughtful-looking cow munching on the tip of my Mk. IV and, a second or so later, successfully detaching its last 6 or 8 inches.

I subsequently repaired the rod - re-attached the missing few inches - with much whipping and Araldite. A repair that has survived to this day, indeed has landed big salmon, big bass, numerous tench, double-figure carp and barbel. Long-retired now, though, except for its annual, for old times' sake, outing.

 

[Haydn Clarke]

As a child of the '70s I was born well and truelly into the glass fibre era, so never used cane at the time when it was the only rod material to have. For years I was only interested in the most up to date carbon rods, the newer the better. But in recent years I've been increasingly drawn to cane, because I started using centrepins probably, and also because of some misguided nostalgia for an angling past that I never experienced first hand.

Whatever reason I have recently aquired a rather nice conditioned Chapman 550 carp rod, from information on the Chapman website it appears to be an earlier one as it has an additional wire wrap on the butt guide and ferals. I got it of ebay for £82 quid, one very similar got over a ton more a few days later. If you are patient, sit on your hands and follow a few good guide lines there are still bargains to be had on ebay. Look for the listings that end at silly times, like 2.30 pm midweek when people are at work and not at their computers to make that last minute bid. I also got 2 korum Neoteric rods very cheap a few months back by finding a seller local to me who was selling with collection only, which obviously rules out most other bidders. Simple really, but patience is the key.

I'm looking forward to putting a curve into the Chapman sometime soon; I shall use it more as a stalking rod (it's only a a ten footer) down on a small lake that I fish that has a few carp to low twenties. I'll post a review.

All the best,
Haydn

 

[Adam Rawson]

I Always thought vintage tackle was cheap - but its definately on the up. £250 for an original B James MKIV that is an antique but will still work just as well as a Barder remake that sells for £1200
Bargain.

Adam