In with 3 large collections we safely bought this week is a selection of 1980-90’s classic match rods. The naughty nineties inflicted many fashion disasters upon us. Not so for the carbon match rods of the same era with many achieving cult status. The Normark Titan 2000, Drennan Tench & Waggler rods, Daiwa Porky Pig, Shakespeare Boron Mach 2, […]
Category Archives: Thomas Turner blog
05
Jun
Jun
Always popular, this Hardy little gadget is easily missed at the bottom of a tackle box or bag. The Joint Lubricator and Container was an entirely new idea in the 1930’s. Measuring 1-3/4” tall the outer casing is stamped”Hardy Bros. Makers Alnwick”. It was produced in both brass and nickel materials. Pull off the top […]
04
Jun
Jun
This lovely little rare rod came into us this week. The Hardy Jet Midge 6’3” had a very short production run, appearing in the 1974 catalogue in text only, no images. It disappeared along with the other Jet rods from the catalogues in 1975 to become the Fibalite series. I’m sure many of the Jet […]
02
Jun
Jun
The Impregnated cane rods are all hand built by the craftsman of Farlow Sharpes in Aberdeen, Scotland. Harold Sharpe, MD of Farlow’s acquired the original J S Sharpes Fishing Tackle Ltd business in 1960. Impregnation is simply a process that fills the tube-like fibres of cane and the minute gaps between those fibres with a […]
01
Jun
Jun
Yes, one of the few fishing lines the ordinary man could make himself. Assuming you have access to a horse you could be on your way to a cheap line with some effort, well, a lot of effort. Way back in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s it wasn’t as easy to nip to a […]
31
May
May
My pick of the week has to be a set of 3 Farlow pocket catalogues from 1889-1899 that have just come into stock via Richard. These little gems have provided great reading with some fascinating information. They can give the correct title or name to a particular item and or its production dates. Take the […]
22
May
May
There has historically been a professional rivalry between Farlow and Hardy. Retailing a stone’s throw away from each other in London the competition for product sales must have been at times intense. I have just been browsing through one of our many Farlow catalogues, the 1840-1940 Centenary Edition. It struck me that the brand name […]
Hardy, Reels, Thomas Turner blog
Hardy Bougle MK V 3″ Lightweight Centenary Limited Edition reel No 000
21
May
May
I keep saying it, just when you think you’ve seen it all, up pops this one in another collection we bought this week. A unique, one-off reel, this factory gold finish would not normally have been offered for sale, being part of the Hardy Archives. This number 000 would have been from the first production […]
20
May
May
I’m constantly being asked, what was it like 20/30 years ago in the vintage tackle trade? Well, same medicine but different bottle. The internet was in its infancy then and had minimal effect on how the tackle antique tackle trade operated. Ebay was created by Pierre Omidyar in the fall of 1995 and now is […]
20
May
May
A quick reference guide for the Parabolic series of rods available in the 1960’s. This may be of use to collectors and users alike. World renowned hotelier and angler Charles Ritz designed his set of rods tested by Pierre Creusevant and other leading anglers of the day. The first production rod came out of the […]