Hardy Brothers launched their first glass rods in 1961. They were called Glaskona, probably an attempt to pass off early (likely solid or near-solid) glass as broadly comparable to the Palakona cane rods (!).
In 1966 Hardy launched a second generation of (solid) glass rods in both spinning and fly models, using the Neo Glas family name. Each individual model was then named after a Scottish mountain: Ben Hope, Ben More, Ben Nevis etc.
The first JETs, which used the Fisher-made hollow fly blanks, were launched in 1967, and the Fibalites (with the UK-manufactured Fibatube blanks) in the mid-70s.
I found this rod at a local junk dealer: it had only had one previous owner. Although the label, irritatingly, has substantially flaked off, you can see that it is a 8 1/2ft Neo Glas Ben More; it was acquired by the original owner for spinning for salmon, largely on the River Spey in Scotland. I must confess to being a bit puzzled by the serial number, however, which does not match the readily available list of Hardy numbers: any suggestions?
Amongst the things that interest me about this rod is the relatively low quality (for a Hardy): an unpainted blank, simple whippings and rings. But the female ferrule is extremely high quality.
The autumn rains have started in Wales, and I suspect our rivers will be in full spate by tomorrow. So that makes fishing the fly an even tougher proposition for back-end salmon. I have therefore fitted this rod with a suitable period Hardy Silex reel, and will try a little "retro-salmon" spinning this weekend.