Mahseer wrote:
Assuming the same blanks were used in the Royal Wand and Gold Band ranges it is interesting (to me at least) that Phillipson offered shorter rods than Sharpe, who offered longer rods than Phillipson.
Usually companies offered rods selected from the Phillipson lineup, but exceptions happened. The noted Farlow, Sharpe is a 9'6" rod for a 7/8 weight line. Orvis sold a 9' Golden Eagle rod for a 6 weight line that I have not seen in a Phillipson catalog. In addition, Cortland sold their Crown rods with an odd metal female ferrule
on the rod tip. The glass butt section fits into the ferrule. I have not seen this fitting elsewhere (except in a drawer Phillipson stock at Rick's Rods - photo below).
Mahseer wrote:
Seeing Phillipson offering impregnated cane rods has me wondering whether they sourced blanks from Sharpe as part the deal?
Probably not. Bill Phillipson ran the Granger shop before WWII and started his own cane rod shop after the war. His Peerless line of rods were impregnated cane and marketed from the 50s into the 70s when the company was sold to 3M.
Mahseer wrote:
Based in Wales, I thought I was seeing something new with the Master rods offering “half welsh cork handle”, then I realised it was a typo for ‘wells’.
The typical 'half wells grip' is curvy, like a Fenwick grip. The Phillipson 'welsh' style is a long taper that increases toward the rod tip. However, I can't find any references to a welsh grip that don't lead back to a Phillipson rod or catalog.
Tom