It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 13:34


New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
Post 12 Aug 2021, 12:57 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 09/06/17
Posts: 163
Location: New Hampshire
You can occasionally find treasures at tag sales, but luck needs to be with you--and it was for me this past Saturday here in NH. The town north of us has a huge annual tag sale on its picture-perfect village green, hosted by the local volunteer fire department. They didn't have it last year due to the pandemic, so this year's had more vendors than usual, bigger crowds, a happier atmosphere. And more fishing gear than I've ever seen.

Some vintage stuff. I picked up and put down probably twenty-five rods, even more reels, old fly boxes, tackle boxes, and rusty old gadgets to disgorge hooks, but this is what I ended up buying.

A Young "Pridex" reel, looks brand-new: $5.00.

A Redington 8-weight graphite fly rod with the wrapping still on grip; vendor asked $10, I gave him $5.00, and I'll be passing it on to the first deserving young fly-fisher who crosses my path.

A 1494 Medalist, good condition, 50 cents! (One odd thing about tag sales; you can usually find Medalists there, but always the 1494!).

A BLACK Shakespeare fiberglass "Action Taper"Wonderod from the 60's; 7' 9" for 7-weight, with garish gold wrappings that really pop! Again, $5.00.

Best find and a real (no pun) curiosity: A "Silver King" fly reel from Montgomery Ward from the l950's, looks absolutely new, in original box with original bag. This was the most costly find at $20. It has some features I think modern fly reel designers should think about re-introducing, including the ability to switch the click off to silent, and....and I've never seen this before on a fly reel...a little dial on the facing that you can dial to indicate what weight line is currently on the spool. Since this was the l950's, the choices are ""C" "D" "E" "F" "GH" "HCH "GBG"....and you move the dial with a screwdriver.

Since I always forget what line is on which reel, this seems to be an idea worth reviving.

To top things off, met a beginning fly fisher who was turning over the stuff; I steered him to a more than adequate Cortland rod and reel for $20, then, since he seemed sincere guy, went with him off to the side and gave him his first casting lesson.

Having fun with my loot & wishing all my fellow members equal success.


Top
  
Quote
Post 12 Aug 2021, 17:23 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/23/05
Posts: 4966
Location: US-MT
Gotta love it.

I have found some diamonds, but it has taken decades of diggin.


Top
  
Quote
Post 12 Aug 2021, 18:38 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 02/04/21
Posts: 102
Location: North east kingdom VT
I have always been a sucker for a flea market or a tag sale . You never know what you will find . Sounds like you had a great day


Top
  
Quote
Post 12 Aug 2021, 21:41 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 04/12/18
Posts: 457
You helped a beginner find appropriate gear and gave him some casting lessons?

A like-new Pridex for five bucks?

That's karma working for you! Good going!


Top
  
Quote
Post 13 Aug 2021, 07:23 • #5 
Guide
Joined: 09/06/17
Posts: 163
Location: New Hampshire
Yep, I was lucky, but I think the key was that this wasn't the usual tag sale, dealers who knew what they had, but families emptying out their barns and attics, wanting primarily to get rid of stuff.

Forgot one more neat thing. So I picked out the Medalist from a box marked "50 cents;" later, looking at other stuff, a guy, a fly fisher guy, noticed it in my hand, asked about it; since I have two or three 1494's already, I said, "Would you like to buy it from me?" "How much?" I thought for about ten seconds. "Twenty bucks." "Deal."

So I flipped a Medalist and made a tidy profit!


Top
  
Quote
Post 13 Aug 2021, 10:24 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 02/03/19
Posts: 145
Location: San Antonio, TX
I also enjoy hunting for treasures at garage and estate sales, and it sounds like you had pretty good luck at that tag sale. From your description it sounds like the Montgomery Ward reel is a re-branded Ocean City 76 or 77. A forum search will turn up good pictures and additional info on the Ocean City reels. Ocean City made reels for Montgomery Ward and other retailers. Can you post pictures of the reel?


Top
  
Quote
Post 13 Aug 2021, 12:46 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 09/06/17
Posts: 163
Location: New Hampshire
I will try and get photos up this weekend; stay tuned.

Yep, the M. Ward is a handsome reel, nicer, I think, than the Pridex I bought with it. The line size dial and silent check option are worth reviving. You're right, Ocean City made them, and this Forum has a catalog page from the Montgomery Ward catalog selling them in the l950s for less than $4.00. For that matter, I've got a Norm Thompson catalog from the l960s selling Hardy Lightweights for less than $30!!!!


Top
  
Quote
Post 17 Aug 2021, 16:22 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/30/11
Posts: 1231
Location: Fresno, CA
Wow, what a great bargain you got. Flipping that medalist was awesome too. I haven't happened upon a good deal on fishing gear like that in awhile.


Top
  
Quote
Post 18 Aug 2021, 09:28 • #9 
Sport
Joined: 03/11/14
Posts: 89
Location: US-East Texas
"So I flipped a Medalist and made a tidy profit!"

Well.., there went the karma... ;)


Top
  
Quote
Post 18 Aug 2021, 20:33 • #10 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/12/17
Posts: 390
Location: SW B.C.
I had to stop reading at the Pridex for five dollars. The envy was too great!


Top
  
Quote
Post 04 Oct 2021, 05:41 • #11 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
But that is a great deal anyways so karma must still be intact!


Top
  
Quote
Post 12 Oct 2021, 11:53 • #12 
Sport
Joined: 08/18/21
Posts: 31
Location: Southern Maine
Another vote for good karma. Let's hope it carries over to some fishing success with one of those finds.


Top
  
Quote
Post 08 Jan 2022, 09:06 • #13 
New Member
Joined: 05/03/14
Posts: 2
Location: US-MO
Buying something at a bargain basement price at a tag sale to benefit a volunteer fire department, only to sell it later at the same sale at a big profit for personal gain would seem to garner bad karma. Same thing with offering less for an item that's already priced far too low.


Top
  
Quote
Post 05 Feb 2022, 16:30 • #14 
New Member
Joined: 12/29/21
Posts: 16
Location: SF Bay Area
Nice Pick ups!!


Top
  
Quote
Post 06 Feb 2022, 04:30 • #15 
Guide
Joined: 10/26/16
Posts: 100
Location: UK
WD68 is absolutely right about looking at tables that are not manned by dealers who know what they are selling.

My best experience was a house clearing sale in London (UK). I picked up an early Hardy glass spinning rod (the Neoglas Glen More), an LRH Lightweight in excellent condition, and a Farlows “Elf” cane rod for £90 total. The seller just wanted to clear fishing junk from her table so she could sell the china and cutlery.


Top
  
Quote
Post 17 Feb 2022, 11:00 • #16 
Guide
Joined: 09/06/17
Posts: 163
Location: New Hampshire
NICE!


Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

New Topic Add Reply



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: jimmymac448 and 23 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
Google
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group