Fishing
Rods and reels can be found in many sales as there is an enormous wealth of makers
and manufacturers. For the collector, the most desirable maker remains Hardy Brothers
as it has done so for many years.
A 19th century leather creel, which realised £3,100 in a sporting auction.
Known for the quality of the reels they produced and their developments to and improvements
in reel design, early examples are eagerly sought after. Examples of their fly reels
range from £150 up to £400 for a Hardy 'Perfect' fly reel.
Popular throughout the 17th and 18th century, fly fishing equipment from this period
is extremely scarce at auction and generally survives in the form of wooden priests.
An early 19th century leather creel is one of the rarer items to have survived the
hostile environment of the river bank to make it into our salerooms and, therefore,
no doubt deserved the £3,100 hammer price it realised.
Specialists