My father in-law just gave me an old 3pc bait casting rod made by the
Gephart Mfg. Co.
I suspect it is a rare find and might be worth a pretty penny if were not
in such very poor condition. My question is: Would a collector prefir the
rod as is regardless of condition or would restoring it increase it's value?
I know some collectibles are ruined if they are messed with while others
don't have that problem. How about collectible fishing rods?

Also, mounted on the rod was a Johnson Mod. 22 reel the likes I have
never seen. It has the shape of a fly reel and functions like a push button
spin-cast reel with the mono exiting a hole in the side plate.

Has anyone seen a reel like this? Any idea as to it's value? Seems to be
in good condition.

Thanks,
Raymond

Restorations don 't harm the value if they are very, very good restorations. In other words, if you can tell the rod has been restored - you do not have a good restoration. Any deviation from what the rod looked like originally would certainly drop the value in the eyes of a serious collector.

The cost to restore a rod perfectly may be more than the rod itself is worth, or at least may require enough that the added value it then adds isn't enough to really be worth your while. If you want to sell the rod, I would seek out a collector and leave the rod as is, for now, until you find out more about it.

The reel is fairly common as far as antique reels go. I've seen them priced anywhere from $5 to $50 depending on condition.

..........................

Thanks Tom,

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..