I have a Shimano Magnumlite XL Fightin Rod I've had since I was 14 or so. I love the rod, it has caught a metric buttload of fish for me over the years. (God that "graphite/titanium" handle got cold in winter though). I've seen some of the less popular versions of this rod on @#$%& go for over $100. This one is the "Two handed casting and popping" model, long handle w/ trigger, not as common as the pistol gripped or spinning models.

I never use it anymore, the finish off the blank is coming off the top section and it needs to be re-permaglossed. Does re-finishing the blank, and say changing out the guides from hardaloy to SiC kill the value of the rod as a collectable?

Guess its kind of the same premise as bamboo rods. What's good for an older rod and what kills the value of it?

For me, this rod has a lot of memories, so its staying in my collection, but just got me wondering.

Phil

I have to wonder just how collectable it will ever really be, but who knows. 50 years from now it might be worth $500. It's just hard to say.

In the end, few people make a mint off collecting tackle. Some of it is indeed valuable and great care must be taken not to do anything that would harm it from a collector's veiwpoint, but on the other hand, most tackle is never going to appreciate in value. Are guys buying these particular rods on @#$%& because they're collectable, or because they're a current fad in older tackle to fish with? If the latter is the case, the value will quickly fall once that fad is over. If the former, then I guess if you do anything to it you'd want to keep it original.

If you really aren't concerned with future value and just want to get some use out of it, I'd rebuild it any way you please and take it fishing.

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From my own limited experience and observations on this subject of value as a collectable, I would say this: Whatever it is, (fishing tackle or otherwise), the realistic value of an item is never worth more than I can get for it in cash within a time frame that I consider to be a reasonable waiting period, and within a sensible amount of effort.

When you view the concept of asset appreciation from the standpoint of inaccessible value (non-use to preserve value); opportunity cost (how else could you invest the value of that item and create a profit); inflation; risk of depreciation or loss; the cost of storage and maintenance; and the value of your time & mental energy invested on this subject, I think it provides a much more realistic view of the situation. Obviously, with fishing tackle, there may be a great deal of sentimental value involved, … but only occasionally does that substantially increase the value of the item. It may help to verify the claims that the item is authentic, and thus promote the sale. But unless you are a previous owner of some renown of an item, then our sentimental value adds relatively little value to the buyer.

While I have not traded and dealt much directly in tackle collectibles myself, I have talked to area dealers of antique fishing tackle. And I have heard the host of an area weekly call-in radio program, who is a professional antique dealer, evaluate the collectibles of hundreds of callers. The radio host has been especially helpful in formulating my position on this subject. He is very congenial, but incisive about it. Without access to the niche of the market with the highest appreciation of your item, the revelation of it’s true market value tends to be a humbling experience. And the amount of work and the cost of transportation involved to get the item to that buyer all reduce the profitability of the transaction.

I once had a MINT condition hardback, cloth-covered copy of Zane Grey’s “Fishing Bermuda” (?) (1927?). I may have been able to sell for $200 – $300, instead of what I got for it ($60) if I was in another part of Florida, like the Florida Keys or Miami, or in Bermuda. (My father paid ~ $3 for it.) But I didn’t have the wherewithal to drive south 400 miles to sell it down there. So I took what I could get, when I needed it.

That was its real value. What I could get, when I was willing to sell The rest was potential, but not actual, value. I could only spend the actual value, not the potential. To make a long story short, it would have more value to me now than whatever I spent that money on then. Enjoy your rod and apprize it for yourself accordingly. Keeping it may do more good for your heart than the $50 or $100 you get for it (minus shipping costs and hassle factor, remember!) if you sell it. ... Or let it go, and build some new memories.

IMO, – Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-USA+++