45 / 68
46
Reeling
them in
If you’re a lover of country pursuits and
looking for some vintage mementoes,
then THOMAS PLANT says you could land
yourself a great catch at auction
H
unting, shooting and fishing have long
since been the pastimes of royalty
and the landed gentry, but the items
relating to country pursuits appeal to a
wide range of people who enjoy outdoor sports.
Auctions are a great place to catch or hunt
yourself a bargain…
Collectors fall roughly into a couple of
categories; those who buy antique items for
display purposes, and those who buy the more
modern pieces to use.
Antique hunting rifles and shotguns can be
found at auction. Punt guns (big shotguns
used to shoot large numbers of waterfowl)
dating from the 19th and 20th-centuries can be
bought for a couple of hundred pounds right
into the high thousands.
Modern shotguns used for clay shots can
also be bought at auction for as little as £50
depending on the maker.
We sell fine binoculars in our regular camera
auctions.
The top-grade binoculars made by the famous
German manufacturer Leitz get snapped up
quickly. A typical popular model is the Trinovid;
some come with weatherproof rubber coating
for extra protection, making them ideal for
outdoor pursuits. They can realise more than
£1,000.
Other good makes to look out for are Zeiss and
Nikon, which can be found at auction for a few
hundred pounds upwards.
The first fishing rods can be dated back to
2000BC when they were made from wood with
a horsehair line attached.
Two centuries later and jointed examples,
which were 17-foot-long and made from
several different types of wood, often with a
whalebone tip, became common.
We also see a huge demand for tribal fishing
and hunting relics, such as Inuit or South
Pacific items.
The design of fishing rods has really
advanced over the years, with stronger and
lighter materials used. Now carbon fibre and
graphite examples are the most popular with
fishermen, replacing older examples of cane
and fibreglass.
Modern rods are any made from the 1980s
onwards and those made by Hardy’s and Brigg
& Co sell very well and are most likely to be
bought to be used.
Only a few diehards fish with antique rods –
doing this is a bit of a risk, as a big fish could
break them.
Vintage items made by Hardy’s, a British
Company founded in 1872 in Alnwick
Northumberland (originally a gunsmith who
then started manufacturing fishing tackle),
are very sought-after today, with some of their
modern rods valued at £1000.
Even more popular than rods are vintage
reels and fly boxes and some of the smaller
equipment, perhaps because they are much
easier to store and display.
Again, Hardy’s is a sought-after make,
alongside Farlows and Bruce & Walker. Fly
boxes can sell for £50 – £100 per lot and
reels for similar amounts.