On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:16:08 -0700, Mike wrote:

Hopefully I won't get flamed for this post........It should be on
topic but lately even on topic post get certain people into a ****ing
contest but I have broad shoulders and can take it......A gentleman
that I do work for was cleaning out his attic and came acrost a
Monteague(sp) Bamboo rod two tips hardly used he said his uncle gave
it to him as a boy but he had forgotten about it he remembers using it
a couple time but it was his uncles before that.........The rod is
beautiful the cork has a little use stain on it has been in a rod tube
for the last 30 or so years.......... he thinks his uncle bought the
rod in the 40's any idea the worth of this rod.......All info kept
confidential and you will not be held to the price you quote

Montague made a wide range of rods that range from economy rods to some
fairly decent rods. I have a few, and the better ones are darned decent
fishing tools. None have values in the range of the "classic" makers
(Gillum, Payne, Dickerson, etc.), but some models do get up into the
$500.00 range (and a bit more) for the "high end" 3-2, 7 1/2' or
thereabouts, in the condition you describe. I would offer that AFAIR,
all of the lower end models were single tip models, so yours being a
2-tip model is a clue that it might be a higher-end model, with "higher
end" being relative time-wise to back then and using a 1940's meaning of
"higher end" in a broad market sense - IOW, a great majority of gear
from back then was affordable, plain, service-oriented gear rather than
much of the, um, well, "yuppified"/"trendy"/whatever stuff sold today,
and the "mass market" extremes weren't as pronounced as they are today.

If I had to make a comparison, Montague made the TFO, the Chevy sedan,
the Remington 870 Express/700ADL, the Timex, the grocer's brand soup,
etc. of the period - nothing fancy but usable as intended in a range of
quality from economy to decent and priced accordingly and appropriately.
I have some material and info, but I'd have to dig it up and IAC, it
appears from other responses that there is quite a bit on the 'net.

It's hard to say about specifics with the above info, but I'd offer that
at the very least, it is a decent enough fishing tool. As to value and
with no more info than you provided, I'd offer that if it's an
_original_ tube trout-sized 3/2 with no tip-set in very good condition,
and you and the gentleman are simply trying to arrive at a fair
"friendly" price - one friend selling to another for their own use, with
the buyer not trying to "steal it" and the seller not trying to get
every last penny out of it - a coupla hundred dollars or so, cash or
labor, is probably fair to both.

Anything else, _especially_ if it's a larger/heavier rod, and the market
would knock it down considerably (a smaller 'boo rod is worth quite a
bit more than a larger one by the same maker, all other things equal -
IOW, when "market pricing" 'boo, size does matter), and so y'all
probably should also reduce the amount, say in the $100-125 range,
unless there is something exceptional about it. If y'all need a more
precise value, you'll need to provide more info.

And here's a really oddball "side note" thing about Montagues: they
aren't super-collectable, but do have their fans, and the serious
collectors place, IMO, a ridiculous value on the little branding "fish"
decal, so if it complete and in mint condition, take that into account,
and if it has _any_ damage, take that into account. I could and would
understand if it were an Ed Payne (the father) as he delivered it, with
a receipt, etc., versus one refinished 5 times by persons unknown and
with no provenance, etc., but the flockin' decal on a Monty...?...hey,
chocolate and vanilla, I suppose.

I'd be curious to hear, as is said, the rest of the story, so if you get
more details, consider this a request for them if you don't mind posting
them.

TC,
R