Rare 1926 HEDDON No.12 "Premier" 5-1/4', 1-Piece Split Bamboo Casting Rod w/Case

Description

It's my pleasure to offer at auction a rather Nice and Extremely Rare 1926 HEDDON No.12 "PREMIER" 5-1/4 FT., ONE-PIECE SPLIT BAMBOO CASTING OR TOURNAMENT ROD WITH DETACHABLE HANDLE & CASE AND WITH THE FEATURES OF HEDDON'S HIGHEST-GRADE "EXPERT" MODEL. The No.12 "Premier" one-piece model was offered by James Heddon's Sons from 1917 to 1932. However, in 1926 only, Heddon departed from the regular No.12 design and equipped it with all the features of their highest-grade "Expert" casting rod. As a result, it remains one of the finest one-piece production casting rods ever built. I've added a photo of the original listing from Heddon's 1926 catalog, where it explains the added features for this one year. This is the first example I've seen and should be considered quite rare. Rod shaft and detachable handle BOTH carry the "Heddon" bass decal, something I've also never seen before. Made of the finest Tonkin cane and comes equipped with detachable handle, genuine agate guides & tip top, German silver ferrules, solid Red Cedar fore grip, tournament pattern spiral-locking "Hold-Fast" hard-fiber reel seat with German silver hardware, solid cork tournament grip and wound in three colors of silk. There are 73 individual wraps on the tip section. Rod is in about Very Good or better condition, showing light wear and an old, but clean and solid repair to the cork handle. Bamboo is perfect, with no splits, cracks or delamination. Tip section is arrow-straight. Varnish shows some thinning and crazing, but remains ok. A new overcoat wouldn't hurt if this was to be fished. Both bass decals are virtually complete. All guides, tip top and ferrule are in fine condition. Solid Red Cedar fore grip is excellent. Cork tournament grip, made of 1/4" cork rings, remains solid. Reel seat works perfectly, with nice hardware. All wraps are solid and complete. Put up in a good replacement cloth bag with internal plastic tube that is a nice fit for the rod & handle. A rather nice example of these seldom seen, highest-grade one-piece models from Heddon. To be sold with a very low starting bid and NO RESERVE. Buyer to pay .00 shipping via U.S. Priority Mail, with full insurance and tracking. Payment must be received within 3 days of auction closure. Thanks for your time and good luck.