A little Shakespeare help

[Guest]

Hi - Even if you're a (gulp!) reel collector and look down on us cane stick types, I'm hoping you can help.
I'm trying to track down an old (1910-20) Shakespeare fly rod. It's very high end, and has a buncha distinctive features - 1/8" corks in the handle, diamond winds the length of the rod, a looong swallowtail banner logo with "Shakespeare" and "Honor Built" (NOT "Honor Sold!"), high grade ferrules, etc, etc.
I've got a couple of problems. First, I haven't the slightest idea who made it - all of the usual suspects, Heddon, Montague, South Bend, H-I are coming up empty. It's even been suggested that old Will made it himself! Second, where the reelseat should be, there's nothing but a dowel. I've got a dozen or so Shakey reelseats of various vintages, but none that look classy enough for this rod. I'm about a third of the way through the restoration now, and I'd hate to see it stall for lack of an appropriate seat.
So here are my questions: Does anybody know of another source/maker for Shakespeare rods? Did Will ever roll his own? Does anybody have / did anybody ever see a catalogue showing such a rod? If they have, what the [at]%^! does the reelseat look like, and can you share a pic?
TIA,
Dave Howell
(deepdiverned)

[Teal]

We ORCAns welcome all (even cane collectors!),

Seriously, I am almost certain that Divine made rods for Shakespeare during the period when the oval circle logo was in use, which you pretty much pegged down. If it was a high-end Shakey it could very well have been a Divine. Remember Shakespeare was a trade house as well as a manufacturer (shakey collectors go into catatonic fits when they see early Shakespeare catalogs with Heddon minnows in them). Divine made a lot of good trade rods for various houses.

A second thought is if it is really high end, it is possible--just possible--that it might be an E.W. Edwards & Sons rod from the period dating just after he left Winchester and struck out on his own. I have been running some Edwards history down for an article on Horton I am finishing (who bought Edwards and whose sons crafted Edwards/Bristol rods in the Horton factory) and an article I found gives some tantalizing hints he was making a few high-end rods for a big manufacturer. COuld it be an Edwards? Unlikely, but you never know...

Let us know what you come up with.

Dr. Todd

[Reel Geezer]

"Shakey Collectors" and "old Will" in one thread ?

[Harvey]

Ol' "Will" just rolled over!

[Harvey]

Dave,
Does this help any? From a 1916 catalogue.

[Guest]

I may be able to solve one mystery - Edwards, through Winchester, made some of the early high-end South Bends. If it weren't for the logo on the reelseat, you wouldn't be able to tell the SBs from Winchesters of the 1920-25 period. Same knurling, same ferrules, same reelseat, same cane - different winds (green, tipped orange on the SBs; purple, tipped gold on the Winchesters, different again on the Armaxes and Barney&Berrys).
Here, if I'm lucky, is the rod's unusual logo:

Thanks, Dave

[Guest]

Harvey, you just saved my bacon (again, I believe!) - the rod is a 3335M, exactly as described.
Wonder who the un-named expert is. Divine does seem likely - I think the ferrules and all the knurling are just too fancy for Edwards.
It's a cinch I don't have the reelseat for this baby, but the search is now on in earnest. At least I have an early Russell to go with it - or would something else be more appropriate?
Thanks guys!
Dave

[Guest]

I may be able to solve one mystery - Edwards, through Winchester, made some of the early high-end South Bends. If it weren't for the logo on the reelseat, you wouldn't be able to tell the SBs from Winchesters of the 1920-25 period. Same knurling, same ferrules, same reelseat, same cane - different winds (green, tipped orange on the SBs; purple, tipped gold on the Winchesters, different again on the Armaxes and Barney&Berrys).
Here, if I'm lucky, is the rod's unusual logo:

Thanks, Dave

[reels4me,member]

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Jack Bright. . . . .