Rip Tide has said what needed to be said. I have another tip for you, before shopping in antique stores use eBay. When I say 'use' it I mean go there and search for rods made by known makers. Placing the word 'Vintage' in front of 'bamboo fly rod' may prove helpful. I tell you this because there are many fine rods out there that have been refinished over the past 60 or more years. Some may no longer bear the makers marks on the butts. When you look over rods that are identified by the seller in the listings familiarize yourself with the cork designs and hardware used by the various makers. The cork and reel seat hardware is one of the easiest ways to either identify a rod or to be able to make an educated guess.
While using the search feature on the auction site take a little time to check out some makers like:
H.L. Leonard - very unique grip on these, easy to remember.
F.E. Thomas
Gillum - Finding one of these would be something, don't do anything until you talk to a collector.
Payne
Edwards - Several family members who all built rods, the quad rods are something you'll know when you see one.
Orvis _ Since the rods have been around many have been refurbed, still the grips and hardware have remained pretty standard.
Heddon - Made thousands of rods but look at Black Beauty rods in 8' if there are any listed.
I have an old H&I 7.5 foot rod with a single tip that I got about 30 years ago. It is a great 5 weight rod, you just have to be careful to never break the tip. I'm going to give it a face lift this winter and deck it our like a Black Beauty
Ard
