Casting a fly rod versus other types of fishing has the critical difference that unlike casting a bait or lure in which the weight of the bait pulls the fishing line along behind; a fly is essentially weightless. The result is that the fly fisher is casting the line itself with the fly along for the ride. Thus fly rods are generally longer and more limber than other styles of fishing rods, and the design or "taper" of the rod dictates how well it performs. In the mid 19th century, makers discovered that by splitting a stalk of bamboo into long slivers called splines; tapering those splines, and then glueing them together into a rod, was the ideal answer. Six splines are the near standard, although there have been rods built with 8, 5, 4 or even two glued up splines. For nearly 100 years, split bamboo was the only suitable material by which to build a fly rod, and while the better creations can be masterpieces of design and craftsmanship over which enthusiasts drool and covet, ALL bamboo rods are not valuable either as collectible memorabilia or as still practical fishing tools. In reality, until the introduction of fiberglass after ww2, presision and attention to detail made the best bamboo models expensive beyond the reach of "Joe Average" and mass production companies such as Horrocks and Ibbotson or Montague turned out rods to sell at retail for as little as $.85. While the definition of "quality" is difficult to quantify, it is a safe statement that for every good bamboo rod, perhaps 1000 clunkers were produced. And since both quality and mass producers would private label rods for sporting goods dealers, hardware stores and such, and even entities such as Montague also made a few decent models, the brand name on the rod by itself isn't an entirely reliable indicator of quality. A discussion of what length or line size/weight is appropriate is beyond the scope of this note, and assuming the seeker knows those answers, the question is how to ID and value a quality rod. 1. Most bamboo rods built from post US Civil War until the 1930s were in three sections (butt, mid and tip) and typically were supplied with a spare tip. Rods are described by the number of sections and whether or not the spare is present. Thus a 3/2 is a rod in three sections with two tips. 2/1 is a two piece rod with a single tip, etc. 2. In 99.9 percent of the cases, ALL sections were built to the same length, and if a rod is advertised otherwise, regardless of the description of the seller, it is a fair assumption that a short section has been broken and repaired. This drastically lowers the value of the rod, as while an inch or two broken off the end of a tip section may not render the rod useless as a fishing tool, much more can make the rod suitable only as a source of parts to repair a like specimen. The typical bamboo fly rod was 9' long or longer, and the modern fisher with the more lightweight alternatives available today, usually finds this common size too heavy. Shorter and lighter rods from the bamboo era are far less common, and as such carry a value premium, often considerable, over longer rods. Said differently, both the rarity and usefulness factors of a shorter than 9' rod increase the value, and the shorter the original rod, the more it is worth. This of course excludes rods that have been altered (cut off) by an owner. There are three usually reliable indicators of a rod assembled with attention to detail and so are signs of quality. The first and easiest to spot are the metal joints (ferrules) used to join the rod sections. If those ferrules appear to be chrome plated brass (think of the plumbing under the kitchen sink), this is a strong indication of lesser quality/value. Such ferrules can vary from being so soft as to bend and fail simply by fishing, but even the better designs were used as a cost savings because the ideal metal called nickel silver was expensive to create. NS ferrules are easily identified as unlike chromed brass, the color indeed is like good silverware (some NS ferrules were artificially darkened, for looks and advertised as to avoid the reflection spooking wary fish). Indicator #2 is difficult to spot from an auction listing photo alone, but a stalk of bamboo has growth rings or "nodes" along its length, and these node points are weak spots in the individual splines. Good makers made sure that when glued together, the nodes are positioned so that none are side by side and so create a potential weak spot in the rod. Mass production did not allow this extra step, and lower quality rods will often have adjacent nodes which can be spotted as interruptions in the grain pattern of the splines. Check point #3 is the quality of the cork used for the rod's grip. Good cork has the fewest striations or grain line flaws, and the difference between low quality cork and the very best can be a material price of 300% or more. If the photo of the rod shows longitudinal "grain lines" that are parallel to the rod shaft, and the fewer the better, this is an indicator of quality. If the grip shows spots rather than lines of grain, this tells us the cork rings were cut such that the grain lines point inward in an attempt to make poor quality cork appear "clean", but those inward pointing lines can also allow moisture to penetrate, in extreme cases eventually rotting the bamboo underneath. Once you have determined the quality level of the specimen rod and its relative value level based on length and the size of line it was built to use, condition becomes the major price determinant. It should be fairly obvious that a rod in pristine, unfished "mint" condition will sell at a significant premium. But the buyer needs to be very aware of seller's hyperbole when describing the rod as mint or excellent. Unlike most antiques where original and unrestored items carry premium over any refinished item, bamboo rods were well used by their owners, and a rod that otherwise is still a useful fishing tool with the spare tip still present; sections all the same length, ferrules tightly fitting and the guide wraps intact, does not drop as much in value as it is expected the owner would have had the rod re-wrapped and fresh varnish applied as necessary. If well or professionally done, a refinished rod (which should be identified as such by the seller) is still worth almost as much as a like rod that is used but not refinished. And of course a rod that has been re-done faithful to the original wrap colors etc. is worth more than an amatuerish attempt. Lets say we have a specimen in average used-not-abused condition that has a market value of $200.00. Professionally and faithfully restored to "as new" might double the value to $400 ($200 is today's approximate cost for a simple but professional quality refurbishment.) while a mint original might, depending on demand/rarity might be $500 to even $1000. In the other direction, if this same rod has a missing tip, value might be $125. If the remaining tip is short, we are rapidly closing in on a "cost more to fix than its worth". That said, most any rod will have some salvageable parts, and if just the right buyer is found, still might be saleable. Because there has been a resurgence in the cottage industry of hand building cane rods, specimens from contemporary makers are often better than old classics as fishing tools, but be aware that how those rods will be valued as collectables in the future is uncertain. In sum, just because a rod is bamboo does not mean it is rare and valuable or collectable. In fact, the odds are great that an old rod is not useful even to fish with. And even if a rod carries a well respected label, condition and rarity can impact valuation from just a few dollars for spare parts to many thousands for an unused/still new specimen in the very same size/length. Fishing a bamboo rod for some is symbolic of slower times and is more satisfying using a tool made of natural materials, and a well designed taper does not lack any performance over a modern alternative. Because bamboo is a natural material, each specimen is to some degree an individual unlike even another rod of the same make, and owners can become very attached to a favorite. Collecting rods for their historical value and as examples of handcraftsmanship really can't be replicated with a modern plastic alternative, but the novice or unwary need to choose with caution.