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Hi Bill, very nice rod, Im sure you will get alot of interest on it, franky Im interested, I fish alot of 7wt rods when the winds are high and water levels are at near washout stage.
To the rod, ok, guess m super super picky in the way I grade rods both to buy and sell. I would grade your rod as used excellent, near new, lawn cast only, rod sock modified with tie wrap, hang tag missing.
So saying it looks really nice, Id say Toms estimate is pretty close, although if I were the seller it would go up for $125 plus cost of insured shipping plus cost of PVC tube to ship it in.
Frankly if the rod was MINT, that means no scuffs on the ferrules from ever having been mounted or "lawn cast" absolutely no marks anywhere on the rod, the Scotchply hangtag on the tip top and the sock unmodified and tube spotless, that rod could have easily brought $300. Ive paid substantually more for "Phillipsons" in such minty condition.
I've also sold Phillipsons with the same "wear" as yours, only a scuff on the inside of one of two tips on a 6ft Epoxite and signs of hand grim on the cork from being "handled" no hand tag, I listed it as used excellent with those cavets on ebay and sold it at my minimum acceptable opening price no reserve.
People are playing around alot right now, especially on Ebay where to some extent the prices have flattened out. However in at least two instances Ive watched in just this last week, two rods were listed for reserves way over their possible value, then people bid them up, never reaching their reserve. BUT within a couple of hours of the close of the auction the rods were offered to the 2nd highest bidders in second chance offers. What does that tell me, some folks are being naughty and ebay hasn't caught them yet or doesn't care, they are using straw bidders to drive the price beyond the true high bidder then offering it to him at his maximum bid after the auction is completed. Its happening folks Ive been tracking several such auctions, and in a few cases the second bidder is know to me and I have known what that bid is in advance and have been told the "second bidder was offered the rod within hours of the close of auction"!
Thank god we have our little classified here, and people like Bill here who ask for an honest evaluation of condition and value before they decide to list an item for sale here.
I buy alot of rods from members here, quite often within shear minutes of the listings, AT FAIR PRICES! Ive never sent one back and point blank never been disapointed in the offerings as to condition or value.
I do buy on Ebay, but I do not take part in STRAW BIDDING or other unethical practices.
When I post a rod on Ebay its either at my mininum acceptable opening bid, or as in a fun one a few weeks ago, a "collectable" at $.99 no reserve. Simply put "Buyer be WARE" right now on Ebay!
Richard