A unique F.E. Thomas Special

History of the FE Thomas Rod Co. Feel free to discuss Thomas Rods here.

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Sal Fontinalis
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A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#1

Post by Sal Fontinalis »

I thought some might enjoy seeing this rod. It is an 8' 3/2 5wt Special that was presented to a school superintendent in Maine. It has some unique features as well as the original shipping tube complete with the recipients name and address. It has a fish and ruler inked on the cane and a wet/dry tip combo. I have seen the tip combo on a Thomas before but never anything inked on the cane. Some half-assed attempts at tracking down the original owner or owner's family have not been very fruitful. I believe the rod was presented as a gift and probably customized to make it a little more "Special."

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Rolf Jacobsen
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A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#2

Post by Rolf Jacobsen »

Now THAT'S neat! How does it fish? Have you tried it on WILD trout yet?
Brook Trout are God's way of saying everything is going to be all right.

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andre49
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A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#3

Post by andre49 »

Maat,

Now that's an interesting rod. What was the super's name and where was he/she from?

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fishnbanjo
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A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#4

Post by fishnbanjo »

Very nice.....

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Sal Fontinalis
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A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#5

Post by Sal Fontinalis »

Cast a DT5 quite well. Sorry to say in the years I've owned it, I've never fished it for any trout. Might need to change that this year.

Andre, I believe it reads "W. M. Marz" on the label. One of your people?

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solitaryangle
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Re: A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#6

Post by solitaryangle »

Hi guys, as the world turns, I am now in possession of this rod and will be selling it on behalf of a consignment customer.

Here's what a little sleuthing turned up once I figured out his last name....

William M. Marr was indeed Superintendent of Schools of the town of Millinocket, Maine in 1938, when this rod was delivered to him by the Thomas Rod Co. You can see the 1938 post office stamp on the original mailing label. Here's a link to a PDF of the town's annual report that year. Not very good reading (and very slow to load), but I did find that he made $1,900 in salary for holding the Supt. post that year. Another note of interest is an excerpt from his yearly report...."It is to be regretted that more parents do not visit school and learn first-hand just how their children are getting along. Remember, even a short visit would encourage both pupils and teachers." Nice reminder for us current parents to live by, eh? And here's a bio I found, with a relevant excerpt: "Much of his spare time he devotes to hunting and fishing". Ah yes, a true fish bum this William....

Anyway, back to the rod......does anyone here have knowledge of similar markings on any Thomas rods? And what do you suppose the arrow by the winding check means? This or any other info from you guys would be appreciated. It remains in superb condition and will be for sale soon on my website.

Enjoy the weekend!
Gary

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quashnet
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Re: A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#7

Post by quashnet »

Great work on discovering the history behind this rod. Mysteries remain (i.e., "here's the winding check" does not seem like a good explanation for the arrow), but my interest in the rod is so greatly increased by what is now known about its first owner.
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2dabacking
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Re: A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#8

Post by 2dabacking »

It is always a joy to learn of the previous owners and history of such fine rods. I am curious, however, if the rod was not sent to the Thomas Rod Shop for restoration, and returned to Mr. Marr in 1938? The number (30) on the butt cap, as far as I have learned, would indicate a rod made prior to 1936. If sent new in 1938, wouldn't this rod appear in the Thomas ledgers? Would be interesting to hear from Steve Campbell. Beautiful rod!

Carlson Rod
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Re: A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#9

Post by Carlson Rod »

2dabacking has raised a valid point about the vintage of the rod. It is definitely earlier ‘30’s (or before). Looking at the photos of this rod would lead me to believe this rod was refinished at some point in time years ago. There are inconsistencies visible that are contrary to the way Thomas would have normally finished rods of this time period.
The windings are much more translucent than they should be and trim winds are wider than normal. The guide spacing for an 8’ rod would put the foot of the top guide on the mid onto the ferrule ramp (serrations). On this rod it is down away from the ferrule, and there should not be a trim wind here either. A Thomas "Special" of this vintage should have English guides as well, this one does not. Also there is a close-up of the stripper guide on the site where it is currently for sale. In this close-up, you can see a splinter missing on a corner just below the guide wrap. You can see where the grain of the cane ends then a missing splinter and glue line, that also looks like it has been varnished over. The bag does not look like any Thomas bag that I remember seeing, and it looks about an inch too long for the rod. The case appears to be a correct period case. Not trying to tear the rod down, just impartial observations about its originality. Unfortunately, I do not believe the records exist for the time period that this rod would have been built.
A first hand inspection would obviously be better than the photos.
carlsonrod

addseo1150
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Re: A unique F.E. Thomas Special

#10

Post by addseo1150 »

first hand inspection would obviously be better than the photos.

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