HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

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Bamboo Doc
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Joined: 02/14/18 10:44

HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

#1

Post by Bamboo Doc »

I have 2 HI Tonka Queen rods. One is a 7ft 9in and the other is a 7ft 8in. I see on ebay there are 2 Queens listed as RARE 7ft 8in rods. The one I have is the only one I had ever seen until recently. I was just wondering how really RARE the 7' 8" models are. I see that only the 7'9" model is the only one listed on the appraisal lists. The 7'8" one that I have has never had a model sticker or any model script put on it what so ever. It appears to have never been used or ever been cast. The real seat has absolutely no sign of a reel been put on it. The person I bought it from said he thought it may have been a trade rod for a company that would have put there own label on it but was never used or sold. It only had 1 tip and came without a storage bag or tube. The person I bought it from lived in Canada. I don't know how it came to be in Canada or how he wound up with it.

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Dylan518
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Joined: 11/22/17 17:30
Location: Berne NY (Catskills)

Re: HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

#2

Post by Dylan518 »

Dont know about rarity but i have a 7'-8" 2/2

pontiac787
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Joined: 03/10/12 19:08
Location: New Hampshire

Re: HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

#3

Post by pontiac787 »

There have been a few posts about this in the past. The Tonka Queens came in 7’ 7”, 7’ 8”, and 7’ 9”. While the 7’ 8” May be more rare, the 7’ 9” are typically the most desirable. If you do a search for Tonka Queen in the Google search at the bottom of the page you will find a lot of info.

P.S. almost everything listed on eBay has either the word “rare” or “vintage” in the description so take that with a grain of salt.

DUCKMANNM
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Joined: 05/11/18 16:32
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Re: HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

#4

Post by DUCKMANNM »

I think on Ebay, anything made before year 2000 is considered vintage!

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uppercreek
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Re: HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

#5

Post by uppercreek »

I think the main difference between the 7'8" and the 7'9" rods is that the reel seat is 1/2" shorter on the 7'8" rods, with the tip section being a corresponding 1/2" shorter. I have a photo somewhere of the two different reel seats but can't put my hands on it. I don't think there is any noticeable difference in casting the 7'8" and 7'9" rods. The 7'7" rods are probably just factory anomalies.

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Pentalux
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Re: HI Tonka Queen 7'8"

#6

Post by Pentalux »

My understanding is that it is the lighter rods that are more rare as most Tonka Queen's weigh 4 3/4 oz's (or more). Those that weigh 4 1/4 oz's (or less) are much rarer and more difficult to find - the lighter ones that I have seen were 7' 8" - not sure if that was a coincidence or not as have only seen a few.

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