Royal Fishing Rod for Sale
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.07.13
A salmon pole believed to have belonged to the United Kingdom’s Prince Albert is expected to go on auction in the nation sometime in the near future. According to Scotsman.com, it was made shortly before the Prince’s death and was quite likely the last he ever used.
Prince Albert is perhaps better known by his wife, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Queen Victoria held the longest reign of any British Monarch, but she spent much of that time in seclusion after Albert’s death. The Prince Consort died young at the age of 42 due to typhoid fever, throwing his widow into a state of mourning. Their marriage by all accounts was a happy one. Albert himself, as expected of European nobility, was highly educated and pursued the outdoors with great gusto. He was an ardent rider, fencer, angler, and hunter. He commissioned a number of custom-made rods throughout his lifetime.
This rare rod was constructed in 1861 by a manufacturer in Edinburgh, the last in a line of rods to be made for the Prince. The rod was found in a dusty warehouse along with old furniture and other commonplace items, where it had been for the last 30 years. Even without its historical provenance the rod is a unique item, and will soon be held for auction at Tennant’s in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. Although pictures have not been released, it is described to have engraved silver fittings and amber roundels.
“It’s a fantastic thing and you’ll never see another,” said auctioneer Nick Lambert. “This is not your average fishing rod […]For all I know, this could be the last fishing rod Albert ever used–who’s to say he didn’t fish with it?”
