Fenwick 670 130lb Class

[OldSchool]

Im curious to how many rods may have been made that were the Fenwick 670 130lb class brown (painted) fibreglass with the brown foam foregrip with Mildrum roller guides and a Varmac reel seat size RS6H with a straight wooden butt. (aka.Jaws rod). Ive seen others that are almost it but not this exact colour or with different butt's or the same in every way but for line class. Any ideas on what it would be worth. 45th anniversary year of the movie got me thinking.

[1badf350]

The jaws rod had a rubber coated aluminum butt that sorta looked like wood in the film. The only 670 rods I know of with wood butts were the early ones with cork foregrips, and those had a light blonde wood.
As far as, how many were made we have no way of knowing

[OldSchool]

The butt was definitely wood and is widely regarded as being wood. I have seen many Fenwicks with the brown wood butt and brown foregrip. What information do you know off that suggest the rod had an alloy butt with rubber coating?

[1badf350]

I know it's widely regarded as being wood and whoever started that rumor is wrong.  I have also purchased preowned rods with wood butts but they were not original to the rod. I've been collecting those rods for many years and I have every catalog from the early 60s to the late 70s.  I own seven Fenwick 670 rods spanning the years 1964 to 1978.
I've studied this movie extensively and have most all of the major props either in replica or original. I obtained two of the original barrels, and a chunk of the Orca from Susan and Lynn Murphy who are known for being involved in the production of the film and purchased a large lot of the props, including the rod, when filming concluded.
Once you see the rubberized butt that I am talking about and you know what to look for, you can tell its the same butt is in the film. Its easily mistaken for wood, but its not wood

[1badf350]

Here are some screenshots of the film. Once I get home I will take a picture of one of my rods so you can see what it looks like in person. Like i said, it can easily be mistaken for wood but its not. You can tell has no wood grain whatsoever in it

[1badf350]

To begin the conversation we should talk about Fenwick serial numbers. Each rod has a serial number beginning with a letter followed by a five or six digit number. For the sake of this discussion we will focus on the letter since it denotes the approximate year of manufacture. Attached here is the breakdown in Victor R. Johnson's book on the history of Fenwick

[1badf350]

The big game rods cataloged up to around 1968 had cork grips and blonde wood butts. Attached here is a page from the 1968 catalog showing the cork grips and a small picture of the butts. Also attached is a picture of my H serial model 670 dating to 1967-68

[1badf350]

Around late 1969/early 1970 Fenwick announced the "new unbreakable fiberglass rod butts". Attached here is the announcement as shown in the 1971-73 catalogs, the layout seen in the 1973 catalog, and a picture of my J serial 1969-70 model 670 with fiberglass butt

[1badf350]

1974-75 brings us to the "Jaws" rod years. Fenwick announces new "hypalon covered stainless steel handle"
Attached is the layout in the 1975 catalog and a picture of the hypalon covered butt of my M serial 1974-75 model 670. This is what the Jaws rod butt is.

[1badf350]

Finally we come  to the end of the run for the big brown Fenwicks in 1976-77. The attached page from the 1976 catalog shows the switch to stainless steel handles.
1978 sees the introduction of the new white Fenglass series big game rods and the old brown rods are gone.

[pjstevko]

Great intel! I'll have to check out my 640 roller rod when i get home to determine the year.....

[thorhammer]

This is some great stuff! I have a 30 and 50 in the Hypalon covered. I will go out and check year tomorrow.

[Swami805]

Thanks for the look, you've amassed an incredible collection

[thrasher]

  I was going to say the same, that is a pretty amazing collection. Are there any photos of your entire collection? I have seen a lot of your stuff in different posts, your Ocean City reels, your Penn boxes and etc.

  I don't want to say too much in this post but I hope things are getting a little easier for you and your family!!!

[OldSchool]

The story of the rod having a wooden butt end probably emanates from the Jaws ride in Universal Orlando having the props on display of which was the actual rod. It didn't look anything like in the movie as it was returned to the owner of the charter Gladius X who lent the film crew the rod and reel for filming. After filming it returned to Gladius X and was continued to be used on the boat and why it looks so poorly. (not sure how others claim to have purchased it after filming?) This is confirmed when the actual rod was rebirthed looking nothing like in the film stating the butt had been sanded back and refinished (wood) and was sold with the Jaws Art director and the Gladius X owner both providing letters of Authenticity as to the rods provenance. That rod had a wood butt.

If you look at the pictures you have submitted from the movie itself and even back up a couple of frames in the movie at that scene it shows the rod butt has with extensive damage of which looks to be consistent to either wood or fibreglass but absolutely not stainless steel as the 74-75 Fenwick had.

You cannot see wood grain on the rod butt as its painted in that ugly mission brown they loved back in the day.

The stainless steel butt rod was made 74-75 as you confirmed, but jaws was being made in 1974. Its unlikely a rod model made in 74 has entered the market purchased by a charter boat and used to achieve the level of damage and patina as is depicted in the movie all before being lent to a filming crew. More likely an earlier model was used.

The hypalon coated stainless steel butt looks Tan and nothing like that dirty mission brown colour.

Your information on the Fenwick rods is spot on but I am unconvinced the Jaws rod butt was covered stainless steel, there are just too many inconsistencies, the rod in the movie doesn't look wood grained as its painted and faded, it is damaged consistent to wood as seen in the movie frames with significant patina as it was a working rod lent out not a movie prop.

So how would a brown wood butt rod come out? Potentially like many manufacturers back then you would use up all the parts you had of the last model before starting the next, Mitchell reel company would be a good example of this. Perhaps pre the brown fibreglass 69-70 era they used up the wooden butts and went with the new brown colour scheme and when all used up phased in the fibreglass handles with the same colour scheme. It would seem more likely a 69-70era rod would be in the market purchased and had use consistent to the level of damage and patina of the movie rod.