WHAT may be the world’s oldest surviving rod and reel, as well as the fishing tackle used and collected by Frederic Halford, father of the worldwide sport of dry fly fishing, are to be sold tomorrow in the same extraordinary auction of angling memorabilia. These two sets of items alone will attract the attention of collectors and dealers in Britain, mainland Europe and the United States. With the 500-plus other lots on offer, they will make the sale in Chiswick Town Hall, southwest London, the most important dedicated angling auction of recent times.

Halford died in 1914, having written, among other works, Dry Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice (1889), the book that systematised the approach to dry fly fishing as it has been practised by millions ever since. The sale of his tackle, cased fish and books — his books and other papers are to be sold at an auction in the spring — had been expected, and individual items among them are likely to fetch from the low hundreds to the low thousands. The surfacing and sale of the ancient, combined rod and reel — it is Chinese and believed to date from between 1100 and 1400 — was not expected. Indeed, until a few weeks ago, scarcely anyone knew of its existence.

Neil Freeman, whose company, Angling Auctions, is organising the sale, says that the item was a gift to someone on British diplomatic business in China in the early 1930s and was acquired by the present owner in the late 1970s. “I’ve never seen anything like it and nor has anyone else who’s seen it,” he said. “It’s one of those ultra-rare pieces that every auctioneer dreams of selling at some time in his life. It is, quite simply, unique.”

The rod, which may have been used for fishing for terrapins as well as — or instead of — fish, is 46 inches long and is made of a single length of tapered bamboo. It has two porcelain rings to carry the line. The reel is gossamer-delicate and made of rosewood. It is permanently fastened to the rod with an iron pin.

While the exact date of the rod and reel cannot be known for certain, their design, when taken with the materials used and the manner of construction, indicate, Freeman says, a date before 1400. Illustrations dating from the 12th century show similar kinds of tackle in use. Neither the British Museum nor the John Needham Institute for Oriental Studies, in Cambridge, knows of anything similar that has survived.

While the Halford and Chinese items are exceptional, the auction tomorrow is far from unusual. There is a worldwide, multimillion-pound market in old fishing tackle, cased fish and books, and up to eight similar-size sales are held every year in the UK alone. Britain has between 300 and 400 serious collectors and many thousands of dabblers.

Most money goes on reels, and collectors have been known to spend up to £20,000 on a single model. Rods — against most expectations — attract less interest and hence less cash, not least because owners like to show off their collections and the effective display of a large collection of long rods is often difficult, if not impossible. The Chinese rod, however, is exceptional on all counts — age, rarity, length and almost certainly value. “But what will it fetch?” Freeman asked. “I simply don’t know. I simply have no idea how to value it. I guess we’ll find out on the day.”