Description
This 4th Era Goodwin Granger Favorite – GF8642 was crafted between 1930 and 1933—making it among the first to bear the model name “Favorite”. All-original siding band Favorites were only made for 4 years and they have become very rare in un-restored condition. The Goodwin Granger 4th era was ushered in by a sweeping change to the names of the rod lineup. The Goodwin Rod was renamed the Favorite. In October of 1931, Mr. Granger passed away leaving the company to be run by Agnes Marshall and Bill Phillipson.
This 4th era, all-original Goodwin Granger Favorite GF8642 is in Very Good+ condition. All sections are full length and straight. The rod appears to have a varnish overcoat that has been polished out nicely. Tastefully wrapped with black & white jasper silk tipped gold with full gold intermediates. The A-grade Tonkin cane is a dark, rich caramel color due to Granger’s ammonia aging process. Sliding band nickel silver reel seat states: “GRANGER FAVORITE” cleanly roll stamped between two incised lines at the top and “Made By / Goodwin Granger Company / Denver”. Chromium plated Perfection (PAT 8-3-15) tip tops and Perfection stripper guide. Hardened steel line guides. Cleaned 5.5” Coke bottle grip has a small hook chip along the bottom. Hard-drawn nickel silver ferrules. Female ferrule on the mid section was reset and wrapped by Mike Clark of South Creek Ltd. Original olive bag in excellent condition (inked with a former owner’s name on one side) and original aluminum tube (cleaned) and cap with Finecane reproduction label.
ABOUT THE GRANGER FAVORITE
The Goodwin Granger Favorite was introduced in several advertisements in 1930 and the 1931 Goodwin Granger Catalog describes the Favorite as follows:
“The Granger Favorite is a beautifully balanced rod, with quick action, sensitiveness, and power. This rod is one of our most popular models, and although moderately priced, is definitely in the ‘high grade’ class, and measures up to the exacting standards of performance. It will meet the approval of any fisherman who knows and appreciates a really good fly rod.”
The Favorite (formerly The Goodwin Rod) was one of Granger’s most popular grades given its classic appearance and moderate price point—at $25, it was half the cost of the top-of-the-line ($50) Premier.
Goodwin Granger Favorite rods of the 4th Era were available in 7 1/2′ to 10′ lengths (3 oz. to 6.5oz.) and priced at $25. Tournament models were available in 9 and 9.5′ lengths. Each was outfitted with a sliding band reel seat with “GRANGER FAVORITE” inscribed between two knurled bands. Grips were Coke Bottle shaped. Windings consisted of black & white jasper tipped in gold with full intermediate wraps.*
Changes to the Favorite grade in the 5th Era included the new uplocking reel seat and a Western (Reverse Half-wells) style grip.
Production of the Goodwin Granger Favorite grade lasted until the company closed its doors during WWII in 1941.
Wright & McGill Rod Co. purchased Granger Rods in 1946 and resumed production of the Favorite grade beginning with the 1947 Catalog. It was offered in 7.5′ to 9.5′ lengths (3.75 oz. to 6.0oz.) and priced at $50. Interestingly, the 1947 W&M Catalog also shows two 9′ Tournament models offered in the Favorite grade. The Favorite grade was offered for sale until the last W&M bamboo rods were listed in the 1953 Catalog.
The Favorite is listed as a “High Grade” rod constructed with A-Grade cane matched from different culms.
The Favorite is the only grade in the Wright & McGill lineup to offer full intermediate wraps.* This unique trait gives these rods a timeless, classic appearance… and many Granger collectors consider this grade their “Favorite”.
*Prior to the introduction of the Favorite grade, predecessors with full intermediate wraps included the 1st Era Deluxe grade and 2nd & 3rd Era Goodwin Rod.
GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE 4TH ERA (1930 – 1933)
Goodwin Granger advertisements of the 4th Era reflect a change in style and format. The earliest ads from 1930—and supported by the 1931 Goodwin Granger Catalog—introduce radical changes to the names of the Granger grades. The Denver Special and Colorado Special were replaced with simply a “Special”, The Goodwin Rod was renamed the “Favorite”, The Granger Rod was renamed the “DeLuxe”, and the former Tournament Grade became known as the “Premier”.
Ads from 1931 introduced a new writing style that describes how “YOU”—the buyer—will get the most out of “YOUR” Granger Rod. Prices range from $10 to $55 for a Premier Tournament Rod.
Ads from 1932 are the first of the smaller size—likely to save on cost. These ads also reflect a change in design style from previous ads. As far as we can tell, these are the firsts ad that use illustrations of people that a viewer may identify with.
To date, we have found no ads from 1933. The reason for this remains unclear.
All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER COMPANY” as the business entity and the address is consistent at Grant St, Denver, Colo.
You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.
All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
