Quint's Fenwick 130lb fishing rod with production-used reel hitting Propstore auction
Quint’s (Robert Shaw) Screen- and Photo-Matched Fenwick 130 lb. Fishing Rod with Production-Used Penn Senator 16/0 Reel
Quint’s (Robert Shaw) screen- and photo-matched Fenwick 130 lb. Deluxe 670 big-game trolling rod used aboard the Orca during the shark-hunting sequences in Jaws (1975). This rare 130 lb. Fenwick—the largest class the company produced—features a composite fiberglass blank, stainless steel butt, Hypalon pads, and Mildrum double rollers. The hand-wrapped twine detail above the upper Hypalon grip forms a naturally irregular criss-cross pattern that matches exactly to close-ups in the film. Sticker placement, weathering, and the distressed hardware finish applied during filming all align precisely, and even the screw heads in the roller guides remain oriented at the same angles visible in production stills and the finished film—an exceptional and rare survival detail that further confirms the match.
The included Penn Senator 16/0 reel is a production-used example taken out during filming; while not believed to be the exact reel seen in close-ups, it is the correct model used on set, differing only in handle style.
The rod plays a memorable and narratively crucial role aboard the Orca. In one of the first major shark encounters, Quint uses this rod as he attempts to hook the unseen creature. When the line suddenly tightens and the rod strains under the enormous force, it becomes clear that something far larger than expected is stalking the waters around the boat. The sequence features multiple actors interacting with the rod—Quint, Hooper, and Brody each engage with it as tension builds—giving the camera several angles of the wraps, rollers, and hardware, all of which correspond precisely to this example. Although production may have had another rod on hand as a backup, this is the rod that matches every shot in which it is clearly visible in the final film and in production photographs, identifying it as the rod used on screen aboard the Orca.
The rod’s serial number begins with L, indicating manufacture in 1973–74, perfectly aligning with the 1974 shooting period. These 130 lb. Fenwick rods were scarce even when new and are now extremely difficult to locate, with Jaws enthusiasts frequently searching for correct examples and rarely finding them. After filming, the rod returned to a Los Angeles prop house. The current owner, a longtime industry prop master, acquired it in the early 1980s for personal use and learned of its Jaws provenance in the 1990s through conversations with property master Frank Nifong. A detailed letter of authenticity outlining this history accompanies the piece.
Jaws became the highest-grossing film in history upon its 1975 release—the first to surpass $100 million—and established the foundation of the modern summer blockbuster. Ranked by the American Film Institute among the top 50 American films of all time, it remains one of cinema’s most influential works. Very few definitively screen-matched items from the film survive; the demanding ocean shoot destroyed many props, and little was retained afterward.
As an unmistakably screen-verified piece of Quint’s gear, used by multiple principal actors in a pivotal early sequence aboard the Orca, this rod stands among the most desirable and significant Jaws artifacts ever to come to public auction.
