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Even though it's three-piece format, the blank might be post-WWII. This would be later work than I had first thought, which raises the possibility that PHY built the blank. What's the node arrangements (tips and butt may be different sequences)? The butt cap is authentic and shows diagonal edge marks, which I have seen before on some PHY rods. The ferrules predate use of Super-Zs. The ends of the blank have been turned to accept the ferrules, an operation that PHY separately described in the catalog as one that he would do for a dollar. It would help so much if I could see the whole kit, as well as the separate close-ups. It would also help to see the cork grip; PHY was proud of his work with cork. It looks like the butt cap is attached to a cork reel seat; if so is there also a grip attached to the entire assembly? What is its overall shape? Is there a thumb indentation?

2x2 is good. 2x2 is believed to have been PHY's first choice in node arrangement. But if cane had to be conserved, as was often the case, then 3x3 node arrangements were used. Someone who has a better understanding of rod making than I do will hopefully comment on the taper numbers. But let's assume, just for the sake of argument, that this is a post WWII kit from, say, 1948. PHY had extensive offerings of do-it-yourself rod materials in the 1948 catalog. Although he stated his personal preference for two-piece rods, PHY offered his finished rods and his kits in three-piece format. In the 1948 catalog he offered three different 7'6" three-piece kit blanks, described as follows:

To make 7-1/2' - 3-1/4 oz. for 14/64 and 10/64 ferrules. 4/64 Tip Top.
To make 7-1/2' - 3-3/4 oz. for 15/64 and 10/64 ferrules. 4-1/2 / 64 Tip Top.
To make 7-1/2' - 4 oz. for 16/64 and 11/64 ferrules. 5/64 Tip Top.

You could check the ferrule sizes in your kit and see if there is any correlation.

The cane in these glued-up sticks could be supplied as Grade 1, "Extra Select" or Grade 2, "Select." The cane could be ordered as either "brown tone" or "natural" (PHY was experimenting with mottle-flaming at this time, but I think that by "brown tone" he meant a more or less uniform color).

It looks like there may be some pencil marks on the blanks indicating where snake guides should be placed. PHY offered to mark the guide spacings and turn the ends of the blanks to accept the ferrules, which has been done on this case. For small fees he would also install the ferrules and do a number of other little tasks. The kit builder could pretty much take up the work himself at whatever point he chose.

It is too bad that there is no glued and shaped grip, or separate cork rings. Here's the odd thing about the missing grip, if we assume that the 1948 catalog is relevant. In 1948, for one price, PHY would glue and shape the cork grip and the mortised cork skeleton reel seat, with cap and reel band installed and supplied. You have a mortised reel seat with cap attached, and the ring, but no grip or separate corks. This makes me wonder whether a grip was supplied but got lost at some point during the past half-century. I assume there's also no rod winding silk or other items beyond what you have shown. Perhaps other items were lost at some point, or were never supplied.

So as usual with PHY, we have some possible answers (or misleading guesses) and a lot more questions. A couple of times you've asked, "What's it worth?" I don't know. I don't know whether anybody knows. As it is, this grouping is a little bit of history, valuable in and of itself, showing at least part of the stuff PHY sent out when a customer ordered kit rod materials. There's also the possibility of making up a rod from those materials, thus fulfilling the result that was intended for them when PHY shipped them out to the customer. A new "Ace" grade rod from the late 1940's would have looked like the lower rod in the photo below, except that yours would have had the cap and ring as shown in the upper rod (and would have been three-piece, of course). Hopefully this is helpful and my guesses haven't led us too far astray.

Click on this link, Finn, to see a highest-grade Paul H. Young "Sportsman" vise from circa 1933, owned by "reelsmith." I'm not familiar with a serial-numbered run of PHY vises, and would love to see photos of your vise, and learn more about it. There's always something new to learn about Paul Young.

Clicking the link below for the PHY database pages will give you access to what I believe is currently the largest publicly-accessible collection of information about the Paul H. Young Co.