De-Liars were manufactured in San Diego by the Langley Corp. It is unclear when production began, but it must have been prior to 1953. De-Liars are a combination scale and tape measure. They were intended to keep lying fishermen honest. Most were given to such fishermen as gag gifts and they often wound up unused in the bottom of the tackle box. They are fairly accurate.
Somehow the patents wound up at Zebco, where the De-Liar was changed from pot metal to plastic and the hanging trout on the front became a leaping bass. There is a Zebco in that picture* just for comparison, but only the Langley is sought by collectors. What are they worth? Only eBay knows for sure.
Howard
*second row up from the bottom on the right