Who made this reel?

[Brian F.]

***Phil, please see the photos below of another reel that popped up in the meantime. Sorry for the "beating the dead horse" thing again.***

Would like to find out who made this reel and would appreciate any help. the head plate is a hard rubber ring sandwiched around metal, like a couple of Pflueger and Meisselbach models. It's also got a spider type tension spring on the tailplate like some Ocean City and Vom Hofe models. Sorry for the bad photos but it's labeled Kingfisher Surf Reel and Freespool.

[Reel Geezer]

Hey Brian, that one looks like Yale Metal Products to me. They had several reels with that Bakelite ring around the plates. They're from the 1920s. That "Kingfisher" surf reel name on it would make it a contract reel for Edward K. Tryon.

[Brian F.]

Phil, Thanks for the info. I thought Tyron had to fit in there somewhere with the Kingfisher name. It looks so much like a Meisselbach surfcasting reel I saw a while back. Are Yale and Meisselbach connected somehow? Appreciate all the help!

[Reel Geezer]

Brian, I don't believe there was a connection with that reel, for the Meisselbach similar reel was made at a later date. However, there are a lot of other connections with reels that were dropped by Meisselbach after their move from NJ to Ohio. The 1924 Yale catalog in our Library shows many reels similar to the Wollensak/Rochester reels (H J Frost).

[Brian F.]

Phil, Just saw this up for auction, a Meisselbach Good Luck that looks almost exactly the same as my Kingfisher above. Down to the "250-300 yd." marking under the foot and location of the pins for the click spring. The only thing that looks different is the click button. Would that confirm this reel was picked up by Yale later or did Meisselbach make it for someone else (Yale or vice versa)?

[Reel Geezer]

Brian; That's not a Meisselbach reel despite what the seller says. I don't know how the good luck trademark made it to Yale, but that is a Yale reel. It never was a Meisselbach reel at any time. There is nothing similar in the construction to any Meisselbach reel, except the Bakelite rim. The reel in the photo is shown on page 7 of the Yale catalog c1924. It was made in two sizes. There are some other Yale reels using the sandwich type construction... "Surf King", "King Ball Bearing Level Winding Reel", "King Ball Bearing Casting Reel". Yale Metal Products Co. manufactured those reels in Strasburg, PA. Perhaps Meisselbach made the surf reel as a "Generic" before they left Newark in 1920-21, but I have not seen any evidence of the reel being made in that time period. I've never found it in any manufacturer's catalog except Yale's. Also pictured in the Yale catalog - "Yale Ideal Reel Single Action". "Yale Gem Reel Single Action", "Good Luck Wood Reel, Ball Bearing" "Yale Handy Reel Seat". These were all products formerly manufactured by someone else (Meisselbach among them), but now listed in the Yale Catalog. Obviously Yale took over designs and purchased tooling to manufacture products formerly made by defunct companies. I am currently involved in more Rochester Reel Co. research, and will be publishing more details about that company in the future, but there appears to be many reels that we still don't know the origins of, and the history of. Maybe someday we will learn more.

[dave H]

Hasn't the eBay reel been put together wrong? It looks as though there are two plates sandwiched between the hard rubber of the head-plate, and none under the head-plate where the pillars screw in - where an awful lot of protection is needed. I've got 2 of these Good Lucks, and it's quite possible to reassemble the reels either way. Phil, what does the catalog show?
Thanks,
Dave

[Steve]

Yale was a popular sandwich shop. Each of the various "King" models came in one of two different sandwiches, with metal on the outside or inside. Here are a couple of examples.

This is luredin's photo from his message down below from Jan. 28:


And here's a reel from one of the Yale catalogs, which also featured Good Luck wood reels:

[Brian F.]

Thanks, everyone, for your great information and especially to Phil for sticking with me to help understand! Sorry it takes a little while to get through.

Checking in our Reel News back issue list, I saw one article on Yale reels in the Volume III - 1993 issue. Will check it out when I get home because I don't remember what exactly was in it.

Thanks for also pointing out the double ring or layer of metal on the ebay reel - didn't notice that. My reel has a single "layer".

[reels4me]

Hi Brian--Think I saw something on Joe Yates Tackle box site yesterday.

[reels4me]

Sorry Brian--What I noticed was a reference to a 'Blackburn' drag on
Joe Yates' tackle Box, 2 days ago hope you can find.

[Brian F.]

Thank you for the heads up and I did see the notice. Unfortunately, the fellow only wants to trade for some things I don't have.