The discerning eye of a (reel) collector

[Mike N]

I’m a collector of many things, first and foremost antique fishing reels. After 35 years of handling and examining reels and vintage sporting items, like many others, I can usually separate reels of quality and craftsmanship at a glance.

This NY Times article is about overcrowded museums selecting items to sell off (deaccession). It contains a quiz —5 questions with photos, spaced throughout the article—asking the reader to decide which painting or sculpture is inferior or superior. Study each object carefully and think like an art expert. I got 4 out of 5— I missed the 2d question.


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... -quiz.html

Enjoy

Mike N

[john elder]

“Knowledge is power”...that’s why I don’t collect art or decoys

[reeltackle]

That was a fun quiz, thanks for sharing. I missed the second question too. Not being familiar with the artists in that particular lot I went with my gut. I thought the third piece was the “D”. I actually preferred the “D” painting to both of the others.

Besides the small handful of museums that specialize in vintage tackle, I’m curious as to how many other museums even have collections of antique tackle. This article makes you wonder what some of the larger museums may be holding in storage that may never find its way to the public’s eye.

I doubt any of the major museums have actually set about trying to acquire a comprehensive collection of tackle, and if in fact there is a museum with a collection, it was most likely donated to the museum by a collector. Who knows what great pieces could be lurking in a museum basement near you. Does anyone know of such a collection of tackle that was donated to, or acquired by a museum?

I know the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) has a fair amount of tackle that was given to them by Zane Grey’s family after he passed in 1939. They have a fantastic ZG fishing display in their National Road and Zane Grey Museum outside of Zanesville Ohio which is open from May through September. When I curated the Zane Grey show for the now defunct IGFA museum the OHS was more than happy to loan me any, and as many items from their museum display as I cared to take. My exhibit was happening during the months they were closed and part of the agreement was that everything would be returned before they reopened (really, send them back!).

I was also given access to one of their many storage facilities, the one that contained all the items that were donated by the Grey family but were not on display at the ZG museum. The items in storage were in large wooden crates that had been nailed shut had certainly not been opened for decades. I choose several great pieces from the items they had in storage for my exhibit and then the boxes were nailed shut again.

I know that I was the first person with any knowledge of the value of antique tackle to ever examine the artifacts they had in storage. So many historical pieces just shut away most likely never to be displayed. So many rods and other unique items slowly falling into a state of disrepair form improper storage. I was disheartened to say the least.

This article makes a good point about museums parting with their surpluses, whether it is to other smaller museums who would be thrilled to have and display lesser pieces or to auction them off to private collections. Both options seem better than hoarding pieces that will never see a museum’s display floor and never have the chance to be appreciated by anyone.

[reelsmith.]

Very interesting.

I got them all. My logic on number two was the newest one was worth the least.

Dean.

[Deepfins791]

We should start a thread on the pros and cons of donating your tackle to a museum. I have some pretty strong opinions regarding this subject.

As many of the collectors I visit across the country are getting up there in age, the topic of "what the heck is going to happen to all this stuff when I die" typically comes up. At the ripe old age of 59, I have already put a lot of thought and planning into how I would like my collection handled after I kick the bucket.