Zebco scavenger hunt!

[clinton_beeler]

OK contestants! Today we are hunting for the 25 "first day" Zebco reels. Go through your drawers, closets, and attics.

When you find a "Standard" look at the foot. If the rivet is upside-down then you win!

If anyone finds one your prize is in your hand. Please post and I will tell you how to read the serial number.

Best Regards,
Clinton

[Tom M]

Clinton............I have 2 of them

[Midway Tommy D]

I'd enjoy seeing photos of what is being described.

[clinton_beeler]

Well Done! Take the front covers off. Inside is a black spinnerhead with two holes in the face (not the rim, those holes are to lighten the part.) Remove the lock nut (remember- righty tighty, lefty-loosie) and then remove the spinnerhead. Those holes were drilled from the inside. Look inside and you will find a certain number of drillings that don't go all the way through. The number of drillings is your serial number. If there is only one hole in the face then you just won the lottery.

My purpose in this is to find out how many of these important reels still exist. Please let us know what the serial numbers are!

Dick, what are the numbers on your reels?

Best Regards,
Clinton

[clinton_beeler]

I wish I could post pictures. I don't own one of these reels. I do own the only known pre-production reel which is number two. It's sitting in a display case at Zebco where it belongs. Perhaps someone else can post some pictures.

Best Regards,
Clinton

[Dick Braun,that-zebco-guy]

I know I have 3 of them maybe 4 I'd have to check, I'll come back with which number's I have and picture's of each one. I think Danny has 2 of them also.

[Tom M]

Clinton, Here are pictures of the Black Spinner Head Reel I have, with the 2 holes drilled clear through

[Tom M]

Here is the second reel I have with the upside down rivet in the foot. Note, the spinner head does not have the 2 holes drilled all the way through. Also, the reel came in this box and doesn't have the price printed on the box.

[Tom M]

The third reel is the only other black spinner head I have. It has the foot rivet with the large flanged head to the bottom like the most common ones.

[Midway Tommy D]

Thanks for posting the photos, Tom.

[Dick Braun,that-zebco-guy]

Nice pictures Tom, you all can see the progression of the spinner heads also as Tom is showing 3 different types of the black. The 1st picture I'm pretty sure is the orig. 1 model of the spinnerhead, The 2nd picture shows the more common spinnerhead that continued into to red and tan. The 3rd picture I've not seen and maybe Clinton can help on that one as the single partial hole is much larger than the others.

[Midway Tommy D]

Well here's an interesting thought and question. While Clinton indicates the quantity of partially drilled holes are indication of the serial number could they possibly have been a way of better balancing the head? Just a thought, as they did that a lot on spinning reel counter balance weights.

[Dick Braun,that-zebco-guy]

We thought that in the beginning but you wouldn't need that many holes to get a balance and that's when because each has a different number of holes we figured out that it was a numbering system for the 1st 25 that R.D. Hull used to mark them.

[clinton_beeler]

Very good! So Dick has three, Danny has two, and Tom has one. I'm very curious about that second reel. It has the upside-down rivet. The mold used to make the spinnerhead is different and it doesn't have the two holes. That is the only box I've heard of without a price. This will require additional thought. Does that reel say Zebco on the front cover? At some point we're probably going to have to measure diameters on those drillings. Your reel is obviously number nine. Dick has number three. That's the low number so far.

Here's the thing. At least six and possibly seven reels have been found out of twenty five. There will have been at least eighteen more. We will probably never find them all, But we've made a good start. Keep looking!

Best Regards,
Clinton

[Tom M]

Yes Clinton, it says Zebco on the front cover like the others.
I did see another reel without the price on the box and it too, had the upside down rivet on the foot (Solid black spinner head like my second reel posted). I bought it on a 'buy it now' auction, but the guy backed out after I bought it. I'm pretty sure someone contacted him and told him that he sold it too cheap. His excuse was that his wife listed it by mistake and it was his grand fathers reel. He said it wasn't supposed to be for sale. I let it go by until he later listed it for 1800.00. Of course, it didn't sell and he kept relisting it knocking down the price each listing. I contacted the auction site and complained, but lot of good that did. All they said was that it wasn't right for him to do that. and gave him a bad mark.
The reason I was so happy to get the boxed reel was that it had the warranty card showing in his picture and the date of purchase was written in......... Sept. 1949. I can't remember the exact day). I wanted to preserve that information and get it recorded.
I would imagine the person that contacted this guy after the auction ended up with it, but who knows. Good news is, about 2 months later, this reel showed up on a 'buy it now' and I got it! I sweated it out until it arrived at my doorstep. I wanted to tell you this so you would know that there is atleast one other like my second reel. Tom

[clinton_beeler]

I had hoped that this wouldn't happen, at least not so soon. I knew that when people found out how rare and potentially valuable these things are there would be fakes. If we already know where the genuine reels are this becomes far more difficult. If we know all about them we can spot the fakes.

Spinnerheads:

Look at the first one carefully. Note the holes. There is a line around them in the shape of what Dick calls "Thor's Hammer". This line comes from the mold. It would be extremely difficult to duplicate. This is correct.

Look at the second. It has round marks and no holes. This is incorrect. Also we've never seen these ejector pin impressions before. You said that the warranty card was dated September. The first day of production was the 13th of May.

The third probably had a problem when it was made. Instead of scrapping it they 'fixed' it (rework). It' a common practice in many industries.

Rivets:

Look at the one on the second reel. Help me out here Dick, but that matches my pre-production reel and the one I sent you. Enlarge it and look very carefully, especially at the punch mark. All of the reels would have been riveted by the same machine with the same punch set the same way. Now look at the rivet on the first reel. They don't match.

I think that you got the parts mixed up when you were taking the pictures Tom. Spinnerhead one with body two. The other reel is a legit black spinnerhead. The rivet has been replaced.

Did the seller say that this was a first day reel?
I wish I had better news.

Best Regards,
Clinton

[Tom M]

Clinton,
I'm sure I didn't get these mixed up. I took reel 1 apart and took pictures, then put it back together and put it away. then reel 2, then reel 3. I never took all of the reels down at the same time. If I did, I can't see how.......Tom

[clinton_beeler]

OK contestants! So far we have found (I believe) eight of the twenty-five reels! We have noticed that there can be two reels with the same number. Keep looking through the basement and barn. We know what we're looking for!

Best Regards,
Clinton

[Gunner1961]

Hello gentleman. I wanted to share that I believe I recently purchased one of these reels at an estate auction here in Evansville. Please take a look at the photos and let me know what you think. I just completed the clean up. Thanks

[clinton_beeler]

Yes! I believe that's number 5. Well done!

[Gunner1961]

Thanks Clinton.
Here are a few pictures after the clean up. I used a rounded punch and gently tapped out the dent in the front cover. I am pleased with how the reel turned out. Thanks to Dick Braun for his advise. I look forward to joining the club.