Unidentified Hardy reel from house clearance

[zoorooms]

Hi I have attached some photos of one of three reels I found in a house clearance. All are Hardys. One is a Sunbeam 3", the other a Perfect 3 5/8, but the last one I have no information on. I contacted Hardys current owners but they couldn't help but recommended this site.

[Midway Tommy D]

It's a Hardy Perfect, too. The label dates it to the 1896-1907 era. Diameter, edge & better photos would be helpful to pin it down more, but it looks to have a broken &/or shortened foot. Someone else should come along shortly that's way more knowledgeable about Hardy alloy drum reels than me, though.

[john elder]

Yes, early check...can you post a pic that shows an end-on view of the spool? It looks to be a wide body reel? Does it have the round line guide? Looks like the pins are there to hold one!

[zoorooms]

Many thanks for the information!. Here are some more photos! Yes the foot is damaged! I've had a quote to completely service / repair / overhaul the reel including new foot for £150 / £180. I wondered if this would be worthwhile doing?

[zoorooms]

It has a 3" Diameter

[john elder]

So, not a wide spool...and I think that line "guide" may be an aftermarket add-on to protect the pillar and side from getting cut up with line. I'll have to pull out my Hardy book tonight if no one else comes along with that answer, but I don't recall seeing one like that from the factory. However, it's an early reel and maybe they did something like that, which has similarities to later line guides on the LRH series.

Re restore, it's an early reel, so as a collector, it would probably be worth the money to have it restored. However, If profit is a motive, you best just sell it as-is and keep moving, MHO.

LATE ADD: After looking back at the first pics, I think the pins holding that line guide are so proud on the sides that it's almost certainly a later add-on.

[zoorooms]

Great many thanks. I'm not looking to sell, just wanted to see if £180 was in the realms of reasonableness?

[Ron Mc]

Valuation is always the strangest part of this hobby.
Here's the hit list on your reel - broken foot and badly splayed handle. As it stands, it's a non-functioning curiosity piece.
Nice ivory handle grasp.
Please don't be offended, but the thumbscrew is the most valuable part of the reel.
180 quid? It would take that and the skill of an artisan like Chris Henshaw to make it a functioning reel.
It's value then would be about what you had into it, a fraction of an original collector's condition reel.