I’m sure it’s old and original and authentic to the reel, but the metal die stamping for the maker’s mark of this “J.Emdin” reel seems odd.
The letters are an unusual Roman numeral-like font and the spacing is not uniform, especially between the M and the D. The period after the “J” is not pronounced, either. It speaks of letters stamped one-by-one by someone inexperienced in that skill, perhaps because not many were sold.
The fact that the mark does not include the word “maker” hints of a retail seller, but retail sellers typically included the “city” location, i.e, “Conroy, Maker, New York.”
Where would a reel maker or retailer turn to purchase such a set of letter die stamps? (See generic research photo of vintage letter die stamps.) A local print shop, perhaps? This font looks familiar but I can’t put my finger on it.
Mike N