WTB Zebco Cardinal 7 Paper & Styrafoam Box Insert & Sleeve

[Kevin McJunkin]

I bought a mint Zebco Cardinal 7 in woodgrain early 70's box at an auction but it is missing the bottom styrofoam insert, extra spool, tool, oiler, and instruction manual. I didn't have time to look for the missing items because I had to leave for a family obligation. The box is torn. I could use two instruction manuals as I have another complete mint in the box set which is missing only the manual. I think the manual look likes the one in this completed ebay auction:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ZEBCO- ... 663.l10137

I would consider buying a well used Cardinal 7 with box and insert and accessories.

Thanks for your consideration.

Kevin

[Midway Tommy D]

Kevin,

That box was a transition box between the green box and the last brown and black box without the styrofoam insert. The earliest version manual was light/teal green and did not have Zebco on it. It came in the display type box. The second & third version reels came in the green & brown & black (like yours) boxes. They came with the white manual with red "CARDINAL" lettering & black reel like one pictured below. The third version reel has the silver medallion. The manual you linked came with the fourth version reel with the green medallion and box without a styrofoam insert.



Hope that helps.

[Kevin McJunkin]

Tom, thank you for your response and for helping me identify the correct manual for my reel and box!
I have a few questions. From Ben Wright's book I understand that I also have a first model Cardinal 7 with theZebco "By Abu" medallion. Ben speculated that Garcia was offended by the attribution to Abu since they were Abu's main U.S. distributor so the "by Abu" was removed from the reel. The serial number is 090705, which dates this reel to September, 1967. I found a green instruction manual for a Cardinal 6 or 7 reel that has "Zebco" on the cover. There is a photo of a reel inside the manual with the Zebco by Abu first version sticker. I understand that old photos are sometimes carried forward in subsuquent paper work, but is my manual correct for a first version reel?
Also, just wanted to be sure that you are saying that the manual in the linked ebay auction listing is incorrect - it should be a white manual since the box is a second or third version with the styrofoam inserts?
Photos should be attached. Wish Ben was still with us to chime in.
Thanks,
Kevin

[Midway Tommy D]

Kevin,

You opened somewhat of a can of worms. After seeing your manual photos I decided to take a look at all of my Zebco Cardinal 6 & 7 manuals, which includes the first light/teal green one that came with my dad's (bought new) '67 Cardinal 6. I've got 10 different manuals and found some interesting anomalies.

1. The light green/teal (earliest) book does not have Zebco on the front cover. It does have Zebco,
Brunswick and the Tulsa address on the back. It also has Lagerblads KARLSHAMN
only, with no number, in the bottom right corner. It has a photo of the reel inside......but.....the
sticker reads ABU Svangsta and the medallion reads Cardinal 66.

2. The white manual (photo I posted) w/red CARDINAL & black reel now
has Zebco on the front, Lagerblads KARLSHAMN only, with no number, in the
bottom right corner of the back cover and the photo of the reel inside still has the sticker that reads
ABU Svangsta and medallion reading Cardinal 66.

3. The next manuals I have are bright green like the one you posted. They both came with the fourth
version 6' & 7s. They have Lagerblads KARLSHAMN, a 4 digit number and 75 in
the bottom right corner of back cover. Interestingly, the photo of the reel inside is still a first version
that has the sticker that now reads ZEBCO by ABU but the medallion on the bottom portion still says
Cardinal 66.

4. The next two manuals are bright green, like the one you posted, and came with the 6X & 7X models.
The features photo pages say "EXPRESS" rather than "X". They have Lagerblads
KARLSHAMN, a 4 digit number and now has the number 76 in the bottom right corner
of back cover. The photo of the reel inside continues to be a first version that has the sticker that reads
ZEBCO by ABU but the medallion on the bottom portion now says Cardinal 6 instead of 66.

I found those variations interesting, especially given that the "X"s were the last version, '77-'83, along with the 4th version, '74-'82.

I'm curious as to how the manual you show fits into the "tree" since it has the *3 in the bottom right corner, but also has the Cardinal 6 medallion, which didn't appear until the '76 booklet.

Seems like something always surfaces in this hobby that creates confusion and initiates more research.

[Kevin McJunkin]

Thanks, Tom. My head is spinning. It seems odd that the photo in my manual matches my first generation 1967 Zebco Cardinal perfectly, but they apparently didn't use that photo until 1976! Well, hard to argue with your dad's new in the box example, but maybe they could have changed manuals in mid-stream for the first generation? What is the date on your Dad's reel (mine is Sept 1967).

This reminds me of a discussion about Pflueger Medalist manuals and how to date them. Since boxes and manuals and reels sometimes get mixed up, in the absence of new old stock, sealed examples you would need to assemble a large data base to match up the reel with the ephemera to establish a pattern and then weed out the outliers. A lot of work!

Kevin

[oc1]

You see enough empty boxes being sold at the auction to question any box and reel combination as suspect unless, of course, your daddy bought it all new.
-steve

[Midway Tommy D]

What is the date on your Dad's reel

I was over at his house today & took a look. 040706, April '67. I found that interesting because I ordered a new Cardinal 6 through a hardware in the spring of 1970 and it's 100706, Oct. '67. Both our 6s are well used, & we both still fish them. I have no idea what ever happened to my box or manual. I had it for a long time but I'm pretty sure my Ex wife ended up with them & pitched them. She also snatched up one of my Cardinal 4s, box, etc. & gave it to my son. He still fishes it, too, & razzes me when we're fishing together.

[Kevin McJunkin]

Tom,

I think my green manual has a little rub on the back lower right corner so instead of *3 it was originally "73". Reason I say that is I just received an identical Cardinal manual from Arley, with the same 31-11012 code in the lower left corner, except his manual has "74" in the lower right corner. It just so happens that my two Zebco Cardinal 7 reels with the woodgrain boxes and styrofoam inserts are dated 1973 and 1974. I must be living right.

Kevin

[Midway Tommy D]

Good for you, Kevin! That fits right in with the non-recessed silver medallion. Some of those, which were advertised as more salt water proof, had a stainless steel bail plate rather than plastic. The "*3" thing had me wondering what variations of the manuals were out there. I had never encountered a "73" dated manual, just "74", "75" & "76". Evidently the white manual came with the second version, "ZEBCO" sticker, and early third version, silver medallion, reels. Always something new to discover in this hobby. That's part of what keeps it interesting.