I was recently asked about the timeline of the aluminum model. I’ve looked through the catalogs in our ORCA library. The Orvis 1874 perforated fly reel is not offered in the aluminum option in the 1889 Orvis catalog (a copy of that catalog is available in the book Great Fishing Tackle Catalogs) but is offered in the next catalog we have, 1909. It appears that Orvis reels were not offered at all by Abercrombie & Fitch until 1910, at which time the aluminum option was available.
Orvis 1889 catalog (basic reel is $3.50; no aluminum option offered, but the reel is “put up in [a] neat Black-Walnut case”):
Orvis 1909 catalog offers the "improved" basic reel with screws, not rivets, at $1 less, at $2.50, and the model in aluminum at $3.50; walnut case no longer mentioned, which may be the reason for the $1 price decrease in the basic model):
Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, 1910, offering an aluminum option:
Some photos of an aluminum model:
Obviously, it would be helpful to examine Orvis catalogs from 1889 to 1908 to get a more definitive time line.
I complete this thread with a photo of a rare Orvis cardboard box for the aluminum reel circa. 1909-ish after the walnut boxes had been discontinued. The photo was sent to me by a collector/historian.
