Uncataloged (?) Shakespeare 40-Yard Tournament Reel ...

[reelsmith.]

I was excited to read Colby Sorrells wonderful article in the latest issue of The Reel News as I just acquired a "little handle" reel and was looking for information. It seems what I have is an uncataloged 40-yard Shakespeare Tournament reel. The 100-yard is the model 23043, the 60-yard (with a spool width of 1-1/4") is the model 22143. The reel pictured below has a spool width of 15/16" and is simply marked "Patented" on the foot.

I've been in touch with one Shakespeare collector who also has this reel, but has never seen it in a catalog.







Have you seen this reel in a catalog ?

Thanks.

Dean.

[reelsmith.]

Alrighty then ...I'll take that as a "no".

Dean.

[john elder]

Dean, this is the first time your post has shown in my "new posts" page, so maybe someone will be along that has info. Mark is the obvious candidate for spotting your reel in a catalogue. My Shakes catalogues are, to say the least, bleak!

john

[Mike N]

Dean,

I went through about eight different Shakespeare catalogs in the NFLCC library for various years and decades and could not find anything similar. There were “tournament” reels but they were all wide spool, with larger cork arbors but normal handles.

Looks like you got a rare one.





Mike N

[wrong99]

Dean,
I suspect your reel is circa 1927-1928, as my catalogs from those years are the only ones that offer a narrow spool of that design and with the small tournament handles. As stated, the smallest offered is a 60-yard model. By 1930, the "Tournament" model had been completely redesigned, so your reel is obviously pre-1930. However, that brings us to 1929. I've never seen a catalog yet from that year. If your 40-yard beauty was ever cataloged, it would had to have been in the 1929 edition. If not, then perhaps it was a special order? If anyone can obtain a copy of the 1929 edition, that would tell us everything. Also, I'm prepared to pay upwards of $20 for your reel, should you decide to sell.
Mark

[Mike N]

As noted in this monograph about Shakespeare at page 11, the Great Depression started in 1929. Mark’s timeline in that context makes a lot of sense.

https://cache.kzoo.edu/bitstream/handle ... sequence=1

[reelsmith.]

John, that's odd. My first post had over 60 views when I posted the second one. So, I figured a bunch of folks had seen it.

Mike, thanks for the help, much appreciated.

Mark, thanks for all that information. John is right, you'd know best. I've had the 60-yard recently so knew how wide it was. When I saw this 40-yard I could tell right away in was narrower. Thanks for the offer ...it will definitely be upwards of twenty bucks.

Dean.