Early Pflueger Medalist

ORCA Online Forum - Feel free to talk or ask about ALL kinds of old tackle here, with an emphasis on old reels!
Post Reply
forge
Big ORCA Fan
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:28 pm

Early Pflueger Medalist

Post by forge »

Which early Pflueger Medalist reels when first introduced had bird cage spools and which ones had solid spools in the 13,14 & 15 hundred series? Also, did they all stay that way until about 1951 when the aluminum spool cover & the sculptured pillars ended? (except sculptured pillars continued on the 1492)

forge
User avatar
Ron Mc
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3384
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:49 am
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Early Pflueger Medalist

Post by Ron Mc »

They all began as click pawl reels with sculpted pillars on frame and spool, 1928
c. 1930 1494
Image
Image

Arbor drums were placed over sculpted spool pillars in 1936 on all but 1492.
1492 also remained click-pawl, RHW throughout its production.
What made a 1394 was brass foot and no round line guard.
Image
Image

Patent drag was introduced in 1937.
c. 1938 1494
Image
Image
Image
forge
Big ORCA Fan
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:28 pm

Re: Early Pflueger Medalist

Post by forge »

You have no idea how much i appreciate your precise & complete answers, especially with the pictures you include.
I have many more questions, but only one at a time. How long did the 1492 continue with the sculpted pillars on the frame, and when did Pflueger stop putting sculpted pillars under the sleeves on the spools? I thought i said one question but now i have two.

forge
User avatar
Ron Mc
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3384
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:49 am
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Early Pflueger Medalist

Post by Ron Mc »

I don't know the dates, because I'm really not a Medalist collector, but I was the first person who recognized -DA was Shakespeare date code after Akron moved to Fayetteville.
I would take all dates with a grain of salt, but if you find the Richard Komar Medalist history, it should answer most of your questions.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/feature ... art287.php
People get awful nit-picky about changes and dates, screws and rivets, 3-pin and 6-pin spools. But Pflueger was never Hughes Aerospace with drawings for all department managers to sign off changes - they were more opportunistic, and would complete reels with what they had in the parts bin.
E.g., there are a gang of 1494s out there with stamped 1394 face plates - some of them have the 3 stamped-over with a 4, others were left marked 1394.

Bad Bob, RAM on the forum, Robert A. Miller, and Pflueger Pfacts columnist in The Reel News, will have more Pflueger catalog information than anyone else out there, and is always a helpful gentleman.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=406

ps -if you want a really cool collectible, horseshoe-latch Gem was only made for part of 1935
Image
Image
Post Reply