A Sextet of JvH fly reels from different eras

[Ray Hencken]

From left to right:
1. Earliest JvH with "triangular" pillars, JvH cloverleaf logo on face plate, half crank, fixed click, no hole in foot.
2. Early JvH with square pillars, JvH straight line logo on face plate, half crank, fixed click, hole in foot.
3. Early JvH with square pillars, stamped "The Kosmic Reel. A.G. Spalding Bros." on top of face plate and JvH "football" logo on bottom, counter balanced crank which is secured by a screw, on/off click, hole in foot.
4. Early JvH with square pillars, stamped with the "football" logo, screw on counter balanced crank, on/ off click, hole in foot.
5. Later JvH with round pillars, stamped Abbey & Imbrie on the face plate and the JvH "football" logo on the back plate, screw on counter balanced crank, on/off click, hole in foot.
6. Later JvH with round pillars, stamped with the JvH "football " logo on the top of the backplate and the A&F logo on the bottom, reinforced screw on counter balanced crank, on/off click, hole in foot.

[RonG]

Reel number 3 answers some questions I've had concerning who made the Kosmic marked fly reel that are also marked Spalding. So, did Spalding ever make the Kosmic fly reel or was it always JVH? It looks very convincing to me that JVH made them. The question still remains as to who made the Kosmic fly reel with the fancy swept Kosmic lettering like in this 1896 ad. Was it also JVH?



Nice collection Ray.

[Ray Hencken]

Pictured are the stampings on #2 and a #3
Kosmic Reel produced by Julius vom Hofe for A.G. Spalding Bros. I don't believe that Spalding manufactured any reels. The company retailed reels made by JvH.
Later Kosmic reels from U.S. Net & Twine had straight line lettering "The Kosmic Reel" and show distinct differences from JvH made reels.
Note the differences in the crank.
I have never seen a reel with the fancy Kosmic stamping as seen in the advertising.

U.S. Net & Twine Kosmic

[Brian F.]

Beautiful collection of reels!

[Mike N]

Very nice, Ray! In the area of carded flies, line spools and ephemera that I collect, there are no two names hotter right now than Kosmic and A.G. Spalding. Just a super collection you assembled.

Mike N.

[reelsmith.]

.
Nice group of reels you've got there, Ray !

Those two Kosmic reels by JVH with the fancy mark are sweet !

Dean.

[Steve]

Beautiful collection, Ray. Can you suggest approximate date ranges for "earliest," "early," and "later?"