Penn 704Z Spinning Reel

[bmcgin]

Hello, does anyone know that when the Penn 704Z Spinning Reel was introduced as "New" in 1978 if the Handle was silver in Color with a Black Torpedo Bakelite Knob or was the color of the Handle Gold with the same type of Knob?

[m3040c]

Here is the Penn "704 Z", as it is seen in the Penn 1978 catalog. In 1977 it was still a greenie.

[bmcgin]

Thanks Mike! Do you no anything about a Penn 704Z exactly like this one but with a silver Handle, the same color Handle as the Greenie Model before this 704Z Model came out?

[m3040c]

It could easily have been put on the reel by anyone. I have seen many "Z" models with the wrong spools and handles. Also have seen greenies with gold handles and spools. They are interchangeable.

[bmcgin]

Thanks for the Info Mike!

[bmcgin]

Hi Mike, I have a Question for you. I am in contact with a person who claims to have a Black Penn 710 Spinfisher in a Box. I don't know what kind of Condition it is in yet but was hoping you can pass to me any information you have on this particular Model and Color(black)?
Thank You

[m3040c]

I just sold one a few weeks ago. They were hand painted in the factory during early production. They are collectible. A nice one in the box could be worth from $75 to $100 more or less. They are found in two different finishes, a smooth and a wrinkled finished. Be careful because people have been known to re-paint them black to try to get the higher value.

Here is a wrinkle finish:


Here is a smooth finish type:


When I see these reels in mint condition, I start to feel really doubtful of their originality. Most I have seen show wear. They should show no sign of any green paint anywhere, even inside, and the plastic spool should be a through and through black, the spools are black plastic, not painted.

They are very limited production.

[bmcgin]

Hi Mike, thank you for the information. I Posted some Pictures below of a Penn 700 Spinfisher and the Items that came with it off the Internet and was hoping you could shed some light on what you know about this Package. I have done some Research but I wanted your opinion and knowledge, keep in mind the Box does not come with the Display Tray.
Thank you!

[m3040c]

Yours is the first generation 700 box (very sought after box). Very limited production. Basically, Penn bought one batch of these boxes and never used them again. They were too expensive and did not fit the normal Penn type box style. They were replaced with the Penn 701 box. These first boxes came with two spools, Penn changed the model number to 701 for the sole purpose of telling their customers that the Model 700 will only have one spool in the box, not two like original. The display tray in the box is a very important part of the box. Your box is in nice condition, but without the tray, will lose a bit of its value. Your reel is a correct first-generation Model 700, but not 100% correct. You notice there is no counterweight in the cup (that is correct for a 1st gen Model 700), but the handle is second generation. Here is a correct example with the 1962 paper flyer that was in the box. The model 700 does not come into the catalogs until 1963, these first gen boxes were also early release boxes, probably meant for tackle shop counter displays more than full production runs.

[bmcgin]

Hi Mike, thank you for the info. Are there any other signs about this Reel that tells you that it is a First Generation 700? I noticed the Catalog that comes with this Box is a #25('63) which shows the 2nd Generation Reel(silver handle) which this Reel has, could it be possible this Reel and Box was Packaged at the tale end of its first run leading up to the '63 Reels?
Thank you

[m3040c]

I guess it is possible, but impossible to say that is what happened. It is more than likely that the original owner liked the silver handle. It is a much better handle than the original. So, he simply exchanged it for the original. Happens all the time with old Penn reels. People have a tendency to upgrade them.

Other traits don't apply to your reel. Your crosswind arm is the common type. Like this,


The very rare and possibly the first crosswind arm is this:




The three cup styles are from top left 1st style, top right is the 2nd and the bottom is the 3rd:

[bmcgin]

Mike, here is a closer look inside the cup of my 700. There seems to be a counter weight piece inside with a screw that matches your top right Picture, only difference is that the piece is painted green.
Does it look like a counter weight to you and if so would that make this Reel a Second Generation?

[m3040c]

Does it look like a counter weight to you and if so would that make this Reel a Second Generation?

Oh yes, that is a second-generation reel. I missed that before because the counterweight is not supposed to be painted.

[Midway Tommy D]

Oh yes, that is a second-generation reel. I missed that before because the counterweight is not supposed to be painted.

Seems like just about the time we think we've figured things out in reel production a wrench gets thrown in. I'm wondering if some of the early second generations didn’t actually come with the counterweight but it was added, and then Penn decided to add it prior to painting?

[bmcgin]

Hi Mike, I have a question for you about a Penn 710 Black Reel I have here. The Reel appears to be a Wrinkled finish and in pretty good shape. It came with an Original Box, Manual, Catalog #26 and Accessories minus the Grease. My question to you is in what Year was this particular limited reel actually made? The Catalog and Manual both have a Copyright of "1964", the Catalog(#26) on page #5 states as "New" and the reel pictured appears to be black and on the front cover of the Manual the reel looks to be pictured black. The information I have found on the Internet will tell you around "1966" this limited reel was produced. What do you think?
Thanks, Brian

[Midway Tommy D]

The 710 came out in '63, originally in green, so the manuals were most likely a result of of that original introduction. The black smooth & textured finishes were a 1966 color change experiment on the 710 & 711 models. They didn't go over real well. It appears to me from the photos that your grouping is legit and period correct, including the box, although the box did originally come with a raised insert with cutouts for the rotor and foot.

[bmcgin]

Thanks for the Information Tom! Just so I understand what you are saying, the Catalog and Manual that I have that are dated '64 were originally pictured as a Green Penn 710 but when they released the limited Black 710 in '66 they used the same Catalog and Manual but changed the Green pictured reels to black?

[Midway Tommy D]

No, but a great question for Mike is why did they print a green 700 & a black 710 in Catalog 26 when the 710 at that time was green? Maybe they already knew then that they were going to change the reel color to black, even though black ultimately didn't catch on for another 10 years.

As a side note, I have a well used green 710 with the silver emblem in its correct box and it has the manual with blue printing & highlights and black reel.

[Bilch]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and registered mainly because of this particular reel, that I'm going to introduce (feel free to check out my introduction post to learn a bit more about me).

I finally managed to get my third Spinfisher - a 710. I'm always on the lookout for old Penns, but here in Europe they're rarely offered and often listed at unreasonably high prices. This one was relatively affordable, but what really caught my eye was the color - it’s black.

I had always thought the early Spinfishers were only green, so I did some research (here, on the Alan Tani forum, and on StripersOnline) and came across posts about a rare limited series - around 400 + 400 reels made. I also read several warnings about repainted reels being sold as originals. Still, this one seemed convincing enough, so I took the risk.

Here it is:











It looks to me like one of the wrinkle finish versions and I think it looks authentic, the medallion is silver, the spool is black plastic, drag knob and handle appear period-correct ...

I’d be very grateful if some of the experts here could take a look and share their opinions - whether this might indeed be an original black 710 or just a very well-done repaint.

P.S. I hope it's okay to revive this older thread - I thought it would be better to continue here rather than start a new topic, to keep the information on these rare black Spinfishers all in one place.

[Midway Tommy D]

Looks legit to me and in pretty good condition to boot. Nice find! Looks like it could use a thorough cleaning & service, though. That old grease gets really stiff, almost like bee's wax.

[Bilch]

Looks legit to me and in pretty good condition to boot. Nice find! Looks like it could use a thorough cleaning & service, though. That old grease gets really stiff, almost like bee's wax.

Sure, these old reels always need a proper service - part of the fun, right?

One funny thing about this ancient grease is that it makes the anti-reverse almost silent ... I actually love the classic "clack" it makes, but I still put a bit of grease on the anti-reverse ratchet and dog just to soften the noise a little. That said, for me, the humming or clicking of the anti-reverse is just part of the charm of fishing with these wonderful old reels.

A friend of mine - who treats anything older than five years like a museum piece - once told me that the sound of me cranking my reel makes him completely nervous. Said it sounds like I’m winding in with a drag that’s barely holding together