Interesting Horton Meek Tournament Reel Raises Questions

[leland99]

At the NFLCC National in Ft. Wayne, I acquired a nice Horton Meek No 3 modified tournament reel. I liked the fact that it was lightweight and spun like a top. After getting home and examining it further, I found initials lightly engraved on the foot, either MIH or HIW.

These initials match those found by Roger Schulz on two early Heddon wind-shield wiper reels (article in the May 2023 The Reel News). I shared photos with Colby Sorrells to see if these initials could represent possible tournament casters or those known to modify reels for tournament casting, but at this point, it is still a mystery. Perhaps they are the initials of previous owners of these reels? Or could we be looking at markings such as M/H or H/W?

I then took the step to open up the reel to look for any additional markings. I found the standard maker's assembly mark 194 on all the key pieces. I also found initials engraved on the backside flange of the tournament spool, what appears to be J.T.W. Further examination found the same J.T.W. initials engraved on the bottom side of the brass (modified?) gear. Could these initials be a sign that Jack T. Welch made the modifications to this reel?

I found no visible markings on the aluminum tournament handle.

For those who have observed and owned modified tournament reels over years of collecting, does anyone recognize these various engraved initials appearing on this reel (as well as Roger's reels)? Thanks in advance!

[KeysReels]

Bryce,
I am 99% sure that your initials were inscribed by the same individual who put their initials on the two Heddon prototype reels. They also match the initials that are on my Heddon prototype 3-25 that was made by Jack Welch. Jack Welch was incorporating a drag assembly and similar spool design from Pfluegers Supreme reel into a 3-25 reel. The reel is cast aluminum and has many interesting features not found on the standard Heddon 3-25.
The initials on my reel are inscribed into the bottom of the head cap as the foot has inscribed information relating to the reel . The inscription reads " First handmade model of 3-25 1919 by Jack Welch with cast head cap.
Original of Pflueger type drag"
Here are some photos of my reel and of the initials M I H ( or H I W) which can be seen on the bottom of the head cap.
Hope these shed some light on your reel.
Bill Graves

[colby sorrells]

Great post Bryce and Bill. Hopefully more folks will post photos of their reels marked "HIW/MIH". Piece by piece the information is revealed.

Keepin' It Fun!

Colby