I’ve owned JL Sage Kentucky reels off and on since Ron sold me two back in 1989. I’ve never seen a box for one. I got these photos in an auction notice this morning but don’t think I’ll bid. I would like to read anyone’s thoughts about, however. Dovetail, sliding lid boxes like this are a dime a dozen, so I guess it comes down to the paper label.
It could be I suppose, but probability says not. I have not seen a verified Sage box however. I have seen and examined several fake KY reel boxes. The label is the key. If you could examine it in person, it would probably tell the tale. This label looks artificially aged, based on the edges being uniformly tattered. It looks like someone aged it and attached it to the box. Bottom line, no way to tell from the auction photos, which I viewed on the liveauctioneer site.
If someone had a verified label with some provenance, it could be compared of course. That would be interesting.
Matt Wickham
Collector of Casting Weights, KY Reels and KY Tackle