Meek vs. Horton question

[Ron Mc]

Hi guys,
I just picked up a Carter's Patent '04 and '05, Bluegrass Reel No. 33.
BF Meek & Sons, Louisville, Kentucky

What's the difference in age between this reel and a Horton Bluegrass Simplex No. 33?

What year did Horton buy Meek? oops - OK, found it, 1916. (thanks, Phil)

Any other enlightment for me?

thanks

[Bill Muth]

Hard to tell the exact difference in age, when Horton bought Meek in 1916 they got the Meek inventory and hired the craftsmen who would move from Louisville to Bristol, so the transition was pretty seamless. The Horton Blue Grass 33 remained in production virtually unchanged until at least 1940 (I have a gap from 1940 to 1947 in my catalog collection, it's not in the 1947 catalog). I'm not sure when Meek started producing that reel. I have a couple different Meek variations but don't how to date one Meek version vs. another.

By the way, if anyone has Horton or Bristol catalogs between 1940 and 1947, I'm seriously in the market!

[Ron Mc]

mine has the Cater Pat dates on the face plate, and on the backplate, says
Bluegrass Reel
Made by BF Meek & Sons
Louisville, Kentucky
No. 33

it also doesn't have the riveted thumb-rest that's on the Horton models.
Other than those differences, it's basically the same as (faceplate marks)
Bluegrass
Simplex
No. 33
Horton

[Ron Mc]

tail plate

face plate

foot - 7 - seems to be a smaller number than usually found on these