Dr. Larson's article in our last ORCA "Reel News" about a presentation reel made by Wm. H. Talbot for tournament caster Fred Peet caused me to stop and think about a Talbot reel that I first viewed many years ago. I remembered that Fred Peet's name had been engraved on it, and how beautiful the reel was. I contacted the owner and ask if he would bring it to the NFLCC meet in Bartlesville, Oklahoma to be compared with the reel's description from Dr. Larson's article. This was agreed to and after reading the article on Friday, the reel was presented to me Saturday at the meet for viewing and photos. I was not able to get photos that do the reel justice; I believe this was due to poor skills on my part and the fact that the reel is made of Sterling Silver and has not been polished for some time, thus much tarnish on the finish.
Here we can see the red agate grasp, the gold plated covers for the click and drag buttons, engraving that says "Fred N. Peet, Aug. 16, 1900" (I hope you can read it), and the tarnish on the Sterling Silver finish.
A nicely engraved fishing scene on the back plate surrounds the end cap where a finely cut diamond is visable, but recessed to provide a smooth surface for the shaft of the spool to spin against.
A clearer view of the engraved fishing scene and the encased diamond. This reel polished would knock our eyes out! Thanks for the article, Dr. Larson.
