Meisselbach Neptune

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:38 pm

hello All,

I know I am always posting things about Penn but I like other reels from time to time. here's one that I just got on EBay and was pleasantly surprised with how it cleaned up.

I bid it because it caught my interest. I am not a Meisselbach collector but do like them. After I cleaned it, I discovered that this reel is built like a watch. It has many features and is very tricky to operate. I also feel that it could cause a Reel Mechanic to pull his hair out trying to repair it if it was damaged. Luckily, this one operates fine, it was just dirty.

The name Neptune is stamped into the Bakelite on the head plate. The common slot screw seen sticking out under the handle is actually a push button control for the free spool mode.

Unmistakable Meisselbach style spool and all German Silver construction. This reel is small for a salt water reel, maybe 150 yard capacity. The head plate is 2 3/4 inches in diameter and the width from the outside of the plates is 2 3/8 inches. It is about the size of a Penn 190.

The upper sliding button puts the reel in and out of anti-reverse. The lower sliding button is the clicker.
There are three separate patent dates on the lower portion of the tail plate.

The bottom of the stand is stamped A.F.Meisselbach & Bro., Newark, N.J. which according to the information on the wonderful website: OldFishingStuff.com this reel was made between 1906 and 1917.

Inside the head plate is a mechanical wonder. This mechanism allows the handle to be slid forward to disengage it from the spool, creating a free spool mode for casting when the top button on the tail plate is slid forward. The operation of the reel takes some getting used to but it works like a charm.

The wires and spring in the tail plate are also a fine piece of work.

I found this to be a very interesting reel and would like more info on it if some one might be familar with its history.

Thanks for getting this far in my post.

Post by **Brian F.** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:13 pm

They are nice reels, Mike. For more info, you can look around for a copy of Meisselbach & Meisselbach-Catucci Fishing Reels by Phil White that has long been sold out. Along with various articles in back issues of the Reel News, you can also get More Meisselbach & Meisselbach-Catucci Fishing Reels, a booklet by Phil also and sold in the ORCA Store.

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:59 pm

Thanks Brian

Reel Geezer · Post by **Reel Geezer** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:13 pm

Mike, Congratulations on your purchase. The Neptune is a great reel and a favorite of mine and many other Meisselbach collectors.

A couple of minor clarifications - the Neptune did not come out until c1911. The dates you mention are those when reels in production were stamped with "A. F. Meisselbach & Bro." Also the button on the backplate was actually an "automatic drag" and does not stop the spool from rotating.

The Neptune was a favorite of early surf casting tournament casters and was offered with an aluminum spool and as many refinements as the caster wanted to pay for, including oiling ports, no center pillar, bearings that are adjustable very precisely with a screwdriver, etc. The Neptune and Triton are covered in a chapter and there is also a chapter devoted to Tournament Neptunes in my More Meisselbach book.

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:24 pm

Thanks Phil, was the Neptune offered in larger sizes

Reel Geezer · Post by **Reel Geezer** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:06 am

m3040c wrote:Thanks Phil, was the Neptune offered in larger sizes

Yes and no. Not with the name Neptune. But the Meisselbach Surf Reel was almost identical, but larger. Or you could say the Neptune was a shrunken Surf. The Triton was a non-free spool Neptune, and was very popular as a musky trolling reel.

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:45 am

Sounds like a interesting little collection could be made up of those models. I will keep my eyes out for them.

Love your website, I have been using it for a couple of years as a reference.

Jeff Johnson · Post by **Jeff Johnson** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:30 pm

They are bargins now and I recommend getting your collection filled now as prices are down. They (Meisselbach salt water reels) really get no respect for the high quality reels they are. They are one of my favorite reels and I have always been surprised that they dont command higher prices. Since I have been collecting reels, I havent seen any go for more then about $75, and right now, they go on ebay for about half that. Im talking about the Neptunes , Tritons and Surf 50 reels. There are other Meisselbach surf reels that are worth more then that of corse. Both Phil White's books are great and I recommend them to any one interested those reels. There are some really cool scarce models out there!
Jeff

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:55 pm

Jeff,

You are certainly correct about the pricing. I paid $32 for the reel pictured in this post. When I won it, I figured there would be nothing too special about it, after cleaning it and seeing how nice a piece of work it was, I could see I was wrong.
It seems that there are certain name reels that bring higher dollars than others basically because people want to own the brand, example, Julius Vom Hofe made some really low end stuff at times but they sell at higher dollars than other comparable reels without that Vom Hofe name.
There are also undervalued reels that, I feel, have good investment options. I have felt for a number of years that Ocean City reels are very under valued. Also there are Penn models that are excellent fishing reels that you have to give away to move them and others that are over priced. Sometimes the common sense of the market does not make sense.
At any rate, I will be looking for other Meisselbach salt water reels in the future.

Thanks for your comments.

Post by **john elder** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:16 pm

Yes, great reels! The Meiss 50 I bought shortly after I got the disease was a source of great embarrassment and I had to email Phil for instructions! I pushed in that button to go into free spool and couldn't figure out how to get the reel back in gear

...Phil was kind enough to point out that I needed to pull back on the handle and it would pop back in gear...really neat mechanisms...and you ought to try and make one out of wood sometime if you want a challenge

Post by **Brian F.** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:51 pm

john elder wrote:...and you ought to try and make one out of wood sometime if you want a challenge

Speaking of which:

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:44 pm

hello John,

No need for embarrassment about not knowing the control of this reel. I had no idea how it worked until I pulled it apart to see the head plate mechanism. I just assumed it was broke. <:O( When I saw all the sliding pieces inside a

came on in my head.

I remembered watching Mike Popowich fighting with a highly polished saltwater reel at a show in Allentown. He was trying to show a possible buyer how the reel went in and out of free spool by pulling on the handle sideways. That reel must have been a Meisselbach, it was larger than this one.

Anyways, Brian, I am very impressed, John just mentioned something about building one of these out of wood and lickity split you just knocked one together. You are my hero.

Post by **Brian F.** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:33 pm

No Mike, JE is speaking from experience and I couldn't let him be so modest. The wood reel is John's creation and I believe it is the same that he presented as a gift to Phil a while back. Couldn't find the original thread for you so I put them up here.

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:55 pm

I knew that but you are still my hero.