Coloromic 209 Rags to Riches

mo65 · May 27, 2018, 07:52:21 PM

One of Penn's most collectible reels, these beauties have been listed for crazy money on the big site lately. It's not uncommon at all to see boxed examples listed at $300-$500. Although these reels were manufactured over 60 years ago, many show up for sale in great condition. I feel that is because they were a "pretty" reel...wives bought them as Father's Day gifts...and Dad tucked it into his sock drawer for fear of scratching it. Some got fished hard though, like this one I scored recently.
These pics show the reel's condition as I received it. The chrome is shot and the handle knob is loose, but those Moss Green side plates are grade A, and that was all I was concerned about.

A while back I had procured a super clean 209 with a cracked tail plate for 10 bucks, just the donor I'd need for this project. The pic below shows the chrome crisis a little clearer. That donor bling is just what the doctor ordered.

Same story on the bottom side...a lot of rash to get rid of.

Popping the head plates off the reels hammered home the fact that my donor has never been wet. Under the hood of the greenie was just about what I expected, lots of smelly old grease, limbered up by the famous "eBay oil bath".

The greenie's parts could be cleaned up fairly well, but they just won't "pop" enough for what I'm expecting when finished. Look at that dog spring...ouch!

I never cleaned the donor head plate or components at all. What you see is exactly how the parts fell out. I'm thinking these bits and pieces will work much better for what I have in mind.

The donor bridge and gears mounted on the green head plate. This illustrates just how blue the green actually is. Now compare that Penn blue grease on the eccentric jack to the green plate...hardly a difference! Be that as it may, nobody was ever gonna call these reels a "bluey"!

All slapped back together she is stunning. I opted for a cream/lemon colored handle knob. Whether you hate Penn levelwind reels or not, it's hard to argue the beauty of one. Especially the Moss Green Coloromic 209...the '57 Bel Air of fishing reels!

Ron Jones · May 27, 2018, 07:56:04 PM

You did good on that one!
Ron

Shark Hunter · May 27, 2018, 08:10:48 PM

Great Work Mo.
You turned that eyesore into a looker.

festus · May 27, 2018, 09:32:56 PM

Wow! That is a beautiful 209.

Saw a green 209 a day or two on the big auction for about $350. Also there was a green 109 that no one had bidded on. Only green Penn I own is a Jigmaster with a green handle knob.

Reel 224 · May 27, 2018, 10:07:07 PM

Mike: You knocked the Greene out of the park, great job!

Joe

broadway · May 28, 2018, 12:46:38 AM

Hey Mo,
You just turned $60 in reels to one reel worth about $150 give or take (get the box and it's $200) ...not to mention the fine restoration you provided that reel.
People list those greenies for big money but if you look at advanced listings on ebay they usually fetch $200 (boxed) or so. You couldn't have picked a better handle color. Lemon/lime!
Thanks for sharing another super rescue with us,
Dom

Swami805 · May 28, 2018, 12:50:11 AM

Beautiful job Moe, Sweet reel!

STRIPER LOU · May 28, 2018, 12:52:19 AM

About as good as it gets mo! Nice work,

..............Lou

gstours · May 28, 2018, 03:37:15 AM

Wow, looks like you won that gamble. Thanks for the inspiration. Great job. Very nice now. Green must be very limited with these? Who would have thought to invest in these? 🤷‍♀️

whalebreath · May 28, 2018, 03:42:59 AM

Classic Salmon reel!

bluefish69 · May 28, 2018, 03:43:15 AM

I finished a New in the Box Maroon 209 yesterday. Mine has a 3 pc. Spool & HT 100 Drag washers in it. This is the way I bought it 2 yrs. ago.

Mike

thorhammer · May 28, 2018, 11:40:29 AM

Mike that reel looks like crap. You can send it to me and I will set it next to my 9 and 109

Fantastic work. These are some of my favorites and I'll nab a 209 greenie one of these days. Great post of the rebuild too.

John

Bill B · May 28, 2018, 05:51:37 PM

Beautiful reel Mike. Good think you had the donor, I have a hard time buying donors, the OCD in me want to fix them all.....Bill

David Hall · May 28, 2018, 06:49:18 PM

Turned it into a beauty of a shelf queen, I Fai ever run across a box Ill know who to send it to.

mo65 · May 28, 2018, 07:52:42 PM

Thanks everyone for the good words, glad y'all enjoyed the reel.

Quote from: Bill B (Tarfu) on May 28, 2018, 05:51:37 PM
Beautiful reel Mike. Good think you had the donor, I have a hard time buying donors, the OCD in me want to fix them all.....Bill

The donor was reassembled Bill...from all the crusty parts...but it is fully functional. The cracked tail plate is held fast by the screws, it could be fished trouble free for years. Someone will give me my $10 back and fish the hell out of this thing. It even comes in this lovely patinated box.