Penn 114: Fish or Collect?

[cbar45]

I would fish it!  Reels That Are not Fished are like  cars or bikes that are not driven.
guns that are not fired, just preserved resale value for the next owner. Semper Fi, Richie

Fish!!

X2

Fish!!

Thanks guys, I will admit that strapping this reel onto an old Sabre or Harnell 550 and going fishing is a tempting prospect.

Chad

[cbar45]

Cleaned and serviced. I wiped the spool down with Reel-X and loaded it with some vintage blue-spot dacron I had kicking around..





Chad

[Alto Mare]

Put that baby on the shelf Chad, as Mike mentioned you have a reel from the mid 50's. I actually thought it was a couple of years older, I purchased 4 of them new without boxes 4 years ago from the same guy that sold me those Fenwicks. I think I gave him $50 a piece and sold all for $150 a piece.
It still bothers me that I sold them, the money is long gone and so are the reels.
The seller told me that his dad purchased those around 1954-55. You have a unique clicker button and the oil port on the handle is larger than the later models.
Nice reel!

[Shark Hunter]

Looks Great Chad.

[Maxed Out]

Chad, Sal is right IMO.

There is something different about the clicker. Also the shield around the oil port on the handle knob is the large one that was discontinued mid to late 50's after that the shield around the oil port got much smaller. The Penn logo on your reel is below the eccentric at the 3 o'clock position. That logo moved up top around 1959/60 on all senators. The red knob on your reel is the least common and yours is in great shape. If you want a 114 to fish with, spend $40 and buy one that isn't so darn nice.

 Ted

[FatTuna]

Damn, that thing cleaned up nice.

[cbar45]

Sal, after weighing everyone's input, this reel is officially the start of my collection. It sounds corny, but I put the old dacron on only because I love how it looks.. I feel your pain on selling those 114's, did the same thing to my set of swirly Lee-Pro plates and still regret it to this day.

I also agree with you and Ted about the clicker button. The thin ring stamped just inboard of its circumference was what stood out to me when I first examined the reel, but I mistakenly thought that feature was normal for older models. Looks like I have a lot of homework to do; I already contacted Mike about his books.

Ted, appreciate the additional info regarding the knob and oil port. This reel also has what appears to be a chrome-plated steel main gear. I have never seen anything like that before in a Penn, is this also something you would consider to be uncommon?

Chad

[Maxed Out]

Sal, after weighing everyone's input, this reel is officially the start of my collection. It sounds corny, but I put the old dacron on only because I love how it looks.. I feel your pain on selling those 114's, did the same thing to my set of swirly Lee-Pro plates and still regret it to this day.

I also agree with you and Ted about the clicker button. The thin ring stamped just inboard of its circumference was what stood out to me when I first examined the reel, but I mistakenly thought that feature was normal for older models. Looks like I have a lot of homework to do; I already contacted Mike about his books.

Ted, appreciate the additional info regarding the knob and oil port. This reel also has what appears to be a chrome-plated steel main gear. I have never seen anything like that before in a Penn, is this also something you would consider to be uncommon?

Chad

  Not sure about that one Chad. I know that Penn made lots of internal changes thru the years and the only people that can answer that question retired from penn 50 years ago lol.

  I have seen lots penn gears made from numerous different materials. The era of your reel is the peak of the Harley Earl era where if it didn't have major bling, then it didn't sell as well, and it wasn't just about cars, it was everything. Every kitchen appliance was polished chrome or had chrome trim. Your reel is no different, they just had more bling back then.

   Ted

[cbar45]

Very interesting Ted, I did not realize my reel coincided with that time period.

I wonder if the plating may have been a selling point in line with the times, or perhaps an attempt at corrosion resistance?

It certainly doesn't add anything strength-wise.

Here are some photos of the gear in question. Notice how some of the plating is flaking off, exposing the base metal beneath:





It's hard to tell, but in person the color of the main gear is a few shades brighter than that of the familiar stainless pinion.

Chad

[Alto Mare]

Those are plain steel gears, the pinion is stainless steel...very early set. When that plating does peel off, it will be very hard to keep the rust under control, but with regular maintenance it can be done.