different vintage 113h side plates

[seaeagle2]

Is there any rhyme or reason the different designs on 113h side plates. I've  acquired 4 various 113H and 113HL's all "maroon" rather than "red" and have at least 2 different designs, big marlin, marlin with boat, etc. Is there a guide to what years what designs were used, or even how many different designs were used.

[redsetta]

G'day seaeagle,
I also came across the following comment (though it doesn't help with dating) here: http://amelia-island-fishing.com/fishing/penn/history.cfm

Side plates have changed over the years too. At one time, the high end reels had an embossed scene on the side plate opposite the handle - a lighthouse, a fisherman on the beach, or a Marlin jumping. Some reels have simply the word "PENN" written on the side plate, and some of the later models have nothing at all - just a plain bakelite side plate with nothing written on it.

Bob Lanham made this comment some time ago (in relation to dating):

...color codes for Penn reels with the original handle: amber = 30-40's, red = 50's, green = 60's, white = 70's, black = 80's and rubber 90's>.

Perhaps cross-referencing the two might be an interesting exercise.
I'll have a look at some of mine tonight...
All the best, Justin

[seaeagle2]

Thanks, I wonder about the handle color thing, when we were kids in the "70's Dad bought each of us boys a salmon rod and Penn 285. There were three of us and our stuff was always color coded so he got one reel with a green handle, one with a red and one with a yellow. 

[akfish]

I believe the idea of dating Penn reels by handle color is an old wives tale. If nothing else, so many handles are changed that you never know which color came with the reel originally. The side plate color doesn't mean much although it is true that the older 113H reels had maroon and the newer ones have red side plate.Also, the newer models have a different left side bearing.

[Alto Mare]

There is many things to look for that will help you to get close to its age, a big help would be from studying some of these catalogs, if you can get your hands on them. The last two that I bid on last month went for $400 a piece, I wasn't the winner