Finessa 280 and 285 differences?

[basenjib123]

Fred,  ever see a Finessa with one copper and one black side plate?

[foakes]

Fred,  ever see a Finessa with one copper and one black side plate?

Yep...

[Midway Tommy]

Those Finessas are so old that they've been mixed & matched enough times anything is possible. Heck, it might have come like that from the factory.  

Tom is right, I think —

However, this was a time of change — and while the proven tough engineering stayed the same — some cosmetic features were added.  Crinkle paint, smooth paint, copper plates, copper under rotor, smooth painted under rotor, shiny steel under rotor shield, black, grey, and maroon drag knobs, various crank designs, and various crank knobs, etc..

I have around 100 pounds of complete 280's & 285's waiting to be restored, plus about 40 pounds of NOS parts to help with these restorations.  And all of the above examples and variations are represented in the waiting bins.

Best,

Fred

You hit the nail right on the head, Fred. There are a few others like you with a bushel basket full of old Dam reels and bins full of parts to repair & restore them. In a way the 280 & 285 are similar to the 3, 4, 6 & 7 Cardinal models, parts are interchangeable so if service was ever needed the service guy grabbed whatever he had available to keep them fishing.