Vintage Great Lakes and a few antique lures

[redsetta]

Hi all,
Just a bit of curio here that I thought might be of interest.
My sister-in-law is from upstate New York and came down to NZ recently for a visit.
She came across the reel and lures while clearing out an older relative's home after it flooded and they moved to a retirement home.
I've never seen anything like it before, but assume these are quite common in the north east of the US?
I figure it's 1940s or early '50s - any thoughts?
No anti-reverse, so it's got to be pretty early.
It does have an interesting friction control for the spool, though I'm not sure exactly what its purpose might be.













Stripped and ready for its first polish in maybe 80-odd years!



Came out quite nice I reckon!
It all runs super smooth after the tickle up, so it must've been manufactured to a reasonable standard way back when...







The no-doubt handmade side-plate engravings are quite fetching!





I'm not going to touch the lures - the patina of age suits 'em I reckon 









If anyone would like the reel and lures for their collection, send me a PM - be nice to see 'em end up back in the Great Lakes!
Cheers, Justin

[MarkT]

I don't know that a reel like that was ever common but those engraved sideplates are, dare I say it, stunning!

[redsetta]

Yeah, those side-plates are something else!

[philaroman]

might be older, if that is an actual semi-precious stone bushing (agate?) -- not just cosmetic red glass

[oc1]

Is the reel marked?  I believe it is a trade reel sold by Sears under the JC Higgins name.  I not sure who the manufacturer was but suspect it was Bronson because the technology is much like a Bronson Mercury.  Probably from the mid-1950's.

It has a casting brake.  They called it a "drag" back then but the leaf spring and felt brake pad are there to slow the spool down when casting.  Better than a spool tension knob but not as effective as today's proportional braking with centrifugal or magnets.

There are after-market engravings, but I believe that is factory engraved.  It may be stamped rather then engraved by cutting.

The first lure is a Creek Chub but there are plenty of lure experts who can give you authoritative info on each of them.  Check in at the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club www.NFLCC.com.

Natural agate end caps were not used for long and by the time that reel came along they were using agatine (synthetic agate).  Worked just as well at a fraction of the price.

It's all nice stuff.  Star drags and anti-reverse are over rated gimmicks.  You should fish with it.

-steve

[redsetta]

Thanks a lot Steve, really appreciate the insight - you just made the whole process worthwhile!
Cheers cuz

[mo65]

She cleaned up nice Justin!

[Maxed Out]

Nice job on the cleaning Justin

The lures with glass eyes are old.....and the smaller the pupil, the older the lure is

Ted

[Dominick]

Great find and great reel.  Our AT members can't wait to see the guts of a reel, no matter how old it is.  I know the feeling.  Dominick

[Gman_WC]

Very nice clean up work. Love the engraving and the red insert.
-g

[Donnyboat]

Good work Justin, thanks for showing us, cheers Don.

[redsetta]

Cheers lads, appreciate the feedback.
Thanks for the insight on the lures too Ted.
Steve, there are no markings other than 'Great Lakes', so I expect you're spot on with your assessment...

[nelz]

Looks like a Sears Great Lakes reel, maybe a No. 3129.