“The Wells”

[ClintB]

It's marked Thos J Conroy maker N.Y.  "The Wells"

It showed up in a box lot of old reels I recently purchased. It appears to be a desirable old reel.

[Wompus Cat]

I am not a Fly Reel guy so to speak but you may stumbled on a piece of Gold .
Julius Vom Hofe made that lil Jewell I think and may be one of only 6 made according to this
https://www.spinozarods.com/products/conroy-the-wells-raised-pillar-trout-reel.
Good Find .!!!!!

[Gfish]

Nice! Great find. "In a box lot of old reels". Interesting, maybe only 6 made. It definitely looks made to be taken apart. Didn't know they used aluminum back then.

[Reeltyme]

Interesting that unlike the reel on the web page provided, your reel has a different handle, less ornate, and lacks the "clicker" switch on the back. It's a possibility that you have one of an early production, if you can call 6 reels a production. Great find! The fly reel guys are drooling all over them selves!

[Midway Tommy]

Nice! Great find. "In a box lot of old reels".

Didn't know they used aluminum back then.

Some guys have all the luck. That box simulated a lottery ticket! 

It was discovered in 1825. Industrial production began around 1856 with more availability to the public in 1886 with the Hall–Héroult smelting process, just about the time this reel was being advertised. 

[ClintB]

Holy Cow!!!

I've posted on a couple other sites trying to figure this thing out. No one has made mention of only 6!

Already had few guys asking if it's for sale, I think I'll take my time with this one.

It has 2/00 on the bottom of the foot, maybe it's #2?

[oc1]

That's quite a find.  You'll make us all start looking more closely.  Like Mike C. says, "They're still out there".

I think the 2/0 is intentional but 2/0 in a Vom Hoffe fly reel is different than their 2/0 conventionl.  Other makers had a 2/0, but the whole /ought system doesn't seem to have been standardized very well.

[Jim Fujitani]

YES!!  A very nice "find".

I wouldn't ever sell it.  It is one of those meant to be "willed", to someone appreciative to own a piece of history and value.  Since it is so rare, possibly to a "group museum style collection".

In the 1990s, My father learned that I had been fishing for California halibut and stripers in SF Bay with friends from their boats.  My reels of choice were the Penn 310 and Ambassadeurs in the 5600 to 6500 range.  My father gave me a 5600 series, like new in the box, before he passed on in 2000 (he had originally considered gifting it to my nephew, who doesn't fish anymore, groan).  I saw a couple of the same reel in same condition sell on Ebay for over $250 in the early 2000s.  I'll never sell it, even though I've had some acquaintances offer to buy it, hand to hand.  I have not yet decided what to do with my reel, after all it is a "common" manufactured reel.

[ClintB]

That box of reels is a once in a lifetime kind of thing.
This little H L Leonard Bi-Metal is another one of my mystery box surprises!
Information is pretty easy to research, value is much more difficult. I'm getting there but pretty much on my own. The people who know are holding it pretty close, and a few offered to buy but no mention of how much they would offer.
I'd like to insure what I've got, nothing is for sale at this point in time.

Oh, and the possibility of 4-6 made has been pretty much denied by those that know. Seems maybe there's a misunderstanding of when they were being developed, Wells mention issues with the aluminum on half a dozen he had trouble with.

[Wompus Cat]

Oh, and the possibility of 4-6 made has been pretty much denied by those that know. Seems maybe there's a misunderstanding of when they were being developed, Wells mention issues with the aluminum on half a dozen he had trouble with.

Maybe that's why there may only be 6 of em 

[Reeltyme]

Sounds to me that it's still a rare reel regardless of how many were made. I still believe it's an early version. Good find and good luck with whatever you decide to do with it!

[Midway Tommy]

From the pics it looks like someone, or time, was a little rough on the feet. That's a shame.  Bent feet always devalue a collectible reel, and many a foot has been broken, or made even worse, by inexperienced reel restorers trying to fix them.   

[ClintB]

Yeah, the foot on the Leonard is tweaked.

I do a little blacksmithing so............ nah, I'm not that delicate! 

I've got a lot of other interests like vintage tools, cast iron, pulleys, knives, firearms, blacksmithing but I do know my limits and when to leave things alone.

[Gfish]

Kinda looks like it was purposely bent.

[Midway Tommy]

That box of reels is a once in a lifetime kind of thing.
This little H L Leonard Bi-Metal is another one of my mystery box surprises!
Information is pretty easy to research, value is much more difficult. I'm getting there but pretty much on my own. The people who know are holding it pretty close, and a few offered to buy but no mention of how much they would offer.

The "people who know" have more than likely spent decades studying, researching, writing books, etc., about various reels and their origins. Most are willing to share general information freely, as you have already discovered, especially those over @ ORCA & a couple of other sites. Value, on the other hand, is very subjective. It depends on a host of variables, desirability, rarity, condition, etc. As the saying goes, what something is worth, i.e. value, depends solely on what a willing buyer and willing seller can agree to on a given day.

The best way for you to truly find out what your hard to come by reels are worth is to put them up for offers for a specified time. At the end that time period you can decide if the best offers you've received are in line with your expectations. Who knows, they may be way lower than you anticipated or so high you can't refuse to accept them. At that point you'll know what they're more than likely worth.