Vintage Sears & Roebuck Ted Williams Sure Looks Like An Ambasssadeur

[Breadfan]

This is interesting. Does anyone know when these reels were produced? Ted Williams must have done a bunch of licensing via Sears in the 1960s(?). I have had passed down to me a Ted Williams branded Winchester 120 pump shotgun from Sears - my recollection is that it was from the 1960s but I could be wrong. The soft case bears an impressed signature in gold. Is anyone aware of other sporting goods that Teddy Ballgame licensed with his name?

I had his book The Science of Hitting as a kid and it made me a big fan of an already long retired ball player.

From what I have read my Daiwa 6H  (or the Ted Williams 560) was produced in 1975. Yours looks a little older. If old Sears catalogs from the late 60's through the late 70's could be found I am sure we could narrow down most of them. Of the three 6H's I own, two of them are the Ted Williams 560's and the stickers are different between those two. That tells me that possibly they were issued more than one time.

[Robert Janssen]

. ...If old Sears catalogs from the late 60's through the late 70's could be found...

I know where they are, online. All Sears Summer and Winter main Catalogs from essentially all years. They do not however include the specialized Fishing Equipment Catalogs.

Just hold on a bit; i'll go find the link in a while.

Added:

Here... The catalogs are searchable (read the instructions! Single search term only. No quotation marks.) Using Fishing as a search term works well, and it is good to click page by page so you don't miss anything.

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/

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[swede 53]

    The Ted Williams 540 is a Daiwa Millionaire V. This was the first one and the one that ruffled Abu's feathers. I have taken one apart next to a 1971 Ambassadeur 5000. The spool release mechanism looks identical right down to the springs. The pinion and main gear are different,the Daiwa has a 3.6-1 gear ratio and it uses one large drag washer, a Penn 6-309 works, it also has 2 ball bearings. I tried the Abu pawl in the Daiwa and it worked but didn't try any other parts. The next series of Millionaires were a complete redesign with a different brake plate and release parts and 3 hard fiber drag washers. The power handle was standard on the Sears models but an option for the Daiwa. This second series of reels also had options of ball bearings or bushings, high or low speed models and 2 different spool widths. I have several of these and still use them regularly.

[Walleye Guy]

This is interesting. Does anyone know when these reels were produced? Ted Williams must have done a bunch of licensing via Sears in the 1960s(?). I have had passed down to me a Ted Williams branded Winchester 120 pump shotgun from Sears - my recollection is that it was from the 1960s but I could be wrong. The soft case bears an impressed signature in gold. Is anyone aware of other sporting goods that Teddy Ballgame licensed with his name?

I had his book The Science of Hitting as a kid and it made me a big fan of an already long retired ball player.

He developed, tested and endorsed much of Sears' sporting goods, equipment & supplies from 1960-1970. You'll find lots of Sears sporting goods items with his name attached.

I have some old free weights in my house that I believe belonged to my uncle...I've had them for years.  I just now made the connection that each weight says "Ted Williams Sears & Roebuck".

[Wompus Cat]

Interesting article on
Ol Teddy

HERE

If he ever comes back will probably need some Excedrin.