The smaller the Ambassadeur, the more valuable?

[Barishi]

On the surface, it's a little paradoxical to me that people would be shelling out more for the smaller sizes. It's a thought that's been bouncing around in the back of my head for a little while now, so I'd like to clarify.

What about the small Ambassadeurs make them so expensive? What advantages did they have over other baitcasters of the era, i.e Shimano Bantam?

For the coin local people are asking for a 1500C, I could easily snag a 10000 and 2 6500s...

[JasonGotaProblem]

It's rarity. The 2500 and down were not made for as long, and far fewer are in circulation. The 4-6000 size are still in production.

At the moment there are about 12 5000-size ambys for sale in Tampa Bay area. Some have been for sale for over a year for what seems like a reasonable price. Also 2 4000 size and 3 6000 size. There are zero 2500 and zero 1500 size. In fact I've only ever seen one pop up locally.

Phrased simply the 4-6000 size ambassadeurs have far more supply than demand. The small ones have the opposite. The effect on price is easy to see.

[pointbob]

i have a 2500 and it sits on my shelf; too tiny to fish for local salmon

[Shellbelly]

The prices are all over the place.  Yes, the older/smaller reels are consistently high.  On the other hand, look at the C4 and C5 reels in the 4-6k sizes.  Abu is a world of its own.  Not what I would call a buyer's market but you can get lucky sometimes.

[tincanary]

The small Ambassadeurs go for good money.  They have new found glory in bait finesse, which is a technique developed in Japan which uses lightweight shallow spools to fish stream trout on baitcast gear.  Just 5 to 10 years ago, these reels could be found regularly for less than $100, but with BFS now coming into play, prices have been going up considerably.  What's old is new again.  Abu also stopped making parts for reels produced prior to 1997, so now OEM parts for the 1500/2500 can be hard to come by. Even though the 2500C was made until 2012, the tooling and parts are from 1975 so Abu decided to call it quits with them,
 Companies such as Valleyhill and Avail make a lot of aftermarket parts, but essentials like the pushbutton and pinion yoke have yet to be produced.  Side plates are another story, those are near impossible to find new old stock, especially if you want a color other than silver.  I have a few of these plus parts to build out more, they're my favorite reels and I use them for everything from panfish to steelhead.  I'm sitting on a decent stash of new old stock side plates so I will be building out more in the future.

[Rancanfish]

Just today I was on the phone regarding a reel I was looking at and the guy mentioned he has a BNIB 2500C that he was thinking of selling. I'm not a collector so I didn't ask, but what would that go for?

[Swami805]

I just did a completed listing search on eBay, looks like around $300 in that condition

[Bryan Young]

I don't know about cost but I have tuned up those reels used for ultra lite casting competitions filled with 1-2# test line.

[Rancanfish]

Whoa, I didn't think any thing but a spinning reel would work for that.

[tincanary]

Whoa, I didn't think any thing but a spinning reel would work for that.

They were originally designed to throw the same lures as a spinning reel.  Keep in mind, back in 1976 1/4 oz was considered ultralight.  People like Don Iovino and various Japanese people and shops developed a cottage industry making them able to cast even lighter than that.  The ones I have built out will cast 1/16 on the right rod.

[0119]

I have five 2500C's, Jerry Foran made for me. I'll never get rid of them. I'd consider them more valuable than an OEM even if they are souped up Frankenreels. Especially now that Jerry has stopped making reels. Why are smaller Ambassadeurs more valuable? Maybe because they held the world champion distance casting records for so long. Enjoy Fishing channel on YouTube might express the nirvana these reels exude best. After reading Small Ambassadeurs by Sjaastad and Svensson, the small reels, their history and the Borgstrom legacy became even more valuable.