Help with dating leonard salmon rod / vomhof reel

[spengler]

Hi team,

My great granddad left me his Vomhof 423 (6-0) reel and HL Leonard salmon rod. I know he came into them in the 1940s or so. They were a gift, and were most likely used at the time. I'm hoping someone here can help me date them.

The reel is marked with a patent date of 1896. It appears to have a serial number stamped of P459. I believe this dates it to the 1900's or 1930's. The rod I am less certain about, but came with the reel, which means it is at least as old.

If anyone has any input, I would love to hear it! It's more sentimental than anything else, so I'm not sure I'll ever fish with it. But I would love to know more about it.

[Crab Pot]

Welcome Spengler,

All I can add is WOW, the craftsmanship that went into that reel is amazing!

Do you know if that leather case is original to the reel? Maybe it has stamps on it?

I'm sure someone here can give you answers.

I love old family hand me downs, but I don't have anything dating back to my Great Grandad unfortunately.

Never sell it!

Thanks for sharing,

Steve

[Crab Pot]

WOW....

https://www.spinozarods.com/search?type=everything&q=423*

[spengler]

WOW....

https://www.spinozarods.com/search?type=everything&q=423*

I know, it's wild, right? He lived with us, and died when I was about 10 years old. The last conversation we had was about how my dad had just taken me out on a party boat for bluefish in New Jersey for the first time. He talked about this rod and reel, and how we ought to go fishing in Nova Scotia someday.

Yeah, I would never sell it. :-)

[spengler]

On further research (and zooming in on my own photo), looks like the P459 serial number dates to 1923. I initially thought the prefix was a B.

[Cuttyhunker]

Try this guy, I don't know if he is on here, met him at an FATC show in Crystal River FL.