Who made this reel?
guessing Sears exclusive w/ Japanese OEM
I think it was Daiwa. Reminds me of the old BG series reels.
Not my reel.
Right pic this time maybe
The reel you have matches up with some New Old Stock bodies that I just pulled out of one of the old bins.
These are Daiwa old brown 7850's, 7850RL, 7850RLA.
These were the predecessors to the 8000 series.
Might be mid to late 60's, or so — because there are about 20 pounds of old newspapers in there reporting on the Kennedy and King assasinations, as well as the headlines of the day like when LBJ decided not to run for another term.
I likely have a few of these reels as completes out in another storage container. But that is for another day, or someone else's lifetime.
The A/R system on these 7850RL's have always been solid to me — right on the lower part of the frame casing, directly stopping the steel worm drive gear.
Best,
Fred
Daiwa. The 920, as was the 7850RLA, was from the mid '70s. Early TW spinners were from Italy & some later '60s/ early '70s spinners were made by Shakespeare. By the mid '70s most TW reels were made in Japan by Daiwa.
Those news papers must have been laying around for awhile before they got stuffed in that box of goodies. :)
Here is a link with real good pictures of the reel.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/COLLECTORS-Vintage-Ted-Williams-920-Saltwater-Spinning-Reel-w-Owners-Manual/382344378385?hash=item5905803811:g:iGEAAOSw4DJYh8Ik
Glad you mentioned the A/R, Fred. Looks straightforward and robust. If the Daiwas are like that, it would add to their reputation, as I understand some (maybe not all) of those 7000 series had anodized spools, multi-disk drag w/ spring-loaded knob, ball bearings, etc.
Frank
Nice finds. I never figured out why they used a baseball player to advertise fishing gear (or a golfer to sell fords)... kinda like a George Foreman grill... haha..
Quote from: Carl L on February 12, 2018, 01:47:11 AM
Nice finds. I never figured out why they used a baseball player to advertise fishing gear (or a golfer to sell fords)... kinda like a George Foreman grill... haha..
Williams was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. So the story is told.
When Ted wasn't on the diamond he was almost always on water somewhere. The hunting thing was secondary.
I had a great book as a kid... Think it was titled: Fishing, by Ted Williams with Lee Wulff. A big thick book.
You see, that's the great thing about this site, I learn something new everyday !! Now I've gotta read up on old Ted.....