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.
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 .!!!!!
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.
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!
Quote from: Gfish on August 07, 2021, 04:34:23 PM
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! :D
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
QuoteOh, 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 ;D
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!
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. :(
Yeah, the foot on the Leonard is tweaked.
I do a little blacksmithing so............ nah, I'm not that delicate! ;D
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.
Kinda looks like it was purposely bent.
Quote from: ClintB on August 09, 2021, 05:19:26 PM
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.
That's a good idea, I just didn't know if it would be ethical to put it up for offers with no real plan on selling it.
Just be up front about it. Tell the Orcans you're trying to find a price and will entertain offers. Their ruminations about it will be educational if nothing else.
Quote from: ClintB on August 10, 2021, 03:12:11 AM
That's a good idea, I just didn't know if it would be ethical to put it up for offers with no real plan on selling it.
Reality is it is Worth what you paid divided by the number of other stuff you got with it .
Now what it might SELL FOR would be determined in an Auction . Or check e-bay for recent sales is what a lot of people will say ...lol
To get an offer does not get an actual settlement in terms of value until it is accepted.
Quote from: Wompus Cat on August 10, 2021, 02:46:12 PM
Quote from: ClintB on August 10, 2021, 03:12:11 AM
That's a good idea, I just didn't know if it would be ethical to put it up for offers with no real plan on selling it.
Reality is it is Worth what you paid divided by the number of other stuff you got with it .
Now what it might SELL FOR would be determined in an Auction . Or check e-bay for recent sales is what a lot of people will say ...lol
To get an offer does not get an actual settlement in terms of value until it is accepted.
$13.63
None have sold on eBay that show up. I checked on Worthpoint and see what I think is the one that was on Spinoza, it sold for 2,025. I checked on Lang's, amazingly, they show sold prices from previous auctions but there was no Wells sold then.
Like I said in my first post . Ya got a hunk of gold out of a bag of cowchips !!!!
If you get hard up I can double your money for you and pay shipping .........just sayin ::)
I was joking about checking e-bay but that's what a lot of other Forums will tell ya ....lol
That kinda stuff don't Happen Here.
If I decide to make a quick 20, you'll be the first on my list! ;)
Here is the whole bag of "cow chips".
I will start putting some money aside for this just in case ........
I think I sees a DAM and an old Humprhey's reel in that Bag 'O' Chips . :o
The reel ;D story here is, how, and where, in the world did you come up with that box of goodies? Also, you said something earlier about insuring some of them. Fishing tackle is tough to insure without an appraisal.
Quote from: Midway Tommy on August 10, 2021, 06:05:09 PM
The reel ;D story here is, how, and where, in the world did you come up with that box of goodies?
I had just purchased a vintage Fenwick on eBay, I was curious about its history so I was in communication with the seller about it. He told me he inherited it from his friends widow along with some other things. He already sold most of what he was familiar with but still had this box of old gear. And you know the rest of the story.
Team Tani...not trying to be a smart Alec .... does rare mean valuable ? I have no idea
what price range these should garner ?
Chas
I was told that the Wells is not common but not rare, it's scarce. ???
Supply and demand.....
Quote from: Midway Tommy on August 10, 2021, 06:05:09 PM
The reel ;D story here is, how, and where, in the world did you come up with that box of goodies? Also, you said something earlier about insuring some of them. Fishing tackle is tough to insure without an appraisal.
This company is listed on orca and it looked pretty easy and no appraisals up to a certain amount was required .
https://orcaonline.org/services/insurance/