A CLASSIC

[Penn Chronology]

Thanks.  I also have the original leather reel case.

I've thought of polishing it but I think it's worth more just as it is.

I think you are correct. A reel that is New Old Stock like your EVH will loose value if you polish it. Just keep it cleaned by hand.

[Alto Mare]

Thank you all for your kind words about my skills in saving the vom Hofe. I do not own the ORCA restoration guide but I will be buying it to learn some more secrets. Basically I have a small polishing machine. A polishing wheel and the Red Tripoli works for the finish. More time brings higher quality. When you have a spool with this much corrosion I sand it while it is spinning in a drill motor. Start the process with 400 grit, then move to 1200 grit and then polish with Tripoli.

Initial cleaning should be done by soaking the reel parts in a 50--50 mix of vinegar and water for about 4 to 8 hours. That makes your reel parts clean and smelling like a salad with Italian dressing on it.

If you buy the ORCA cleaning and restoration guide, you will get a excellent guide to much better restoration work than this. Some of the ORCA members make a reel so pretty you will want to put it on a gold chain and hang it around your wife's neck like a necklace. Don't do that with a 16/O, she will not appreciate it....

Beautiful job on that reel Mike, thank you for showing us how its done, very much appreciated.

Thanks.  I also have the original leather reel case.

I've thought of polishing it but I think it's worth more just as it is.

Bri-Bri...the man that has it all. I want to be like you when I grow up

[coastal_dan]

Brian...Oh my, a thing of dreams there.  Thanks for sharing.

[Tunacious]

Thank you for sharing the history of this reel/company. I so enjoy reading and seeing the classics. The craftsmanship and care taken to produce items (in this case fishing reels) is simply amazing. $85 for that reel in 1929 would cost $1,162 in 2014.

[foakes]

You and Mike are right, Bryan --

Just let the Patina grow naturally, until such time as you/if you -- decide to to sell the EVH.

If you haven't already, keep the reel in a cloth breathable soft bag -- keep the case with it -- put it in a cardboard box that will not dump out on you -- store it in the house, not the garage.

With that combo and included items, including hang tag -- the value will go off the charts.

And the value will be much higher if you let the ultimate buyer restore it -- not you as the seller.

The patina adds to the authenticity of the package.

Think of the Market dynamics at work here --

A 6/0 size reel costs nearly a month's wages for a working man -- so it is a rich mans sport in 1929.

Ocean City comes along with a reel that is much more reasonably priced for the average angler -- grabs a good share of the market.

Then, a young Otto Henze starts producing a line of reels called "Penn" -- at prices 10% to 25% of the handmade EVHs -- and quickly dominates the market.  And establishes a new market that allows the average angler to go after big game saltwater fish offshore.

All of this happening after the Stock Market collapse of 1929 -- and continuing right through the Great Depression -- into modern times, and beyond.  Similar to innovators like Ford, Edison, and Remington.

And not unlike some of the pioneers of today, like -- Apple or Timex.  And some of the innovators of today, such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Sam Walton.

Instead of slogging up the hill with the rest of the herd -- they cut a new side road towards establishing lower pricing, more attractive products, and economical operating costs -- then the market comes to them.

Enough history for now -- but I never tire of this stuff.

Best,

Fred

[theswimmer]

Good Morning Michael,
Something about this triggered a memory in the old human hardrive......
Your reel may have some provenance after all.

Take a look at paragraph 3 about half way thru the paragraph.

Best,
Jonathan

http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/73d7237a

[theswimmer]

And again.
See pages 200 and 201 ,1st column , both pages almost at the bottom.
It appears he was a banker, with branches both in Brooklyn and Nassau.

Best,
Jonathan

https://books.google.com/books?id=E0HOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA200&lpg=PA200&dq=h.p.+morgan+brooklyn&source=bl&ots=8HJ5ckZa7d&sig=fwdGBmNRSVdpyrZhAfAsEVo37j8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LeQnVaOaM479oQT5qoEo&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=h.p.%20morgan%20brooklyn&f=false

[Penn Chronology]

Good Morning Michael,
Something about this triggered a memory in the old human hardrive......
Your reel may have some provenance after all.

Thank you very much. I will try to follow this history further. This was a good find and I appreciate it very much.

I am very glad the history is so accepted here and that there is now a category to post it in. Who knows what the future will bring. This website may become a new source for historical facts. It already is a engineering Research and Development Center, now there is another direction.

[Penn Chronology]

Enough history for now -- but I never tire of this stuff.

Me too!!!

[Islandgypsy]

Can't say enough about how much I'm enjoying this new catagory in the forum. Please keep it coming,Professors!

[theswimmer]

And again.
Can you tell I am a history geek?
It appears he had his start in dry goods , later branching out into both banking and  owning the Nassau Illuminating Co based in Brooklyn.

https://books.google.com/books?id=bXD7YBx6UvMC&pg=PT38&dq=h.p.+morgan+brooklyn&hl=en&sa=X&ei=YDwoVf35EYawogT9h4H4CA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=h.p.%20morgan%20brooklyn&f=false

[LI Guy]

There was a brother who was also a rel maker. Julius . I believe they were competitors.

[Penn Chronology]

There was a brother who was also a rel maker. Julius . I believe they were competitors.

The von Hofe's were a generational legacy. The brand was started right after the Civil War by Fritz vom Hofe, the father of Julius and Edward. Studying and collecting vom Hofe reels is a hobby in itself. They made everything from freshwater bait casting, some of the most famous and imitated fly reels to 16/O saltwater big game cradle reels and everything in between. There could never be enough said about the vom Hofe brand.

[Penn Chronology]

One more thing that I should have mentioned. There is a great book about the Edward vom Hofe brand. This book tells of the family history, lists ways to identify the reels and has a very complete page by page study of the individual models. A must for anyone that is interested in the brand.

http://www.amazon.com/Celebrated-Reels-Edward-vom-Hofe/dp/0615168825/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429663555&sr=8-1&keywords=edward+vom+hofe

I cannot say enough good things about this book.