Penn Reels - just as you find them

[jason_purdy]

Penn Seaford: 4 posts, German Silver, hex nut on the handle, and no stamp on the reel foot. I’m thinking 1934.  I’m pretty happy with this vintage Goodwill find 

[ReelFishingProblems]

Neat old piece, especially for a Goodwill.

My wife goes to Goodwill 2-3 times a week, I tell her to keep an eye open for any fishing stuff. To date she has never brought any rods, reels, or tackle home. We do however have a growing vintage cookware collection.

[nelz]

Penn Seaford: 4 posts, German Silver, hex nut on the handle, and no stamp on the reel foot. I’m thinking 1934.  I’m pretty happy with this vintage Goodwill find  

Nice find indeed! Very early model, I'll let the experts tell the actual circa. So how much $$$ did it run ya?

[jason_purdy]

I thought the ‘33 was the 3 pillar with the rounded clicker and in ‘34 the design shifted to 4 posts, waffle clicker, and hex nut    Either way, it’s my earliest Penn and only cost me $20 

-Jason

[Crow]

Great buy !

[milne]

Nice find right there for sure Jason.

4 post began in 34 for all the Penn models and changed over to the Hex spool bearing on the head plate, would be nice to find one with the round spool bearing from 33, I've always been on the lookout for a 34 model with that round one, It would have been left over parts from 33, which happened all the time with model changes, I digress !!.

Careful though Jason,,,,, Collecting these older ones becomes obsessive    

Col

[sabaman1]

Very nice find! Its very rare to find any good fishing items at the thrift stores nowadays. 

[Maxed Out]

 Nice save !! Just imagine how many people would recognize this reel as one that should be shelved in a collection. 99.9% of people buying from goodwill would be taking this reel fishing. So happy to see it found the right home where it will be appreciated and never to be fished again now that it's officially entered into the collector realm

 I know of 1 model k that unknowing owner gifted to a father/son and even loaded it with line. Yep, they were going fishing with it not knowing it's historical significance or extremely high $$$ value

[jason_purdy]

Ted,

I know we’re coming up on Halloween but fishing a Model K?! That’s an outright horror story!

-Jason

[Penn Chronology]

Penn Seaford: 4 posts, German Silver, hex nut on the handle, and no stamp on the reel foot. I’m thinking 1934.  I’m pretty happy with this vintage Goodwill find

Nice find. It could be a 1934 reel. Has all the signs. You are correct about the three post model being a 1933. Sometime I feel the 1934 model is harder to find than the 1933 model.

[milne]

Penn Seaford: 4 posts, German Silver, hex nut on the handle, and no stamp on the reel foot. I’m thinking 1934.  I’m pretty happy with this vintage Goodwill find

Nice find. It could be a 1934 reel. Has all the signs. You are correct about the three post model being a 1933. Sometime I feel the 1934 model is harder to find than the 1933 model.

Funny you say that Mike, Even though my collecting years are few, I've managed to score only one 34 model, but 3 or 4  33 year Seafords...
I would have thought it would have been quite the opposite...

Col 

[Benni3]

Very nice reel and incredible find,,,,,   working at different places sometimes there's some old stock stuff laying around and you just use it if don't have the parts,,,,,, that's what makes penn reels so unique,,,,,,,

[Penn Chronology]

Funny you say that Mike, Even though my collecting years are few, I've managed to score only one 34 model, but 3 or 4  33 year Seafords...
I would have thought it would have been quite the opposite...

The Sea Ford is a model that is sort of an accident. In 1933, the Sea Ford is the Penn Child that was not supposed to happen. It was a late introduction in an odd build style, that filled a spot that was supposed to be the Sea King. Many 1933 models were made, from that point on, the Sea Ford was not a great selling reels and was gone after 1940. I have a feeling that the Sea Ford was a doomed model because of a Patent Infringement case to Penn from Pflueger. It went through a metamorphosis from the 1933 build style into the 1934 build style and never really recovered. Makes it an interesting model to find in the later years of it existence, especially the later boxes are tough finds.

[broadway]

Interesting info here.  Now I need more, lol.
Tell us more about the Sea King, Mike.  I have read some about this fabled reel and used to speak with Brian P. about it occasionally.
Thanks,
Dom

[Penn Chronology]

nteresting info here.  Now I need more, lol.
Tell us more about the Sea King, Mike.  I have read some about this fabled reel and used to speak with Brian P. about it occasionally.
Thanks,
Dom

I honestly believe the Sea King never happened. It really did not make any sense. it was a small 150 yard reel made to high standards. It was slow and expensive.

I know some salesman were telling customers it would happen but when it did, it became the Sea Ford. When I think about that concept I can't understand how they were going to create it. All the 1933 reels were the same side plate diameters and all were offered in the 250 or 300 yard line capacities. The Sea King would have been offered in 150 yard only. Now that meant the reel would have to be very narrow or a new smaller side plate would have had to be made. The small side plate reels were not introduced until 1935, so the Sea King would have been very ahead of its time in that regard. It was also Model F aka Sea Hawk free spool system with chrome plating used on inner trim ring plates. Which brought the reel down in capability and up in price.

I would sure love to find one but I feel that none were ever made. Otto must have realized that it just was a bad idea, so he canned it and went with the Sea Ford.