Seeking Knowledge

Started by xjchad, October 23, 2019, 09:39:15 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

happyhooker

#15
Quote from: oc1 on October 25, 2019, 08:52:25 AM
...  I wonder where we would be today if Garcia never existed?  Would Mitchell and ABU have finally come around to servicing the American market themselves?  Would Mitchell and/or ABU have become more prosperous without Garcia?  Or, would we have never heard of Mitchell and/or ABU without Garcia?
-steve

"What ifs" are a lot of fun to banter about because nobody can be totally wrong by speculating about something where there is no known correct answer.

So, for my two cents worth, I don't think Mitchell and ABU, by themselves, would have done anything in the US.  After all, a Swedish company and a French one with minimal/no ties to the US; no foot in the US door at all.  As far as Mitchell, I feel they had a product/products in the late '40s that were successful in Europe and actually were good products, so starting from those strengths, they would have found some US connection to get them off the ground in the states.  Who?  Now we're really WAGing it.  How about South Bend, who had been in business in the US since the 19th Century, and made and sold a lot of fishing tackle, but not so much in the spinning reel end? (Shakespeare later made a lot of reels for SB, while SB reciprocated with rods for Shaky).  Or maybe Johnson; they had winners in spincast gear in the early '50s, and maybe would've been interested in acquiring a quality spinning line (just like their competitor, Zebco, did when they bought Langley in '62 for that very purpose).  I suspect there are other likely candidates--maybe even Zebco themselves.

I don't want to marginalize Garcia, though; after all, there were several French reel manufacturers in the '50s, with decent products (if maybe not as good as Mitchell) that were sold in the US, and those guys never came close to doing what Mitchell did through Garcia in the US.  It might have been that Garcia had a "magic touch".

Frank

(WAG = Wild As*ed Guess)

xjchad

Thank you guys so much for your info and contributions!
I'm printing this all out for my reference book  :)

I've started collecting a few mitchells to start on and am looking for deals on parts/parts reels/etc.

Thanks again!
Chad
Husband, Father, Fisherman

oc1

Quote from: happyhooker on October 26, 2019, 01:33:14 AM
It might have been that Garcia had a "magic touch".

I'll buy that.
-steve