Itty bitty Penn Reels bottle cap thingy from who knows when

[1badf350]

A gentleman recently gave this to me and I was surprised because I have never seen another one considering how many Hardcore penn collectors there are. Maybe they are inconsequential and people don't post about them but if you have one please post a picture I'd like to see it. I'd like to learn the time frame in which these were made.

[Maxed Out]

1960's-70's is my guess

[alantani]

is it a pop bottle cap?

[1badf350]

Alan yes that is what I was told

[Alto Mare]

Chris, I have no idea when it was made, but I do have one as well.
It was a gift from Dan, one of of our members about 2 years.
I think mine is light green in color, but will need to check.


Sal

[Penn Chronology]

Exactly. Back in the 1950's and 1960's we got our soda in glass bottles with metal caps. They were not twist off caps, they had to be opened with a bottle opener or, for you guys that remember the nickname for the opener, it was called a Church Key If you opened a large one quart soda bottle, you would bend the cap. These plastic caps enabled you to reseal the bottle. Beer came in steel cans that we opened with the pointy end of the church key. So these Penn bottle caps were a very common item back in the 1950's and 60's. They came in many different styles. This was a Penn promotional item that was really useful.

When I was in the military, the bottle opener / church key was as important as your cigarette lighter. They were small and easy to lose, so we epoxied them into 20 mm shell casings. Those casings made perfect handles and you did not lose them. Being the obcessive compulsive kind of collector that I can be, I saved mine and still own them. They are obsolete, like so many others things in my life.

[1badf350]

Thats pretty resourceful Mike! I do remember those "church keys". I made a lure out of one when I was  a kid in the 80s. Caught a couple Bluefish in the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay before I lost it.

[Penn Chronology]

I do remember those "church keys". I made a lite out of one when I was  a kid in the 80s. Caught a couple Bluefish in the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay before I lost it.

Never saw one made into a jig, but why not? Bluefish will bite at anything that shines. I used to make bluefish tins from the handle of old dinner knife handles, just cut off the blade, drill a hole at each end, much cheaper than buying a diamond jig. Wish I would have thought of "church key lures", I bet they worked great.

[Cuttyhunker]

I remember them for soda bottles as a kid in the 50's, Also "fishing is fun" from the 1950 Penn catalog, have to dig out Mike's yellow book for the first use of the term.  I'd bet it remembers Ike in the White House.

[Caranx]

Exactly. Back in the 1950's and 1960's we got our soda in glass bottles with metal caps. They were not twist off caps, they had to be opened with a bottle opener or, for you guys that remember the nickname for the opener, it was called a Church Key If you opened a large one quart soda bottle, you would bend the cap. These plastic caps enabled you to reseal the bottle. Beer came in steel cans that we opened with the pointy end of the church key. So these Penn bottle caps were a very common item back in the 1950's and 60's. They came in many different styles. This was a Penn promotional item that was really useful.

When I was in the military, the bottle opener / church key was as important as your cigarette lighter. They were small and easy to lose, so we epoxied them into 20 mm shell casings. Those casings made perfect handles and you did not lose them. Being the obcessive compulsive kind of collector that I can be, I saved mine and still own them. They are obsolete, like so many others things in my life.

Can anybody identify those cartridge casings?
I can't 🤷🏻‍♂️

[1badf350]

20mm Lahti

[Caranx]

20mm Lahti

Thanks F-350
That's a pretty big casing.

[Penn Chronology]

Since this post was originally about the Penn Bottle caps of the 1950's, here is a table of some of his old stuff from the collection of the late Mike Quinn (RIP). Some of you may remeber dealing with him at the Penn Service Department. All of these items are now in the wind.

Two of these old bottle caps are sitting above the 1939 catalog.