Penn Model # 549....

[oc1]

It seems like if there was a mistake in the casting mold and 549's left the factory then there would be others.  Having the mold wear out so the numbers get a little blurry sounds more likely.  I wouldn't take Dom's wager.  It's a three.
-steve

[cdaline]

Team Tani....

Alas, full disclosure, the optical illusion of a "5" turns out to be your
run of the mill "3". Close-up evaluation reveals the reel to be a Penn
349 ...Master Mariner. While enjoyable to consider the "what if's ? ",
the odds of a misprint were nigh on impossible. My apologies for the
distraction. The reel has already been flipped for $45.

The good news, it was bundled with a nice "Made in France" Mitchell
Garcia 306. 

Thank you for all the insights.

Charles
https://imgur.com/a/oNh3FKL