Moscrops Fishing Reels

"Moscrop, J.B., 1830-1903. Famous Manchester, England fishing reel inventor and manufacturer. Famous for The Manchester Reel"

Crudely cast brass fishing reels bearing the name "Moscrops" first appeared in this country in the Spring of 1998. They were first brought to the attention of internet surfers when Mark Reynolds of Colorado posted an alert on the Anglers Online Chat Page titled "Alert! Fake Reels are Surfacing!" This notice was posted on June 10, 1998. Mark went on to relate how he had noted fake English brass reels surfacing on the internet in the past month. Mark had purchased one of these reels on Ebay auction, and had noted the very crude casting and mechanical defects that certainly are not present in the early British Moscrop reels.

The photo to the right shows a genuine Moscrops reel from the collection of Ed Poore of Massachusetts. Note the nice large crank knob made ebony or buffalo horn. Also note the large machine screw that holds the crank to the spool shaft. Also note that there is a single quarter round machine screw holding the foot on to the faceplate. These are a nicely manufactured reel and had sold in the $250-300 range at some of the antique tackle auctions. They were not common.

A counterfeit Moscrops reel is shown to the left. Note the lack of a crank knob, with only a piece of brass tubing on the crank rivet. Also note the crude narrow crank shaft, and the small machine screw holding the crank.   Note that this crank screw isn't even in the center of the crank. Also note the two flat head brass screws connecting the foot to the faceplate. These screws don't even line up properly with the foot, and the whole faceplate is cocked off center. The foot is very heavy, and not the proper radius curve to fit on a fishing rod. J. B. Moscrops would roll over in his grave if he thought serious reel collectors were attributing this crude piece to his work.

From the tailplate side the counterfeit Moscrops doesn't look too bad. However, the single screw that holds the foot to the back plate is again out of line, and the reel is cocked. These reels can properly be called a counterfeit for they are stamped "J.B. Moscrop - Manchester" on the foot.

The reels shown on this page were courtesy of Gene Katz who got stung in a local auction, and has loaned them to my traveling exhibit of fake fishing tackle. These reels were on display at the recent NFLCC National Tackle Show.

Moscrops Two - the Heavyweight:

There is a second type of counterfeit Moscrops reel that is currently appearing at flea markets, auctions and on Ebay auction. Both the above reel and this heavyweight model are actually common on Ebay. You could probably search Moscrops and find one for sale on any given day.
As can be seen in the photos on the left (click on the photo for an enlarged version), this reel is of more typical construction for a fly reel. However, the crank knob is still made out of brass. This reel is quite unique in that the spool is held on to the reel with a piece of wire that is visible in all the photos except for the lower right. This wire is bent through the nameplate on the back of the reel, and pulled tight through two holes in the shaft - then clipped off. There is no latch or screw holding the spool on the large hollow spool axle.

This reel is extremely crude and heavy. All I have seen have a foot that is obviously too thick to ever fit on a rod. The casting on the back-plate bearing says "J.B. Moscrops Patent Manchester". 

Apparently these reels have been artificially aged with a dark patina, but some may be polished before being put up for sale. This patina comes off very easily.

The latest information is that these reels are being made in India or Pakistan, imported to England through Spain, and then filtering their way to the U.S. They range in price from $8.00 if you can find the importer, to close to $100.00 on Ebay.