(This work of
fiction illustrates how we collectors might get a little carried away with minor
details in analyzing our tackle today. It pertains to reel collectors, but lure
collectors could easily produce the same results)
Knobs R Us
1906 – Vulcanite Molding Specialties,
Brooklyn, NY, Sales Manager’s Office
“Hello, Sam speaking”.
“This is Joe Nevermiss over at the Montague
Plant.”
“Hey Joe, How’s things going?”
“Great – we just got a big order in from William
Mills, and I need 1000 of your XZ472 Ivoroid knobs to fill out the
order.”
“Hmmm! Let me go check. We haven’t run any of the
XZ427’s for a while. I’m not real sure how many we have.”
Several minutes pass before Sam returns to the
phone.
“Joe, we only got 600 of the XZ472’s. I can have
the other 400 to you in a week at the most.”
“Na… I need them right away – this is a rush
order. Old Billy said that if I could get them to him by the end of
the week, I can put my name on the reels.”
“How about if I send you 400 of the XZ473’s to
finish out your order. They’re the same color and size as the XZ472,
but they have three rings around the base instead of two.”
“Sounds great to me Sam, no one will ever notice
the difference.”
2006 – The ORCA Message Board REEL TALK
Dumpster Diver: “Take a look at this reel
that I picked up at a yard sale yesturday. It only says “Nevermiss”
on it. Anyone got an idear who made it and what its wurth?” [Picture
follows]
The Pineapple: It looks like it might be a
Montague.
4Raised Pillars: “Sweeeeeet!!! I just love
those little raised pillar reels. It looks like a Julius Vom Hoff but
the font is one used by Montague from December 1903 to March 1908.”
Old Goofoff: “It’s a Montague.”
Shakespeare Texan: “Goofoff, you say that
about any generic reel.
Gadwall: “According to my research,
Nevermiss was a registered trademark of the Unique Side Saddle
Company of Chazy, NY, and they sold those reels in their 1906 catalog.
I’ve been researching that company for an article for the UFRMA
(Unidentified Fishing Reel Manufacturers Ass.) located in Area 6 in
Nevada.
I Hate PA Reels: Raised Pillar, just
because it has a hole in the foot doesn’t mean it is a Vom Hofe. Many
JVH reels don’t have holes in them. And besides, lots of ice fishing
reels have holes in the foot. If you will just tear the reel apart and
count the teeth in the gears we’ll know how many gear teeth it has.
The Pineapple: Now boys, let’s not get too
rambunctious!
4Raised Pillars: How much for the above
subject?
Elderberry: Are you sure that isn’t made
of wood? I made one of those reels out of wood back in 2000, but it
disappeared during the millennium time change.
Mee Again: Goofoff, take a look at that
crank knob. It’s got three rings around the base, and Montague’s only
have two rings. It can’t be a Montague.
Micrometer Man: It’s a Pflueger. If you
would measure the diameter of the pillars you’d know for certain that
it is a Pflueger. And then you can verify this by seeing if the thread
on the 2nd screw from the left is right handed or left
handed and 47x32 threads.
EZ Spirit: (After 47 emoticons) Ive got a
box full of those reels somewhery here in my shop, but I thik I used
them all up as decoy anchors when I was hunting Canvasbaks up on lake
Erie last yearn. I might hav more some where here anong the 500,000
reels and 40,000,000 reel partz lists. One of thes days I’ll get
around to cleaning…zzzzz
Raised Pillar: How much for the above
subject?
Bronson Man: I don’t care about those
three rings. Does it have an engraved scene of a man fishing on a lake
on the other side?
The Invisible Rabbit: Just do a search in
the ORCA Library for “Nevermiss”. I’m sure we have a catalog or
something about that somewhere. Otherwise you can conclude that it’s a
Shakespeare and in five minutes I’ll post a picture of mine in its
box.
Robert Cabin: It’s not a fly reel, so I
don’t care.
Eastern Eddie: I don’t know what it is but
look at that crank knob with three rings. It sure isn’t a Hendryx.
Incidentally, I need any Hendryx reel that’s never been seen before in
new in box condition.
The Little Reel Cleaner: That crank knob
with 3 rings came off Marhoff’s third reel. I’ve got serial #1 and it
has one ring; and I’ve got serial #2, which has two rings, so that
handle with three rings must be from serial number 3. I think I put
that reel together from parts I found in my junk box.
The Pineapple: Now Boys…
Texas Annie Oakley: I just got back from
killing three 10 point bucks with two shots and I find you guys
arguing over that little ol’ reel. Anyone can see that the end plates
are made of gutta percha from the Amazon rain forest. It has a darker
color than the stuff from Columbia. The rims are made from branictin,
which is 40% nickel, 40% tin and 40% brass.
Black Smith: It’s a Malleson. It’s got all
the features of a Malleson. Which are hmm, er, ahem, cough! A crank
knob with 3 rings? Maybe it’s a Kopf.
4Raised Pillars: I don’t care what it is.
I just bought it for $500. Anyone want to trade for a 40 Yard
Shakespeare Perfect.
The Ghost of Joe Nevermiss, reclining on a
cloud up there somewhere, “and I thought no one would ever notice.”
And thus the curtain falls on another
unidentified generic trade reel.
Phil &
Marilyn White
