First we start of with the 1st version Cardinal 66, made in 1965, the reel was dark green and cream with black Svangsta sticker on the side plate and the rare and hard to find metal name plate which at first sits on the back of the reel housing, later is was put on the base of the side plate. Made in very small numbers these reels are the pride of my collection.
The fact one of the reels is shown in its original box is something quite rare, these boxes had a red base to them and the serial number was punched into the base of the box, the outer box, while it has a few bits of damage was never a great quality anyway, lets face it 9 times out of 10 it was thrown away.
Now I am just showing off but hey how rare do you want a reel
The Cardinal 77 was the same reel accept the rotor and spool were of a bigger size, this reel came later in 1965 but the name plate was changed for some reason and as said before placed on the base of the side plate, spool release button was also different to the old nipple type button found on the 66. Both model reels also show the use of a white primer underneath the green paint of these reels
In 1971 the reel remained the same accept the bail plate was now made of metal and the side plate sticker said "ABU" in bold silver letters.
A case of if its not broke dont fix it here from Sweden. The 77 could also be told by the different handle knob it retained
In 1972 its said that there was an intermediate reel made for the German market, this reel I have tracked down now and you can see instead of the long name badge and sticker like the reel above this one has the new block style name plate at the base of the side plate and no sticker. Thoughts were people made the side plate look like this but anyone who knows how the ABU badges are fixed will see this was clearly done by the company.
The green and cream reels went on up until 1975 with ABU not realy making many changes to the reel, OK the odd sticker and new metal badge to wear was hardly anything to write home about
1975/76 saw the last of the green and cream reels and ABU made a new reel, it came in the form of the Cardinal 66X & 77X, an all new high speeder with 5:1 gearing. The color also changed on these reels to a metallic brown and rich cream and the handle knob again was a big old block affair
1977 saw another different paint scheme, this time even though the 66X & 77X were still available ABU created the all new Cardinal 6 and 7 series reel
Just like the early reels these used the slower gear ratio of 3.3:1
Again 1st version reels which are so collectable (just like the Cardinal 3 & 4) came with the worst paint finish seen on an ABU reel, it was better known as the "Champagne" finish and was so weak you rub through it with your bare hands, a very thin metallic paint that just never stood the test of time.
1978 saw another color change for the X series reel, this time the Cardinal 6X, my favorite Abu reel, came in the poor quality "Champagne paintwork but this time had a wonderful Bronze rotor cup, still had the 5:1 gear ratio and really was a joy to use, so smooth.
You dont very often see these reels in this condition, I find myself very lucky to own it
Like all the 1st version X reels in Champagne paint they only lasted 1 year before a more robust paint was used to try and make the reels last out a season. The paint would become a ceramic based paint in Tan color which also had a black fleck in it, very similar to Portaflec paint used in moisture areas in Gyms and the like. This paint did not rub through so easy but did chip if you dropped the reel.
The color is a lot lighter in appearance to that of the Champagne reels, the same paint finish also came on the slower speed Cardinal 6 & 7 which also had the Satin Black painted rotor cup, again Cardinal 7 was just a bigger spool, rotor and had a different handle knob.
Below is a reel probably made from two different reels but hey when is the time to buy something thats possibly right? when its in front of you.
This reel has some different bits to it but they are staying under wraps for now, what is odd is the color of the rotor, never a production reel but for sure something very different. Painted in the ceramic paint, a paint that cant be found in a spray can.
A Cardinal 4 is also said to have been found in the same color, for those who know the history of Abu reels many color combinations have been found over they years as employees built the odd special for friends and possibly other staff, one which really stands out is an all bronze Cardinal 44.
These reels went on into 1980 which by which time one of the greatest Carp reels of all time had taken over from such reels, of course that was the superb ABU CARDINAL 5O SERIES REELS like the 55 and 57, still sought after today and used by hundreds of anglers worldwide, I will do some pics for you on those reels later. Im tired
Had they got the line lay right then the reel would of been faultless 
