Unnamed 3" fly reel - is it a Hardy?

[John Milford]

Hardy stamped pretty much everything, so ordinarily I wouldn't even ask this question, except . . .

This little unnamed 3" permanent check reel has a Hardy patent number stamped on it's ribbed foot, a feature first catalogued in 1928 under Hardy's patent No. 272409.

While I'm quite certain it wasn't made for sale, the foot makes me think it can only have come out of the Hardy workshops - perhaps a development reel, or an 'apprentice piece'?

It is rather basic, but very well built.

Any thoughts welcome.

[Paul F]

John, you are right it has a Hardy foot, my guess based on the scored line to mark the centre of the ventilation holes, that it is a home made reel from bits taken other reels.

[Liphook]

I'd agree with Paul F. I have a near identical reel that has an overly long foot, so I'd guess that someone's changed yours for the shorter Hardy foot to get it to fit a reelseat? That Hardy ribbed foot is probably worth a lot more than the reel itself?

[John Milford]

What you and Paul say is certainly a distinct possibility Liphook.

It just stikes me as slightly odd that someone with the materials, skill and tools to build a scratch reel would cannibalise a Hardy reel, of all things, for such a basic part?

The foot itself has some obvious imperfections - prompting my thought that perhaps it was a 'reject' salvaged from the scrap bin at Hardys by an apprentice who built the reel?

As with all such intriguing little curios, we'll never really know.

Here's pictures of the internals and back.

[Liphook]

I don't think it is a 'scratch'/bench/apprenticeship reel personally. I'm saying the foot has been changed to make the reel fit more modern reel seats