Old tackle

[mikench]

It turns out my sister who lost her husband over 20 years ago has kept his old fishing tackle . It must be at least 30 to 40 years old. There are some rods , reels and other bits and pieces. I have no idea about the rods but she has given me details of 3 of his old reels. These are;

Mitchell 1120G
Diawa Auto 1657M?
Silstar x40.

Does anyone know anything about them. I suspect they are not up to much in which case I will take up her offer to give them to me. If however anyitem might be worth something I want to pay her. She knows there is an Abu closed face reel which will suit me if it works and she thinks his rods are Diawa of the same vintage as the reels.

Would appreciate any feedback from those far more knowledgable than I!

 

[sam vimes]

The Daiwa reel listed has been in the Daiwa catalogue for years and it's still a current model. I suspect that they first appeared in the early eighties. I acquired one in the late eighties, but didn't really rate it. In the last week I gave it to a mate that has recently started using his again.
That particular reel won't do much to help you date the rods.

The Mitchell 1120G was one of their later models. It appeared towards the end of the Mitchell era when they were trying to reinvent themselves. They relied on ancient designs for a bit too long and left it a bit too late to update in the face of competition from the likes of Shimano. I'm no Mitchell buff, but from memory, I'd suggest mid to late eighties, or very early nineties, for that one.

I don't recall the Silstar reel. However, the brand (originally) was around from the eighties into the late nineties/early noughties. It's only recently been resurrected.

If the rods are of similar vintage, there's a chance that they could be worth a few quid. Much depends on the particular makes and models. Some quality rods from the late eighties into the nineties can still attain very good money. Naturally, there's also plenty of junk that you'd struggle to give away.

 

[mikench]

Thanks Sam. I will reserve judgement until I see them and await the rod details. I doubt there will be a Normark amongst them

The Diawa reel is exactly it; unbelievable after all these years! Who would buy one today ?

 

[sam vimes]

The Diawa reel is exactly it; unbelievable after all these years! Who would buy one today ?

There's still a few out and out river anglers that rather like them. I guess they must still be selling a few if they can still justify making them. One of their best features is the genuinely shallow match spool. No mucking about with bulk spools or backing with these reels.

 

[no-one in particular]

I use this sometimes Mikench, not sure you will find anything you have on it but it can sometimes be useful. Type in your rod or reel type and see if anything comes up. I did type in Mitchel reel and some stuff came up. Might help you never know.

1815 shilling - price comparison - reduto.co.uk

 

[mikench]

Thanks Mark; I will take a look. They might be worth keeping and restoring if in good order if only in his memory Mike