Eaton & Deller of 6/7 Crooked Lane London query

In response to our request for any unusual reels in the hands of our readers Mike O’Brien sent in this oddity which we are researching.

The reel is clearly by Eaton & Deller, 6/7 Crooked Lane, London, which dates it after 1857 and probably pre-1900, so it’s in there somewhere. The odd thing is the winding plate is all but missing, or is it?

The central hub plate has a stubby handle bar with original handle knob. There appear to be some file marks and possibly brazing on the handle support.  Initially I thought someone has reduced the full size face plate, perhaps as a result of damage or to lighten it. However, the maker’s engraving, which I believe is original, is obvious on the front of the reel under the plate, so it looks correct, but I don’t know why.

Mike tells us the reel is 4.5″ diameter and weighs 1lb 11oz despite all the holes.

The holes appear rough shaped, the engraving a bit skew unlike most of the E&D work, which is faultless, so I don’t know.

Could it be an attempt at an antifoul reel?

We’re on the case and will report back when the tackle squirrels dig out what I hope will be similar examples to help unravel this one.