Is the Allcock Sea Aerial reel special?

Yes it is, read on.

The famed Allcock Aerial reel came in many forms. If you tried to collect every size and model, (one man did try) you would be into over 400 variants.

The reel in the stable which is very much over looked and under rated is the Sea Aerial.

Launched in the 1930s it was model coded 8916 and made from black Bakelite to repel the salt water corrosion. These Aerials are normally 4” diameter, wide drum for extra line capacity making them ideal for spinning too. A small number of variants are available to the collector including the brass work changes to the rear.

In terms of rarity the Allcock’s Sea Aerial are not too common, I suppose the rare ones having Allcock’s aerial stamped to the front flange. They work well, ideal for freshwater angling too and stronger than their alloy counterparts which are easily damaged and as the alloy ages it becomes brittle.

BUT that’s not the only reason to collect these.

A rarely seen Alloy Sea Aerial exists model coded 7950s, it was cast from the same “special anti-corrosive alloy as used for the Allcock Bell sea reel”. Similar to the fresh water model 7950, it’s a rare find for any collector.

So by reading the old tackle Makers’ catalogues (or these blogs!) many clues can be found to help you spot an oddball rarity you could have normally missed.