You will in your travels as a vintage tackle collector come across reels by J B Moscrop of Manchester.
Patent 17,502 of the 14thOctober 1891 saw the birth of a unique reel.
Normally brass and later alloy, these are good collector reels and still fishable today, well built and attractive too.
The Patent mentions three features:
First, the small proud brake friction adjuster on the face plate operates a compression spring tension brake system, well ahead of its time. Rotating the adjuster effectively tightens the drum against the frame & backplate causing a drag; second was an unusual method of attaching the handle, using an internal hollow tube fastened from the underside, allowing the handle to rotate dirt free; and third, the hollow spindle fitted with a U shaped wire clip meant that removing the drum could be done instantly.
Moscrop had a fishing tackle business in Manchester and his other tackle items are rarely seen and collectable too. Values for the Moscrop reels tend to be in the £100-200 bracket depending on condition and size. Trout models from 2-1/2” diameter to salmon patterns of approx. 4-1/2”. That brings me to the rarity of the bunch, a 5-1/2” diameter Moscrop Patent salmon fly reel with external rolling pillars.
These are a real good find and they will command more than the standard models shown here.
Note, many years ago a bundle of Moscrop replicas came into the country. These tended to have a brighter brass finish with a brass tapered handle, that’s the give away! So check the handle and if the quality feels cheap, leave it alone.
