Lot 781 email save

Only Known C.H. Wisner Musky Casting Reel

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Only Known Example of a C.H. Wisner Musky Size German Silver Casting Reel. With a large 3 7/8" diameter and 2 1/8" wide spool, this rare reel is the invention of Charles H. Wisner from Flint, Michigan. Constructed of German silver, this large Musky or Saltwater size reel was granted patent #639008 on December 12, 1899 for the rotating click wheel, located on the raised gear housing on this example. The horizontal raised gear housing is attached to the flat head plate via six posts and secured by nuts, and is a departure from the trapezoid shape found on Wisner's bass sized reels. Marked "C.H. Wisner, Flint, Mich", and hand marked on the 4 1/2" long handle with the "Pat Dec 12 –'99" date, and fitted with a bone grasp, grooved and tapered. The foot and foot pillars are cast in one piece, with the frame pillars straight featuring two small groves on either side. The conical end caps are fixed, and the tail plate houses a knurled, twist drag that operates by applying pressure to the spool flange. Additional drag is supplied via a large spring operated thumb bar, that when depressed applies pressure to the spooled line just above the foot pillars, another feature not seen before on any Wisner examples. Charles F. Wisner, a Genesee County circuit judge in Flint Michigan in 1898, was also the inventor of the "Buzz Wagon", the first car built in Flint before the turn of the century that reportedly had a very noisy one cylinder engine, debuted on Sept. 3, 1900 at a Labor Day parade. Wisner was also a patent holder for his 1898 minnow trap, patent #599086. As all C.H. Wisner reels are rare, this only known example of a large size reel has to be considered an important piece of Michigan's reel making history, and with the excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition of this unpolished reel, would make this an absolute investment quality reel.

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