Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: dennisK on December 27, 2006, 08:18:00 AM
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If Shimanos are so great, why do Abus go for this much at auctions :)
Currently at $778 US for a Abu 6500...I don't know, but there must be *something* about these reels.
;D
(http://i12.ebayimg.com/06/i/000/80/16/fd92_1.JPG)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-Vintage-ABU-GARCIA-6500-casting-reel-LIKE-NEW_W0QQitemZ140066880507QQihZ004QQcategoryZ36146QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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:-X
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Must be made of gold I guess ;D
I will never understand why people collect expensive Antique reels they will never fish with!! I would rather spend the money on high quality newer reels that you can use on a daily basis .. my two cents
TR
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Must be made of gold I guess ;D
I will never understand why people collect expensive Antique reels they will never fish with!! I would rather spend the money on high quality newer reels that you can use on a daily basis .. my two cents
TR
I agree 100%.
And to be honest I've spent a few hundred on older reels and hotrodded them a bit and then went fishing. I cannot stand just having it sit there on a shelf like some fish porn. If I do not use something at least a few times a year it gets sold.
I think the reel in the auction is going for big bucks because red plated 6500s were made in less then a 500 lot quantity.
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Why do rare Rolls Royce's go for as much as they do???
By the looks of that reel, I would say it was a 1979 with the round "high speed" decal rather than the oval one on the right side plate.
The six digit reel foot # would likely be 790601 (if really lucky, it would be 79XX00)
In addition, there is a good chance it would likely say "Ambassadeur 6500" which is engraved on the left sideplate rather than the decal.
This is indeed an uncoomon reel, but not as uncommon as my 1978 which is in better shape (this one has too much brassing)
The 1978 has an oval "New High Speed" decal and the inner plates are painted red to match the sideplates, rather than chrome as this 1979.
I have a few 6500 series reels whic are worth more than this one.
This one should really be worth about $450.00 US, but the bidder is likely Japanese. Their favorite reels are the red 5500 reels, then followed up by the 6500 series. They are a big thing and a "must have" in any serious Japanese collector's collection.
I will not say too much, but this reel is over-priced. Likely has something to do with the time of the year and the bidders.
But it is important to realize that you may think this reel is expensive by a fisherman's standards, give this reel a few years and the bidder will likely be able to get this much, or more for this reel.
Dano
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the reel foot says 780600, so it must be a 1978 reel. It's on the ebay site has one of the questions asked.
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the reel foot says 780600, so it must be a 1978 reel. It's on the ebay site has one of the questions asked.
Item description says it is a 1960's reel
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Did not see the link to the e-bay item til now.
Went to the link and it is indeed a 1978 (seller is mistaken about age)
K-big is the high roller when it comes to purchasing these reels and money is not an object to him. Seeing the price, it is him bidding, and the shape made me look carefully and I now realize that this is quite a rare reel, as the inner plates are silver, rather than red. Most of the new "High Speed" reels went to England for sale and had red inner plates. It was cheaper to make them chrome, so they switched back to the chrome in 1979. To find a red one with a 1978 serial number and chrome rather than red is quite rare. To an ambassadeur collector, an error like this would likely be like a hockey card collector finding a Wayne Gretsky rookie card with a slight error, making it worth more due to it's uncommon nature.
Dano
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Trying to work off the top of my head. Will have to go and look at some of my reels for a comparison.
Really wish there were more pictures and a description as to whether the Ambassadeur 6500 on the sideplate was engraved or a decal. That fact helps a great deal.
Fact that the last two digits end in 00 is important, as that makes it the first run in a new series.
But there are many people who will take the more common 6000 series reels (worth less) and dress them up as a 6500 reel to get the big bucks.
As I said, K-big is probably the biggest collector from Japan and knows his stuff, so either the demand for the red 6500 reel has gone up there, or there is something special about this reel.
Dano
PS, and interesting hobby to get into and cheaper than trying to collect Hardy Stuff.
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hmmm, I know who I am gonna ask Abu questions from now on :)
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Good for you guys. That means you are not 80 years old yet. ;D
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I have the Ambassadeur 6oooc anniversary model, 1921-1991. It’s black and chrome and comes in a brown leather case. Any idea what its worth?
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I tend to look at a lot of the reels (6500 series) from 1972 to the 25th anniversary model in 1984.
Those tend to be the "classics" and tend to be harder to get, so that is what I concentrate on.
In 1985, (well, first in 1981) the design of the reels, as well as the inner parts changed. Quality went down, and it is about this time they switched over from making them in Sweden to making them in Asia.
If I remember, the reel you are talking about is made with the same concept/design as the rocket/C-Special reels they came out with at that time (I do have a few of these, as they are special ;)), so it is a bit better design than your standard 6000.
The 6500 series (rockets, CS's, and C-Specials) are more desirable from this era. You do have to remember that "Special production" does not really mean much by this time period. What it usually means is some new, special design which they flog and convince lots of people to get interested in/buy. Very few of these reels are limited production, thus they are common and usually not much worth.
If the reel is mint, unused, and all the parts are there as in the box, the right collector may give you what you paid for it.
More than likely, a collector who may have some interest would give you about $80.00 CDN (about $75.00 US. Most collectors give prices based on US dollars)
If it has been used, any sign of visible use would cut the value in half of what you originally paid, then down as the visible damage gets more severe. By this time, someone who wants to use the reel to fish would likely give you more than a true collector.
Dano
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Hey Dan Tfisherman,
You seem very knowledgeable about the Abu's! Here's one for you. I was given this Abu Garcia 6500C from my great uncle. I'm not sure what year it is - but I think it's from the early 1970's. Unfortunately, it probably sat unprotected in a tackle box for decades before I decided to completely take it apart, clean it, re-lube and grease it. I probably won't use it - but it looks good on my desk! Please take a look and tell me what you think. Can you guess the year it was manufactured? Photos are below...
(http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/akong1/Fishing%20Gear/P9030244.jpg)
(http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/akong1/Fishing%20Gear/P9030245.jpg)
Cheers... :)
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I have the same reel. The instructions were printed in 1976 in Sweden. I have been told that it is now a collector's item.
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It is a 1974 reel.
The bottom reel foot should say 74XX02.
The XX would likely be either an 02, 03, 04, or an 05. There is a very remote chance it could be an 09.
The clues are the design of the 5 star drag (this is the biggie) and the front of the line guide. To see in person I would be able to tell if the color is gunmetal blue or the more silver grey, which would then allow me to pinpoint the XX numbers more exact.
The handle is also a bit helpful, but at the same time confusing. It looks original, but, is the silver pin which connects the black knob to the grey handle rounded or flat? If it is rounded, it is original. If it is flat, it has been replaced.
This then brings me to a second conclusion. If the serial number is not what I have stated, and the silver pin is flat, I would have to conclude the reel has been re-built (it is not correct) and to a collector, only worth the parts to be taken out of it.
Without the black case and the box, my guess would be this reel is worth about $150.00 US or so (give or take depending upon how desperate the collector is)
I am always looking to add a new reel to my collection, so if you are ever interested in parting with it, let me know. I do have 2 reels in my collection like this one, but a variation on the serial number which I may not have would interest me (my goal over my life is to try to get one of every 6500 series reel from 1972 to 1980 with every foot variation I can).
A nice reel, but the scuff marks do take away from the reel's overall appeal, and thus value.
Fish Assassin, let me see the reel with more data and I will let you know what you have.
I have many of the little instruction booklets, and they do not always go with the year of the reel.
The 1976 booklet was the most common one, and was used with almost all 04 production series reels made form 1976 up to 1980 without any changes.
Dano
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Dennis, I have picked up some ABEC 5 bearings from Mike's and put them in the three older 6500-C reels I fish with (man, can the old 6500-C outcast a Calcutta :o ;))
The way you put the bearings in does not matter, but it is important that you got the right ones!!!
All older 6500-C reels up to 1981 have the two chrome spool caps at the side. the bearings for these reels is a slightly different size that the ones made from 1982 onward which then used a palming cap. (year break may actually be 1984, not certain here)
If the reel does not cast super-nice, bring them back and inquire as to whether you got the right bearings. Bearings for the newer reels are common and easy to get. the older style, not so common.
Dano
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Dennis, I have picked up some ABEC 5 bearings from Mike's and put them in the three older 6500-C reels I fish with (man, can the old 6500-C outcast a Calcutta :o ;))
The way you put the bearings in does not matter, but it is important that you got the right ones!!!
All older 6500-C reels up to 1981 have the two chrome spool caps at the side. the bearings for these reels is a slightly different size that the ones made from 1982 onward which then used a palming cap. (year break may actually be 1984, not certain here)
If the reel does not cast super-nice, bring them back and inquire as to whether you got the right bearings. Bearings for the newer reels are common and easy to get. the older style, not so common.
Dano
Thnks - and I've use a 1974 5000C - smooth.
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The bottom reel foot has the following number: 770804, whatever that means.
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Fish Assassin,
Your reel was made in August of 1977.
It is the 4th model/design change in a series which went to 5, with the last reel being produced in April of 1980 (this was the last reel produced in the old "classic series" in black, which I am lucky enough to have one.
If Ambassadeur 6500 C is engraved on the left sideplate, it is a bit more common (I think because yours is in August, it should have engraved Ambassadeur 6500 C). If Ambassadeur 6500 C is a brown decal with silver writing on the left sideplate, this reel is a little harder to find. But I do not believe they switched to the decals until about October of 1977, so it is very unlikely it has the decal (but not impossible).
Price of course would vary depending on shape and what stuff it comes with.
Starting value for your reel (if battered and worn) would be about $60.00 US.
Hope this is useful,
Dano
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Interesting information Dan. The Ambassadeur 6500C is engraved on the left sideplate.
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Fly Fishing Magician,
Here is a reel for you to monitor on e-bay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1974-Ambassadeur-6500C-Gun-Metal-Gray-6500-C-Garcia_W0QQitemZ300064013156QQihZ020QQcategoryZ36176QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It is the same year reel as yours. By the looks of it, the chrome is in good shape, but the sideplates are a little worse for wear.
In addition, it does have the wrong handle on it. This is not too big of a problem, as the "proper" handle can be obtained fairly easily, and this particular handle (for reels from 1977 to 1979) is about as hard to come by, so still useful to a collector.
This should give you a good gauge as to what the reel may be worth, although reels on e-bay tend to trade for about 15% to 20% more than what their true value should be.
Dano
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I never found Shimanos to be all that great. I've had three Shimano spinning reels that all failed on me. Symetre, Spirex and FX reels. The cheap FX was the most reliable though and the only problems was it wasn't designed to prevent line twist. I will never purchase Shimano reels! Two weeks ago, I purchased a 6.99 Zebco reel spooled with 6lb test mono. at Canadian Tire and I can tell you that it works mighty fine and it can cast as far as my Symetre reel which is amazing! Truth is, I've never found Shimano reels to be the smoothest and most reliable. I've tested 20-30 dollar reels that are as smooth or smoother cranking than my Symetre or Spirex. I think for long term reliability is concerned, Abu Garcia reels are better.
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Hey Dan! Thanks for the information. I just got back from Whistler (4.5 hour drive!). Anyway, the serial number on the bottom of the reel foot is 740502. ;)
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I have a old ambassador 5000 with the #946779 on the reel seat. What do these numbers tell you about the reel? It is red in color. Does it have any value? I really like using it. Runs very smooth. I took out the dogs in it and run it without them. You have to be real careful not to backlash it or you have a major heard ache. :-[
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I have a old ambassador 5000 with the #946779 on the reel seat. What do these numbers tell you about the reel? It is red in color. Does it have any value? I really like using it. Runs very smooth. I took out the dogs in it and run it without them. You have to be real careful not to backlash it or you have a major heard ache. :-[
without looking at I'd say it's from 1967. Do you have a photo of it? sideplates and bottom ideally...
And the value is dependent on the condition...if it's in "decent shape" with little rash proly between $70 to $120.
If it's in awesome condition and you have the original leather case and manuals etc - they can fetch up to $200.
If it's crappolio and needs work, anywhere from $25 to $50.
The little red 5000 reels have very recently taken a huge jump in interest at auctions because of their solid design and ease on upgrading (and reducing number of quality condition reels). And if you do not need insane drag amounts it's the perfect size reel for smaller salmon (coho/pinks/steelhead)...after all you can proly apply several pounds of drag with your thumb alone.
(http://www.abu-mania.com/197-abu5000.jpg)
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Thanks Dennisk,
I would say you are in the ballpark about the reel. In 1970, while fishing on the Toutle River in WA, before the mountain blew. I was fishing in the canyon and hooked a steelhead brought it in and there was a line caught up on it. I started to pull in the line and it felt heavy upon pulling in all the line I found a Fenwick rod and the reel attached. They were both in mint condition. No one know who lost it. Tried to find its owner with no success. Was down there every week fishing in the summer time. The summer run fishing back then was awesome. I used it for years steelhead fishing. I retired it several years ago. 8)