Very early Rapidex 4 inch reel

[Charles]

Hello everyone ,extra help needed .i have just bought this Rapidex which I believe is circa 1946 from the info I have read on this site ,it has the reinforcing struts to pillar triangular handles with info ,no limited after The Youngs logo etc but it does have which I haven't seen on other early Rapidex the letters ( I think) JFY04 under the adjusting Spring ,,please see all photos.
Could this be the be the 4th reel made ???if so would it be rare .
The reel works well but there is paint loss .
Any help would be much appreciated thank you .
Charles

[Keston]

Hi Charles
I would love to see photos of your reel . I have a particular liking for these early Youngs Centrepins.
I rather fancy your JWY 04 may say JWY204 ? This is a common marking I'm afraid .
Kind regards .
John

[Crucian]

I too have an early Rapidex, and mine is stamped JWY204, it's hard to read because the 2 is behind the spring.

[Nobby]

The first post-war mention of the new Rapidex reel that I have so far found is the Allcocks Guide for 1949. This was the first Guide to be printed after the war...indeed the first Guide since 1939.
This lists the new reel and has an illustration of what is clearly an early version, as it has the dumpier centreboss on the spool.

Only Rupe Attwood, Ambidexman on TFF, ... might have an earlier proof.

We know that this earlier style reel can have some other differences a grey metal check lever, a black 'wrinkle-finish' paint on the spool, a ribless centre casting to the spool, round handles on the spool, and one reel has been found to have round assembly jig holes, whereas later ones are square.

Just which order these early changes came in and what year they happened is not yet known, I believe.

I'm pretty confident we will one day learn that the round to square jig holes came first, ..but the others....???

It's not helped by Allcock using old images on occasion...and even JW Young did it too!


Just look at this :


The Rapidex is shown with the old stubby centreboss, which was changed to the new style before the Trudex shown was even created!

Inside the same leaflet:


BOTH reels shown with the new boss!

From the same leaflet, note the font used for the reel name:


This box has the same font...maybe it's the first version of the box?

[Harry H]

Some of the early features as mentioned by Nobby as well as the pre Ltd company badge which happened in 1947.

[Keston]

Nice paperwork Nobby.
It does seem odd to show the older style Rapidex with the Trudex . Unless they were trying to promote the Trudex as something newer and fresher compared to the rapidex ?

[Nobby]

Code: Select all

Nice paperwork Nobby.
It does seem odd to show the older style Rapidex with the Trudex . Unless they were trying to promote the Trudex as something newer and fresher compared to the rapidex ?

Maybe they used the same proofreader....?

I'd forgotten the pre Ltd. badge...I think it's the only thing that suggests they were around before 1949...? I suppose it might not be out-and-out proof of 1947 manufacturing, but why would they put no Ltd. on their reel in later years if they had already been made a limited company before?

Being a 'limited company' was always seen as a bit posh..though I was told in Economics class it just enabled you to avoid paying all your debts if you went under...?

[Keston]

Code: Select all

Nice paperwork Nobby.
It does seem odd to show the older style Rapidex with the Trudex . Unless they were trying to promote the Trudex as something newer and fresher compared to the rapidex ?

Maybe they used the same proofreader....?

I'd forgotten the pre Ltd. badge...I think it's the only thing that suggests they were around before 1949...? I suppose it might not be out-and-out proof of 1947 manufacturing, but why would they put no Ltd. on their reel in later years if they had already been made a limited company before?

Being a 'limited company' was always seen as a bit posh..though I was told in Economics class it just enabled you to avoid paying all your debts if you went under...?

Nobby
Do you recall the C.A.C. rapidex dated 1946 that Fredline had ? May be not out and out proof but it's pretty convincing.

[Nobby]

Ah yes, thank-you...that was a fishing club badge wasn't it? As you say, pretty convincing, though it could have been back-dated if it was awarded at the end of the fishing season, I suppose.

[Keston]

Ah yes, thank-you...that was a fishing club badge wasn't it? As you say, pretty convincing, though it could have been back-dated if it was awarded at the end of the fishing season, I suppose.

The reel is dated August 1946 .
It might seem a little odd to have an angling awards or AGM mid summer ? Possibly the reel might have been presented for service to the club? Pure speculation of course .