Can you help date my reels

The K. P. Morritts Reels forum.
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Harry H
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Harry H »

Just had a look in the phone book.
First mention is 1953 at 503 London road Cheam
Then moves to St Albans works in 1955 :holmes:
There are three things that improve with age: wine, friendship and water sense, and there's no short cut.
Anthony Shepherdson

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Fred
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Fred »

AshbyCut wrote:Good evening Fred, Sir.

I have an advert from "Fishing Tackle Dealer" magazine in September, 1958, showing that the "Standard" and "De-Luxe" were available then ... and I believe that I saw a note somewhere which said Intrepids were available from as early as 1956.

Image

I believe that the "Monarch Mk 1" was produced before 1960, as the first reel I bought was in that year, a "Monarch Mk 2."

Some research a while back resulted in finding a company registration date for K. P. Mottitt Ltd., Falmouth, Cornwall, registered on 3rd. October 1959 ... though the move from Cheam took place much later.

I also found a company registration for "Intrepid Sealey Holdings Ltd" with a company address of 36 Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1LF ... dated as 2nd. December 1970. I assume, therefore, that Gladdings bought Intrepid at the same time as they bought Edgar Sealey ... late 1970 ... well after Intrepid moved to Falmouth. Therefore, reels between the move in 1968 and the Gladding buy-out in late 1970 are Morritt's Intrepids.

Not sure if that helps ... or muddies the waters ... but I hope you find it of interest.
What you have said do’s make some sense as this would give a time/space for the other reels i.e. Regent, Elite, Classic etc to be made and sold.
My Elite, Regent and Envoy all have Cheam Surry on the boxes or paperwork.
Fish come and go, but it is the memory of afternoons on the stream that endure

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Fred
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Fred »

Stingray wrote:
Fred wrote: It would be helpful to find out when Intrepid started and finished making reels.
The last reel that "Intrepid" as we know it developed was the Carbon Fibre Sea-Streak shortly before they went belly-up in 1979. A Taiwan company which I believe to be Silstar (Okuma) acquired the name and made several fairly state of the art graphite reels in 1979 - early 1980s - various sizes of coarse reel plus the Surfcast 80 (not named for the year but for its size). The Falmouth plant did not actually close but continued manufacturing fly reels (eg Rimfly) under the name BFR (British Fly Reels) for Leeda for several years before eventually closing altogether - Leeda today still own the Intrepid brand (or they did when I corresponded with them last year).
Thank you very much for that info Stingray that gives me the end plus a bit more. :Thumb:
Fish come and go, but it is the memory of afternoons on the stream that endure

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Fred
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Fred »

Harry H wrote:Just had a look in the phone book.
First mention is 1953 at 503 London road Cheam
Then moves to St Albans works in 1955 :holmes:
Thanks Harry H that takes it back three more years and two different addresses.
The only address I had at Cheam was Sunningdale Road.
:Thumb:
Fish come and go, but it is the memory of afternoons on the stream that endure

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Stingray
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Stingray »

1953 to 1979 - twenty six years - quite sad when I think of it like that. A tackle company which featured so much for British anglers post war was only with us for twenty six years but similar is true for many much loved tackle companies all around the world back then as the 1980s signalled all change. Great then that folk like us are keeping them going.

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Danny Boy
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Danny Boy »

Loop Erimder wrote:I'll take one out for you so longs there's no funny business...... I'm married now you know

:doh:

you nut :laugh:
I go fishing not to find myself...but to lose myself

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Harry H
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Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:04 pm
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Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Harry H »

Fred wrote:
Harry H wrote:Just had a look in the phone book.
First mention is 1953 at 503 London road Cheam
Then moves to St Albans works in 1955 :holmes:
Thanks Harry H that takes it back three more years and two different addresses.
The only address I had at Cheam was Sunningdale Road.
:Thumb:
There is a listing in 1962 for sunningdale road but it has him down as a Engineer and just for the record his first name was Kenneth(not a name you hear much lately). :Hat:
There are three things that improve with age: wine, friendship and water sense, and there's no short cut.
Anthony Shepherdson

User avatar
Harry H
Tench
Posts: 2990
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:04 pm
11
Location: Rayne, Essex

Re: Can you help date my reels

Post by Harry H »

AshbyCut wrote:Good evening Fred, Sir.

I have an advert from "Fishing Tackle Dealer" magazine in September, 1958, showing that the "Standard" and "De-Luxe" were available then ... and I believe that I saw a note somewhere which said Intrepids were available from as early as 1956.

Image

I believe that the "Monarch Mk 1" was produced before 1960, as the first reel I bought was in that year, a "Monarch Mk 2."

Some research a while back resulted in finding a company registration date for K. P. Mottitt Ltd., Falmouth, Cornwall, registered on 3rd. October 1959 ... though the move from Cheam took place much later.

I also found a company registration for "Intrepid Sealey Holdings Ltd" with a company address of 36 Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1LF ... dated as 2nd. December 1970. I assume, therefore, that Gladdings bought Intrepid at the same time as they bought Edgar Sealey ... late 1970 ... well after Intrepid moved to Falmouth. Therefore, reels between the move in 1968 and the Gladding buy-out in late 1970 are Morritt's Intrepids.

Not sure if that helps ... or muddies the waters ... but I hope you find it of interest.
Taken from Fishing magazine January 66


Image
There are three things that improve with age: wine, friendship and water sense, and there's no short cut.
Anthony Shepherdson

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