Mitchell half bail-arm reel dating help

[Kev D]

Hello. I recently entered the dangerous seas of the Bay of Evil in a half hearted search for maybe a tatty ,hence usable,Ambidex for dark-side days.
I didn't get far before a Mitchell half-bail at a B.I.N of £34 inc p&p reared before me.....
It arrived yesterday ,complete with a spare spool in a tub. It works perfectly but was very dry inside and had a little mouse squeak so I stripped it and cleaned and greased and oiled it. It still squeaked so I repeated the stripdown process ,er, a 'couple' of times before realising that the handle knob was the culprit
Anyway despite having bought the reel for use I still decided to see if googling produced any guide to its age.
Whereapon I found myself in a Mitchell Minefield.
Can anyone on the forum help?

20190714_182713_resized.jpg

20190714_182713_resized.jpg

The handle is obviously a late one,the internals look late but the paint looks thin ,flakey and unprimed ,the spool is metal, the ratchet switch angled.There is no sign of a serial number ,except possibly a tiny 'V' that is only visible through an eyeglass on the foot. Though that may be a scratch.
Any ideas on age ,just out of interest,would be welcome. Thank you!

[Ljm183]

Check out 3rd Version

http://www.mitchellreelmuseum.com/index ... guide.html

[Kev D]

Thanks Ljm18. I think it is probably an early 3rd version from the lack of serial number and thin paint but that it has later internals and handle. I could wrong of course but the butchered screws indicate that it has been taken apart at some time for overhaul and might have been upgraded. As I said,when I google dating Mitchell reels,there seems to a minefield of differing variations an opinions. I also was at one point faced with an image of a scanily clad lady offering dating services. That's when I gave up!

[Keston]

The internal gears and handle seem ok for that reel ?
Unless I'm not seeing something in the image , does the black plastic handle have a smooth finish ?

[Kev D]

Yes,the knob is smooth . The handle shaft is shorter than my later Mitchell 300.

[Kev D]

Ok ,now I am feeling a bit dippy for not realising there id a designated section for Mitchell half bails.

[Keston]

Yes,the knob is smooth . The handle shaft is shorter than my later Mitchell 300.

A nice honest early reel then by the look of it .

[Kev D]

Yes,the knob is smooth . The handle shaft is shorter than my later Mitchell 300.

A nice honest early reel then by the look of it .

Thank you for taking the time to look and reply. So am I right in thinking it to have been made in the late 40s /50s ?

[Keston]

Yes,the knob is smooth . The handle shaft is shorter than my later Mitchell 300.

A nice honest early reel then by the look of it .

Thank you for taking the time to look and reply. So am I right in thinking it to have been made in the late 40s /50s ?

Nobby knows far more than I do , but I think you are safe with early 50's.
The big problem is there are no definitive answers to dating . There are various schools of though on dating these Mitchell's but the details are often subjective .
One collector had a firm belief in one set of dates until he found more information that was shared and consequently change his views.
I did recently purchase a half bail that was bought for a gentleman fir his 21st birthday in 1948 and he kept it all his life . There was no evidence but the story rang true to me .
Best wishes