A beautiful early model Edward Vom Hofe Salmon Reel in 5/0 size or 4 3/8" in diameter. This was the model that would eventually be named the Restigouche 423. This reel carries the original owner's name, Francis Bartlett of Boston Mass, which is engraved in a lovely script on the front plate along with the date 1893. It is in excellent condition, especially for its age, and free of any defects that I could find. The rims are excellent, the sideplates are clean, about the worst you could say is that a few of the screw heads have some very minor marks on them, though they are minor indeed. The reel carries the 1883 patent stamp on the oil port cover and the early style six-position drag adjuster dial which sits under the crank. The foot is approximately 3 1/4" and the ends have been filed and moderately rounded. The drag, when adjusted, is surprisingly strong at the heavier setting, a testament to Vom Hofe's ingenuity (especially after 130 years!). The reel has a fairly neutral bias, with perhaps a slight favoring to RHW. It packs into a lovely original Vom Hofe reel case with the original owner's initials "F.B." engraved on a small brass plate affixed to the top and the EVH logo stamped into the underside. Lovely to see that the reel and case have been kept together after all of these years. A really fine and early example of this celebrated model, one which helped put the Vom Hofe name on the map, and deservedly so.
