Abu Garcia
9 references
ABU began in 1921 in Svängsta, Sweden, as AB Urfabriken, a precision works founded by Carl August Borgström that made pocket watches, telephone timers and taximeters.
Browse references ⟶The Vintage Reel Index★ What to buy, and why ★
The vintage reel index · 36 references · 7 brands
Verified before you bid
One page per vintage reel reference — Swedish Ambassadeurs, Penn Senators, Akron Medalists. Each carries a model-number-tight eBay search, the production-window split that decides value, a used-market price range, and a “what to verify before bidding” note keyed to that model's specific failure mode, plus dated buying picks over real eBay listings: which one to buy and why.
Brands
Browse by brand
Seven brands — over four decades of catalog production from each. Click any brand to see every reference we have logged.
Penn
9 references
Penn Fishing Tackle was founded in Philadelphia in 1932 by Otto Henze, a German immigrant, and built its reputation on simple, rugged saltwater reels that anglers could service themselves.
Browse references ⟶Mitchell
5 references
Mitchell reels were made by the Carpano & Pons company in Cluses, in the French Alps, a region known for precision watch and clock work.
Browse references ⟶Pflueger
4 references
Pflueger reels were made by the Enterprise Manufacturing Company of Akron, Ohio, founded by the Pflueger family in 1881.
Browse references ⟶Zebco
4 references
Zebco began as the Zero Hour Bomb Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which made electric timers for the explosives used in oil-well work.
Browse references ⟶Shakespeare
3 references
The Shakespeare Company was founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1897 by William Shakespeare Jr, and for most of the twentieth century it was one of America's largest makers of fishing reels.
Browse references ⟶Daiwa
2 references
Daiwa was founded in Japan by engineer Yoshio Matsui, starting as Matsui Manufacturing in 1955 and becoming Daiwa in 1958.
Browse references ⟶Reel type
By reel type
Baitcaster vs spinning vs spincast vs fly vs conventional — the catalog spans all five, weighted to the categories anglers and collectors actually shop on eBay.
Type
Baitcasting reels
13 references
Revolving-spool casting reels: the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, Daiwa Millionaire, Pflueger Supreme and Akron, and Shakespeare's Kalamazoo level-wind reels. The spool turns as line goes out on the cast, so the angler controls it with a thumb, helped on most of these reels by a brake; on the retrieve a level wind lays the line evenly across the spool. Ambassadeurs, made in Svängsta, Sweden, from 1952, are the most collected. Mid-century American casting reels from Pflueger and Shakespeare are plentiful, inexpensive and a good way to learn thumb-casting on vintage tackle.
Type
Spinning reels
8 references
Open-face fixed-spool reels with a bail or manual pickup: the Mitchell 300 family, the Penn Spinfisher 704 and 710Z, and the Daiwa 7000C. The spool does not turn on the cast; line spills off its front edge, and on the retrieve the bail or pickup catches the line and the rotor winds it back on. Spinning reels are easy to cast with light lures and light line. The Mitchell 300, introduced in France in 1948, dominates vintage freshwater spinning, while Penn's green Spinfishers and the Daiwa 7000C are the classic surf spinners.
Type
Spincast reels
4 references
Closed-face push-button reels from Zebco: the 33, 202, 808 and Omega. A fixed spool sits inside a cone; pressing the thumb button holds the line, releasing it during the cast lets the line flow out through the hole in the front, and turning the handle engages pickup pins that wind it back on. Spincast reels are simple, forgiving and the way millions of American children first learned to fish. Vintage examples are inexpensive, and collectors pay a little more only for early versions with metal feet and original colours.
Type
Fly reels
2 references
Single-action fly reels, here the Pflueger Medalist 1494 and 1495. The spool turns once for each turn of the handle, line is stripped by hand, and the reel mainly stores line and backing and provides a click and light drag when a fish runs. Fly reels are sized by the fly-line weight and backing they hold rather than by pound-test capacity, so the 1494 is the trout size and the larger 1495 suits heavier lines. Early Akron-made Medalists are the collector tier; later reels are inexpensive, dependable fishing tools.
Type
Conventional reels
9 references
Heavy revolving-spool saltwater reels with a star drag: the Penn Senator sizes from 4/0 to 12/0, the Penn Squidder, Jigmaster and Long Beach, and the big Ambassadeur 7000 and 9000. Most of the Penns have no level wind, so the angler lays line on the spool with a thumb, and they are built around drags that can handle big, fast fish. Penn introduced the Senator in 1936 and still sells it, and parts for most vintage Penns remain easy to find, which makes them rebuildable working reels rather than shelf pieces.
Use case
By use case
The fishing technique the reel was actually designed for — what a surfcaster needs vs an offshore troller vs a fly-fishing trout angler.
Use
Freshwater bass
17 references
General freshwater casting and spinning reels for bass, pike, walleye and trout: Ambassadeur 5000-size and 6000-size baitcasters, the Daiwa Millionaire, Pflueger and Shakespeare casting reels, and Mitchell 300-family spinning reels. This is the largest group in the catalogue and the easiest place to find a good vintage reel to fish, because supply is high and most faults are cheap to fix. Collectors concentrate on early, original and boxed examples; for fishing, a clean, tested later reel is usually the best value.
Use
Saltwater surf
11 references
Reels for surf, pier, jetty and inshore boat fishing: the Penn Senator 4/0 and 6/0, Squidder, Jigmaster and Long Beach, the Penn Spinfisher 704 and 710Z, the Mitchell 486, the Ambassadeur 7000, the Daiwa 7000C and the Zebco 808. These reels were built to take salt and abuse, and the Penns in particular were designed to be serviced by their owners. On the used market, salt corrosion and worn drags are the things to check first; a reel that turns smoothly and has a working drag is usually a sound buy.
Use
Fly fishing
2 references
Fly reels for trout, bass, steelhead and light saltwater: the Pflueger Medalist 1494 and 1495. The Medalist, introduced in 1929, is a simple single-action reel with a click and an adjustable drag, and it has been in production in one form or another ever since. The 1494 is the trout size and the 1495 takes heavier lines and more backing. Early reels made in Akron, Ohio, are the collector tier, while the later reels made in Asia from 1970 are plentiful and fish well.
Use
Panfish / spincast
3 references
Light reels for crappie, bluegill, perch and small trout, and for anglers just starting out: the Zebco 33 and 202 push-button spincast reels and the ultralight Mitchell 308. These are among the cheapest classics in vintage tackle, with most listings selling for well under $50, and supply is plentiful. Buy tested reels to fish at everyday prices, and pay a premium only for early versions with original markings or for boxed examples.
Use
Offshore trolling
3 references
Big-game and heavy boat reels: the Penn Senator 9/0 (115) and 12/0 (116) and the Ambassadeur 9000 with its automatic two-speed gearbox. These are specialist reels for giant tuna, marlin, big sharks and heavy bottom fishing, usually fished from a boat with a harness or rod holder. Complete large Senators are scarcer than the smaller sizes, and many listings are parts reels, so check completeness, the drag and delivered shipping cost before bidding.
Era
By era
The decade each design began. Within a model, the production window decides value: early, original and boxed examples carry the collector premium.
Era
1940s
13 references
This era page also holds the catalogue's oldest designs, which predate the 1940s: the Pflueger Medalist (1929), the Pflueger Supreme and Akron casting reels (1920s), the Penn Long Beach name (1933), the Penn Senator (1936) and the Penn Squidder (1938), along with Shakespeare's Kalamazoo casting reels. In the 1940s itself ABU of Sweden turned from watches and timers to fishing reels, dating its first reel, the Record, to 1941, and in 1948 Mitchell introduced the 300 spinning reel in Cluses, France.
Era
1950s
9 references
ABU launched the Record Ambassadeur 5000 in 1952, followed by the deeper-spool 5000A and the larger 6000 in 1955, and from April 1957 Mitchell reels sold in America through Garcia were inscribed Garcia Mitchell. Zebco introduced the 33 push-button reel in 1954 and adopted the Zebco name in 1956. Penn added the Jigmaster boat reel in 1959, Mitchell's ultralight 308 arrived at the end of the decade, and Shakespeare's Direct Drive casting reels were in production in Kalamazoo.
Era
1960s
7 references
Penn introduced its first spinning reels, the Spinfisher 700 series, in 1961, leading to the 704 and, from 1966, the 710. Zebco was bought by Brunswick in 1961 and launched the 202 the same year. ABU began making the ball-bearing Ambassadeur 5000C in 1966 and moved its frames from four screws to three in January 1968. Mitchell added the high-speed 410 in 1966 and the 386 and 486 saltwater reels later in the decade, and in 1966 Shakespeare bought Pflueger.
Era
1970s
7 references
ABU added high-speed Ambassadeurs, starting with the 5500C in 1973 and followed by the 6500C, and introduced the big 7000 and the automatic two-speed 9000. Medalist fly reels moved from Akron to Asian factories from 1970, Mitchell began its letter date code in 1971, and Zebco launched the premium Omega line in 1973. Daiwa's Millionaire baitcasters and Silver Series spinning reels such as the 7000C arrived from Japan. In 1978 Garcia, the American importer of ABU and Mitchell, went into Chapter 11.
Headline catalog
Popular references
The six references most-shopped on eBay across the seven brands — every collector knows these model numbers.
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000C
Baitcasting reel · 1960s
$40–$130
Penn
Penn Senator 113H
Conventional reel · 1940s
$45–$110
Mitchell
Mitchell 300
Spinning reel · 1940s
$25–$90
Pflueger
Pflueger Medalist 1495
Fly reel · 1940s
$30–$100
Zebco
Zebco 33
Spincast reel · 1950s
$20–$50
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C
Baitcasting reel · 1970s
$50–$130
From the buying guides
Best-value picks
One best-value listing per reel from our eBay snapshots (captured Oct 1, 2026). Snapshots are re-checked monthly, so some listings may have ended. Each reel page explains every pick.
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000C ›
UsedView on eBay ⟶
Used- ★ Best value
1974 ABU Garcia Ambassadeur 5000C Black Baitcasting Fishing Reel Sweden #74
$66.49est. delivered
$59.99 + $6.50 shipping
Buy It Now$59.99
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Dated 1974 and Swedish, $66.49 delivered with Best Offer: fair for a late Swedish 5000C with a known year.
jeffersonstreetvintageestatesales
100% positive from 574 ratings
Penn Senator 113H ›
ServicedView on eBay ⟶
Serviced- ★ Best value
- ★ Best for beginners
- ★ Easiest to get working
Penn Special Senator 4/0 113h Red Side Plates Recently Serviced
$49.00delivered
$49.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$49.00
Good buy
Serviced, red side plates, free shipping, $49 delivered: the best price-to-condition ratio in this snapshot.
reelsandwheels
100% positive from 2K ratings
Mitchell 300 ›
UsedView on eBay ⟶
Used- ★ Best value
- ★ Easiest to get working
Vintage Mitchell 300 Spinning Reel -- Good Condition w/ Extra Spool
$33.78est. delivered
$28.00 + $5.78 shipping
Buy It Now$28.00
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Includes a spare spool, about $34 delivered. Ask whether the bail spring snaps firmly.
waynef2863
100% positive from 471 ratings
Pflueger Medalist 1495 ›
UsedView on eBay ⟶
Used- ★ Cheapest
- ★ Best for beginners
Vintage Pflueger Medalist 1495 CJ Fly Reel by Shakespeare Great Condition
$61.89est. delivered
$54.99 + $6.90 shipping
Buy It Now$54.99
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Shakespeare-era CJ reel graded great condition; Best Offer is open, so try about $50.
greenbraindesign
100% positive from 4.3K ratings
Zebco 33 ›
UsedView on eBay ⟶
Used- ★ Best value
Vintage Zebco Model 33 Chrome Fishing Reel Made in USA Metal
$27.99delivered
$27.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$27.99
Good buy
Chrome cover and metal foot with free shipping at $27.99; ask whether it's been tested.
heidi4217
99.9% positive
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C ›
UsedView on eBay ⟶
Used- ★ Best value
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500c, Sweden
$72.86est. delivered
$64.99 + $7.87 shipping
Buy It Now$64.99
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Swedish 6500C at $72.86 delivered, mid-band, with Best Offer open but no test claim.
bountyhunter
99.9% positive from 9.7K ratings
ABU Record Ambassadeur 5000 ›
UsedView on eBay ⟶
Used- ★ Best value
Abu Ambassadeur Record 5000 ABU Record 5000
$532.58est. delivered
$510.96 + $21.62 shipping
Buy It Now$510.96
Good buy
$532.58 delivered from a 100% seller. The title doesn't date it; check the foot number.
abuperfect
100% positive from 1.3K ratings
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000 ›
ServicedView on eBay ⟶
Serviced- ★ Best value
- ★ Best for beginners
- ★ Easiest to get working
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000 Red Baitcasting Reel Sweden Serviced
$69.10est. delivered
$55.00 + $14.10 shipping
Buy It Now$55.00
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
The only serviced 5000 in the snapshot, from a reel-repair seller, and the safest buy for fishing right away.
thereeldoc
99.9% positive from 1.6K ratings