The 5000A is the large-capacity version of the original Ambassadeur 5000: the same Swedish frame, gears, star drag and level wind, but with a deeper spool for anglers who wanted more line on the reel.
The deeper spool is what makes a 5000A, and a 5000-series reel fitted with a standard spool is a common mismatch.
Price range is INFERRED from completed eBay listings; verify against current sold comps before bidding.
Only 12 5000As are listed, none for parts and none serviced, so expect to clean and re-grease whatever you buy. Loose reels sit at $50–90 delivered; anything with a box or case jumps to $140–230. Some titles quote the foot serial, whose first two digits give the year (74 and 75 here). Watch for a listing whose title and serial duplicate another seller's reel, and a $229 box-and-manual set that's $86 above a comparable boxed one. Bargain hunters should take the $49.95 free-shipping reel or the 1974 three-screw at $71; collectors should offer on the $143 box-and-case set.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
$49.95 with free shipping on Buy It Now is the lowest delivered price on a complete 5000A, right at the bottom of the typical $50–90 band, from a 99.6% seller. The title says nothing about testing, so ask whether it free-spools cleanly and the drag holds before committing.
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Big A 5000A Casting Reel Free Ship
A 1974 three-screw 5000A described as great condition, $71.49 delivered on Buy It Now from a 100% seller, mid-band in the typical $50–90 range. It costs about $21 more than the cheapest reel but is the best-described loose reel listed; ask the seller to confirm the level wind tracks and the anti-reverse holds.
VTG 1974 ABU Ambassadeur 5000A-3 screw model-#741003-Great Condition
A 1974 three-screw 5000A described as great condition, from a 100% seller, at $71.49 delivered on Buy It Now: mid-band with no auction to watch. "Great condition" is the seller's description, not a test, so ask them to confirm the levelwind tracks and the anti-reverse holds.
VTG 1974 ABU Ambassadeur 5000A-3 screw model-#741003-Great Condition
The best-described loose reel in the snapshot, and the later three-screw version fishes the same as the early one. With no serviced 5000As listed, this is the likeliest to need only a wipe-down and fresh grease rather than parts.
VTG 1974 ABU Ambassadeur 5000A-3 screw model-#741003-Great Condition
Box plus case for $142.99 delivered, with Best Offer open, about $86 less than the box-and-manual listing at $229.10. Boxed 5000As are where collector money goes; ask for the foot serial to date it and photos of the box ends to check the box matches the reel.
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000A With Box And Case #867310 Red 5000 A
A charity-store listing marked untested at $52.99 delivered. Treat it as a teardown reel: assume old grease and check the levelwind pawl and anti-reverse. It's priced like the cheap working reels, so it only makes sense if you want a reel to learn servicing on.
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Fishing Reel - 5000A
Snapshot captured — listings may have ended
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
UsedVintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Big A 5000A Casting Reel Free Ship
$49.95 · free shipping
Lowest delivered price at $49.95 with free shipping. Not described as tested, so ask before buying.
dansdealsofdeland
99.6% positive from 1.2K ratings
UsedVTG 1974 ABU Ambassadeur 5000A-3 screw model-#741003-Great Condition
$59.99 + $11.50 shipping
1974 three-screw model described as great condition, $71.49 delivered. The condition is described, not tested.
t.toye
100% positive from 3.7K ratings
UsedVintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000A With Box And Case #867310 Red 5000 A
$134.99 + $8.00 shipping
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.
Box and case for $142.99 delivered with Best Offer open: the sensible boxed buy here.
briantiff-stuff
99.9% positive from 22.1K ratings
UntestedVintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Fishing Reel - 5000A
$39.99 + $13.00 shipping
Untested charity-store reel at $52.99 delivered. Budget for a full clean and grease.
goodwill_southern_alleghenies
99.7% positive from 27.3K ratings
UsedVintage Red Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000A RH Casting Reel Sweden
$79.90 + $13.50 shipping
Plain Swedish red 5000A at $93.40 delivered, above the typical band with no box, test or service to justify it.
sheilat
99.9% positive from 14.1K ratings
UsedVintage Abu Ambassadeur 5000A Baitcaster Reel Red w/ Case & More #750404
$139.95 + $7.09 shipping
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.
Same title and serial (#750404) as another seller's listing. Confirm the seller actually has this reel before paying $147.04.
cmpick87
100% positive from 2.1K ratings
UsedGarcia Abu Ambassadeur 5000A Red Vintage Baitcasting Reel w/ Box & Manual
$215.00 + $14.10 shipping
Box and manual, but $229.10 delivered is about $86 more than the box-and-case set listed here.
harley10.770
100% positive from 369 ratings
Prices and availability change daily. The full, current search on eBay shows every matching listing, including new ones since Oct 1, 2026.
See all current listings on eBay ⟶The 5000A is the large-capacity version of the original Ambassadeur 5000: the same Swedish frame, gears, star drag and level wind, but with a deeper spool for anglers who wanted more line on the reel. The A suffix marks that bigger spool, not a faster gear.
ABU built it from 1955, and it first appeared publicly in Garcia's 1957 American catalogue. Like the plain 5000 it runs on bushings rather than ball bearings, so it is a simple and durable reel to clean and service.
Most surviving examples are red, Swedish-made and stamped on the foot. It is thinner on the ground than the 5000 or 5000C: our latest snapshot found only about a dozen matching listings, with loose working reels around $50 to $90 delivered and boxed or cased sets around $120 to $230.
None of those listings described a serviced reel, so plan on a clean and fresh grease whichever one you buy. Check the spool carefully, because it is the part that makes the reel an A and swaps between 5000-series reels are easy.
