Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[dennisK]

If Shimanos are so great, why do Abus go for this much at auctions

Currently at $778 US for a Abu 6500...I don't know, but there must be *something* about these reels.


 



http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-Vintage-ABU-GARCIA-6500-casting-reel-LIKE-NEW_W0QQitemZ140066880507QQihZ004QQcategoryZ36146QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[johnny]

 

[TrophyHunter]

Must be made of gold I guess 
I will never understand why people collect expensive Antique reels they will never fish with!! I would rather spend the money on high quality newer reels that you can use on a daily basis .. my two cents
TR

[dennisK]

Must be made of gold I guess 
I will never understand why people collect expensive Antique reels they will never fish with!! I would rather spend the money on high quality newer reels that you can use on a daily basis .. my two cents
TR

I agree 100%.

And  to be honest I've spent a few hundred on older reels and hotrodded them a bit and then went fishing. I cannot stand just having it sit there on a shelf like some fish porn. If  I do not use something at least a few times a year it gets sold.

I think the reel in the auction is going for big bucks because red plated 6500s were made in less then a 500 lot quantity.

[DanTfisherman]

Why do rare Rolls Royce's go for as much as they do???

By the looks of that reel, I would say it was a 1979 with the round "high speed" decal rather than the oval one on the right side plate.
The six digit reel foot # would likely be 790601 (if really lucky, it would be 79XX00)

In addition, there is a good chance it would likely say "Ambassadeur 6500" which is engraved on the left sideplate rather than the decal.

This is indeed an uncoomon reel, but not as uncommon as my 1978 which is in better shape (this one has too much brassing)
The 1978 has an oval "New High Speed" decal and the inner plates are painted red to match the sideplates, rather than chrome as this 1979.

I have a few 6500 series reels whic are worth more than this one.
This one should really be worth about $450.00 US, but the bidder is likely Japanese.  Their favorite reels are the red 5500 reels, then followed up by the 6500 series.  They are a big thing and a "must have" in any serious Japanese collector's collection.

I will not say too much, but this reel is over-priced.  Likely has something to do with the time of the year and the bidders.

But it is important to realize that you may think this reel is expensive by a fisherman's standards, give this reel a few years and the bidder will likely be able to get this much, or more for this reel.

Dano

[rln]

the reel foot says 780600, so it must be a 1978 reel. It's on the ebay site has one of the questions asked.

[TrophyHunter]

the reel foot says 780600, so it must be a 1978 reel. It's on the ebay site has one of the questions asked.

Item description says it is a 1960's reel

[DanTfisherman]

Did not see the link to the e-bay item til now.

Went to the link and it is indeed a 1978 (seller is mistaken about age)

K-big is the high roller when it comes to purchasing these reels and money is not an object to him.  Seeing the price, it is him bidding, and the shape made me look carefully and I now realize that this is quite a rare reel, as the inner plates are silver, rather than red.  Most of the new "High Speed" reels went to England for sale and had red inner plates.  It was cheaper to make them chrome, so they switched back to the chrome in 1979.  To find a red one with a 1978 serial number and chrome rather than red is quite rare.  To an ambassadeur collector, an error like this would likely be like a hockey card collector finding a Wayne Gretsky rookie card with a slight error, making it worth more due to it's uncommon nature.

Dano

[DanTfisherman]

Trying to work off the top of my head.  Will have to go and look at some of my reels for a comparison.

Really wish there were more pictures and a description as to whether the Ambassadeur 6500 on the sideplate was engraved or a decal.  That fact helps a great deal.

Fact that the last two digits end in 00 is important, as that makes it the first run in a new series.

But there are many people who will take the more common 6000 series reels (worth less) and dress them up as a 6500 reel to get the big bucks.

As I said, K-big is probably the biggest collector from Japan and knows his stuff, so either the demand for the red 6500 reel has gone up there, or there is something special about this reel.

Dano

PS, and interesting hobby to get into and cheaper than trying to collect Hardy Stuff.

[TrophyHunter]

hmmm, I know who I am gonna ask Abu questions from now on

[BwiBwi]

Good for you guys.  That means you are not 80 years old yet. 

[fullahead]

I have the Ambassadeur 6oooc anniversary model, 1921-1991. It’s black and chrome and comes in a brown leather case. Any idea what its worth?

[DanTfisherman]

I tend to look at a lot of the reels (6500 series) from 1972 to the 25th anniversary model in 1984.

Those tend to be the "classics" and tend to be harder to get, so that is what I concentrate on.

In 1985, (well, first in 1981) the design of the reels, as well as the inner parts changed.  Quality went down, and it is about this time they switched over from making them in Sweden to making them in Asia.

If I remember, the reel you are talking about is made with the same concept/design as the rocket/C-Special reels they came out with at that time (I do have a few of these, as they are special ), so it is a bit better design than your standard 6000.

The 6500 series (rockets, CS's, and C-Specials) are more desirable from this era.  You do have to remember that "Special production" does not really mean much by this time period.  What it usually means is some new, special design which they flog and convince lots of people to get interested in/buy.  Very few of these reels are limited production, thus they are common and usually not much worth.

If the reel is mint, unused, and all the parts are there as in the box, the right collector may give you what you paid for it.

More than likely, a collector who may have some interest would give you about $80.00 CDN (about $75.00 US.  Most collectors give prices based on US dollars)

If it has been used, any sign of visible use would cut the value in half of what you originally paid, then down as the visible damage gets more severe.  By this time, someone who wants to use the reel to fish would likely give you more than a true collector.

Dano

[FlyFishin Magician]

Hey Dan Tfisherman,

You seem very knowledgeable about the Abu's!  Here's one for you.  I was given this Abu Garcia 6500C from my great uncle.  I'm not sure what year it is - but I think it's from the early 1970's.  Unfortunately, it probably sat unprotected in a tackle box for decades before I decided to completely take it apart, clean it, re-lube and grease it.  I probably won't use it - but it looks good on my desk!  Please take a look and tell me what you think.  Can you guess the year it was manufactured?  Photos are below...





Cheers...

[Fish Assassin]

I have the same reel. The instructions were printed in 1976 in Sweden. I have been told that it is now a collector's item.