Edward vom Hofe

Edward vom Hofe Reels

Edward vom Hofe - New York, NY

Edward vom Hofe reels are considered to be made by one of the great New York reel makers. The company was established in 1867 and in business to the 1940's. The first German silver reels made by him included the November 26, 1867 patent date. This was the Julius vom Hofe patent for the gear support bridge design. Edward's first reel patent was on September 2, 1879 for an adjustable drag to apply pressure to the spool. In January 23, 1883 he also got a patent for a click device with an arrow shaped pawl and two curved springs. The July 14, 1896 patent for an automatic drag is best known by fly and salmon reel collectors and is seen stamped on the oil caps on the Model 423 Restigouche reels. The best known patent that is marked on the reel bearing oil caps is the May 20, 1902 patent and is for the star drag. This patent date is seen on the Model 621 Universal Star reels. Around 1940, the vom Hofe factory was moved from New York to Philadelphia. The company continued making reels up until World War II. Afterwards, the business was sold to Otto Zwarg in St. Petersburg, FL. Other vom Hofe's associated with reel making are his brother Julius and his father Fredrick.

Dating the year of manufacture of Edward vom Hofe reels isn't easy. All we know for sure is that the oldest reels were not serialized nor contained the model number. Later model reels had the model number, reel size and serial number stamped on the bottom of the reel's foot. It has been speculated that the letter proceeding the three digit serial number signifies the year made. I personally have not seen any evidence to back up this postulation. Obviously patent dates give an indication of the first years made. This can be confusing since patent dates were used up until the 1920's when patent numbers were used. Also, some reels containing old patent dates can be seen in catalogs from a much later date.

All Edward vom Hofe reels are of interest to collectors. The most sought after of his reels are at two ends of the size spectrum. Collectors seek the smallest size fly reels and the largest size big game fishing reels. The intermediate size salt water reels are also collectable, but more common.

The Edward vom Hofe Company made reels for about 80 years. A lot of the reel designs evolved over the years. As such, there are a large number of different reel models and sizes. The reel photos below are broken down into 4 categories - Fly Reels, Salmon Reels, Casting Reels and Big Game Reels.



Edward vom Hofe reels

The EDWARD Vom HOFE Reels


THE FIRST REELS


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE German Silver Reel, Circa 1867


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE German Silver Reel, Circa 1867


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE German Silver Reel, Circa 1875


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE German Silver Reel, Circa 1890


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The Other Early EDWARD Vom HOFE Reel Markings


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Early EDWARD Vom HOFE "STAR" Size 3/0 Reel


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The JULIUS Vom HOFE November 26, 1867 Patent


FLY REELS


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE "PEERLESS" and "PERFECTION" Fly Reels


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 360 "PERFECTION" Size 3 Fly Reel, circa 1900


Edward vom Hofe reels

The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 360 "PERFECTION" Size 2 Fly Reel, circa 1900


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 355 "PEERLESS" Size 4 Fly Reel, circa 1910


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A Pair of EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 355 "PEERLESS" Fly Reels, pre-1908


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 355 "PEERLESS" Size 2 Fly Reel, circa 1900


SALMON REELS


Edward vom Hofe reels

The EDWARD Vom HOFE September 2, 1879 Patent for an Adjustable Drag


The EDWARD Vom HOFE 1879 Patent Salmon Reel

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The EDWARD Vom HOFE 1879 Patent Salmon Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Early Salmon Reel, circa 1890


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 423 "RESTIGOUCHE" 6/0 Salmon Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 423 "RESTIGOUCHE" 1/0 Salmon Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 423 "RESTIGOUCHE" 6/0 Salmon Reel


Edward vom Hofe reels

The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 423 "RESTIGOUCHE" Salmon Reel, circa 1920


Edward vom Hofe reels

The EDWARD Vom HOFE "CASCAPEDIA" Salmon Reel, circa 1920


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 504 "TOBIQUE" 2/0 Salmon Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 504 "TOBIQUE" Size 1 Wide Spool Reel, circa 1930


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE New York and Philadelphia No. 504 "TOBIQUE" Reels


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Philadelphia "RESTIGOUCHE" Salmon Reel, circa 1941


CASTING REELS


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 621 "UNIVERSAL STAR" Surf Reel, circa 1930


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 510 4/0 July 14, 1896 Patent Reel, circa 1898


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE No. 415 4/0 Reel with Drag Adjustment Wrench


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 454 Size 3 1/2 Reel, circa 1900


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 471 Tarpon 4/0 Reel, circa 1900


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 501 6/0 Reel, circa 1908


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 491 "UNIVERSAL" Reel, circa 1920


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 491 "REGAL" Casting Reel, circa 1930


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 550 "STAR" 1/0 Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 650 "ISLAMORADA" Surf Reel, circa 1930


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE "ISLAMORADA" and "LONG KEY" Reels


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 800 "LONG KEY" Bonefish Reel, circa 1930


EVH 80 Yard Reel EVH 80 Yard Reel EVH 80 Yard Reel EVH 80 Yard Reel

The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model 80 Yard Size Reel


BIG GAME REELS


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 722 "COMMANDER ROSS" 10/0 Reel, circa 1940


Edward vom Hofe 12/0 reel Edward vom Hofe 12/0 reel Edward vom Hofe 12/0 reel Edward vom Hofe 12/0 reel

The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 722 "COMMANDER ROSS" 12/0 Reel, circa 1940


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 501 "UNIVERSAL SPECIAL" 9/0 Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 621 "UNIVERSAL STAR" 9/0 Reel


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 721 "COMMANDER ROSS" 12/0 Reel, circa 1929


EVH 12-0 Reel EVH 12-0 Reel EVH 12-0 Reel EVH 12-0 Reel

The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 722 "COMMANDER ROSS" 12/0 Reel Alongside 2/0, 3/0 and 6/0 Reels


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 742 "Cradle Type" 12/0 Reel, circa 1940


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The EDWARD Vom HOFE Model No. 742 "Cradle Type" 14/0 Reel


AD

EDWARD Vom HOFE Ad in 1871 "Fur, Fin and Feather: Game Laws""


AD

EDWARD Vom HOFE Ad in 1876 "Forest and Stream Magazine"


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1929 EDWARD Vom HOFE Catalog Page


1941 EDWARD Vom HOFE Catalog Pages

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EDWARD Vom HOFE 1949 Ad


To see high quality digitized versions of two early Edward vom Hofe Catalogs, click on the links below.

Link to 1889 Edward vom Hofe Catalog

Link to 1896 Edward vom Hofe Catalog



If you have a vintage antique fishing reel or lure, I can tell you what it's worth.

For any questions about vintage antique fishing reels, lures or tackle, please feel free to Email or Call me. I always like to talk about old tackle.

Remember, I'm always buying old vintage fishing lures and reels!

Email me at: ron@luresnreels.com or Call or Text me at: 407-496-7940

Thanks!

Ron Gast

Frostproof, FL



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