$95 · Rare vintage 8 1/2-inch Alvey boat reel

If you collect Alveys, or just like big reels, or need something for big halibut, this rarity is for you. A step beyond a simple Scarborough, this reel actually has a check, as well as a drag (something that Boris Peetz experimented with but never finished.) The trouble with Alveys (they closed business a few years ago, just short of their 100th anniversary) was their reels were made too well. Once you bought one you had it forever. The massive 8 1/2-inch drum is made from Australian marine grade plywood known as Honey Maple (I gather named for the resin rather than the wood), which was introduced around 1960, before Alvey introduced resin/fibre-glass reels. The huge handles appear to be Bakelite, or something similar, set in flat brass plates on the drum. The chromed strap is rivet-and-soldered to the foot. The unusual stainless back-plate features the check button. In good condition, but a little elbow grease would create a fine show-piece.