Edward Vom Hofe 423 rare first model salmon reel 5/0

An early Edward Vom Hofe 423 salmon reel, a first model "Celebrated Salmon and Grilse Click Reel" which would be later renamed the Restigouche within the Vom Hofe lineup in 1911. 4 3/8" diameter with a 1 3/4" spool width, this was a 5/0, which would, again, later be reclassified as a 6/0. It tips the scales at 19.5 ounces. This has the first model drag requiring it to be preset with a pin. The reel is in remarkable condition for a manufacture date of approximately 1883. The handle screw has been replaced with an exact replica, the hard rubber has a few scratches but no cracks, and the screw heads are largely free of defects as are the other parts of the reel. It has the 1883-1924 oil port cap, the 1879 to 1895 drag selector, and has no size or model stamping on the foot which was the case with reels made prior to 1908. The click is louder outgoing in left hand retrieve although I cannot feel any major difference when the drag is adjusted to more resistance. The reel foot is full length but one end has been thinned down to fit on a rod. Double rollers are on each side of the reel frame for a total of six. The on-off click is on the back side. As noted earlier, the sliding oil port cover is the Jan 23, 1883 patent date. The reel's owner was John Prince Elton (1865-1948), President of the Waterbury, CT Brass Company, and the Elton Banking Co. He was a member of the Saint Marguerite Salmon Club, Sacre Coeur, Quebec. The leather reel case has a nickel silver plaque engraved with Elton's initials which are also engraved on the hard rubber side plates on the reel. "E Vom Hofe" is stamped on the bottom of the case. The buckle strap is broken. The serpentine reel handle, reel spool, pillars, screws, drag selector, foot, and protective rims are all nickel silver. Bronze center pin. A lovely piece of machining done on 1880's equipment and a rare early example of this fantastic model.