Howard & Sievers reels were invented by Horatio Howard. He received a patent for his fishing reel design on December 27, 1904 while living in Hebron, IN. The 1905 Hebron, IN City Directory shows Horatio’s occupation as an “Agent for the Penn Co.” Horatio’s partner was John Sievers and his occupation is shown in the same Directory as “Watches & Jewelry.” The two of them teamed up to manufacture the reel. This reel has a unique method of putting the reel in free spool mode. By rotating forward the knurled shaft with your thumb, the lever inside the back plate pushes the spool shaft toward the front plate. The small pinion gear on the spool shaft is then disengaged from the larger drive gear putting the reel in free spool mode. By rotating the knurled shaft backwards, the reel is returned to line retrieve mode. The knurled wheel on the front plate rim is used to engage the drag mechanism. These are considered one of the early great reels made in the USA.
The HOWARD & SIEVERS Casting Reel
The HOWARD & SIEVERS Casting Reel Internal Mechanisms
The December 27, 1904 HORATIO HOWARD Reel Patent