John Kopf reels were made from the 1880’s through the 1890’s. Most of his reels are plain, unmarked and made of nickel plated brass. Some have patent dates on them. It is very unusual to find one marked on the outside. Sometimes they are marked on the inside under the head plate. He also did make high quality reels made of German silver. Kopf received 5 reel patents in 1884 and 1885. On four of his patents, he assigned half of each patent to Thomas B. Mills (son of the then deceased William Mills) and one patent completely to himself. His sixth patent was for a wooden fishing rod case and was granted in 1890. John Kopf reels came in a wide variety of reel designs and were sold to all the major tackle dealers.
John Kopf was born in Bavaria (Germany) in 1857 to George and Apelona Kopf. In the 1870 US Census, his occupation is listed as working in a “Clock Factory”. In the 1880 census, his occupation is listed as “Engineer”. The 1884 to 1889 Brooklyn City Directories shows his occupation as “Fishing Reel Manufacturer.” In 1900, John Kopf declared bankruptcy and later passed away on July 21, 1907. Kopf is considered one of the great and most prolific New York reel makers.
The JOHN KOPF German Silver Reel and 1887 Catalog Listing
The JOHN KOPF Brass Reel, circa 1890
The JOHN KOPF Reel with December 16, 1884 Patent
The JOHN KOPF Reel with December 16, 1884 Patent
The JOHN KOPF Reel with December 16, 1884 Patent
The John Kopf Patents